Town Houses of Medieval Britain

This wide-ranging book explores in great detail British medieval houses, from humble to grand. Anthony Quiney synthesizes archaeological, architectural and historical findings to present a comprehensive survey of houses throughout Britain from the early 5th century to the ascent of James VI of Scotland to the English throne in 1603. The book features over 300 illustrations that include medieval depictions of houses and their occupants, historic prints and photographs, as well as numerous explanatory drawings. In the first part of the book, Quiney considers a variety of political, religious and economic contexts and their influence on medieval building. He analyses how Christian culture affected house design, as well as the rebuilding of Anglo-Saxon England and Celtic Scotland and Wales. He describes the means by which people built their houses and maintained their towns, including in the discussion diverse residents – bishops, merchants, artisans, labourers, women and outcasts. The second part looks at the houses themselves. Individual chapters are devoted to lordly palaces and mansions, the small stone houses of post-conquest merchants and Jews, colleges and inns for travellers, social buildings such as guildhalls, hospitals, and almshouses, the row houses designed for newly affluent artisans, Scotland's progress toward tenement blocks of the future, and more.