A very detailed book for castle lovers with drawings and history. I would purchase for a trip to Welsh castles to find out more before or after a trip to the castles.

From one who knows little or nothing about Wales, I found this book thoroughly fascinating. I would agree with another reviewer regarding the absence of pictures but then the book would be a massive tome to be fair. Anyone with an interest in castles , Wales and the history of the country will love this book. It is well written and researched, as far as some myths and legends can be. One is encouraged to get out a map and check out the layout of the country, well done Mr. Davis, Pen & Sword publishers for an exceptional book. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of Castles of Wales. Thumbs-up.

This is a well-researched, interesting history of the beautiful castles of Wales, with lots of tales about ghosts, but I would have liked pictures of the castles.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have ambivalent feelings about Castles of Wales by John Paul Davis. On the one hand, it’s full of facts such as “The Welsh language is one of the oldest in Europe.” That’s right: it’s believed that if a Welshman from the sixth century met one from the twenty-first, they could have a meaningful conversation. That is not true of most other European languages as they have borrowed words from other languages and mutated existing ones. Wales also does have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the UK.

On the other hand, “parts of Wales remain little changed since the days of St David”. To start with, that obviously applies to open countryside, not built-up areas – and the same might apply to any other open countryside in the UK, not just Wales. And how much of the Welsh countryside has similar vegetation to the sixth century? The same tree species?

The book is undoubtedly comprehensive. It has eight chapters, each covering a region or sometimes just one well-endowed county. Each region’s castles are treated in alphabetical order, so it’s very easy to find a particular castle. In total, there are essays (sometimes several pages long) on each of 69 castles and an extra “Best of the Rest” chapter covers another 30 castles with just a paragraph or two each. (And then there’s a further list of yet another 16 castles, each with just a few words such as “most of the gatehouse remains”.)

I’ll say that again: the coverage is really, really impressive. Each entry has a pattern: a very brief pen-picture of the castle as it is now in its current setting, followed by a chronological history of the site from the first castle built there to the present day. Whilst we get an accurate description of the castle’s architecture, Davis never gets so technical as to leave the lay reader behind. What I liked was that the smaller, less well-known, castles get as much care and attention as the large tourist magnets like Caernarfon.

My quibble with the book is two-fold… Firstly, the author follows all the really good historic stuff for each castle with several paragraphs about the reputed ghosts seen at each site and the tales behind them. Some readers may love spine-tingling notes about the “eerie formation of a phantom procession” at Gwydir Castle but I felt they devalued the factual history. Secondly, I wonder whether the author has been a little too ready to accept what he’s been told. For example, let’s take Gwrych Castle:
a) There wasn’t a previous Castle on the site. The first documented record is of David Lloyd of Plas yn Gwrych in 1608. This was the Manor House at Gwrych now known as Hen Wrych, 300 metres down the hillside nearer the sea.
b) As the present castle was built between 1819-1822 by Lloyd Hesketh Bamford Hesketh, it could not have been gutted by Roundhead fire during the Civil War. Lloyd inherited the estate in 1815 (the 4,000 acres included land in Cheshire and North West England. Queen Victoria did not visit the Castle in 1832 - she changed horses at the Bee Hotel!
c) Chapel door: “that is said to remain locked”. There is a door in the right hand corner as you enter. It opens onto a solid stone wall. It is purely for decoration. The chapel was only turned into a chapel by the Countess of Dundonald, so between the 1890s and 1920s. Before that, it was the carpenter’s workshop.
d) And why would a castle built in the 1820s (that’s built, not re-built) need a secret passage into the hills? Would its creation by local workmen really have remained a secret? The bullet holes in the chapel window are the result of vandalism in the mid 1990’s.

The book is very good, but I’d be wary of some of the claims.

#CastlesofWales #NetGalley

This is a great book full of interesting information, historical facts, and daunting tales that occurred in the Castles of Wales. i hope to someday visit some of these amazing places.

<i>Castles of Wales</i> is an absolute gem, and there can be no better day than today, St. David’s Day, to give this book the praise it fully deserves.

It wasn’t until I read this book that I realised how extensive my childhood adventures exploring castles throughout south and west Wales had been. As it turns out, there’s barely a castle I missed. <i>Castles of Wales</i> supplies the historical narrative lacking at the time, yet hardly required for a young boy lost in a world of imagination. It’s a book that will definitely be added to my bookshelf and will doubtless accompany me as I retrace my footsteps, and find new castles further afield.

It’s an invaluable guide to the casual tourist as well as the scholar. I recently finished reading a biography of Edward I, and it was interesting to learn in more detail in <i>Castles of Wales</i> about his citadels and ‘Iron Ring’. I’m inspired to read more by this author!

A solid 4-stars would have been 5...had the relevant photographs accompanied the text rather than featuring en masse at the end of the book. Not sure whether this is a formatting issue with my e-copy?

My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn't yet available to review on goodreads alongside Castles of England, so I'm beginning right here-- I found this a very engaging read for the layperson with an interest in history-- or in reported hauntings. I'm currently studying Cymraeg, which is what caught my interest more than anything. I'm in no position at the moment to travel there myself, but the author's passion for the landscapes as well as the history come through, and make this a fine pick for the armchair traveler as well as the armchair historian.

The story of Castell Carew, in the chapter on the castles of Pembrokeshire, was hands down my personal favorite-- while I enjoy history and nonfiction, I admit that nonfiction history reads rarely crack the barrier between a three and four star read for me, but that one... well. Even if your interests lie far from the exploits of Edwards and Henrys, fascinating tales abound.

I'm only sorry that, reading on my phone, I was unable to flip back and forth between the pictures in the back and the chapters as I was reading them, but there was a nice generous selection not only of photographs of the castles as they stand today, but some art that added historical perspective.

For anyone who enjoys history or castles in general, I would recommend this book!

The book was beautifully illustrated throughout, and looks in detail at several of Wales's castles, providing details of construction and history in each case. The cover is attention-grabbing, and I could easily imagine this book being placed on bookshelves at castle bookshops throughout Wales, and selling well.

A compelling historical read about the history, construction and use of the Castles in Wales. It is wrll-written and engaging. I was fascinated by the descriptions of the after effects of the Rose War. As an American, this book gave me a fresh and I teoduction to the history of Wales which I appreciated.

Thank you very much for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I am a HUGE fan of Welsh history, Welsh travel, etc. I am from the US but I lived near the Welsh border for a while and want to visit so many things in Wales. What I would look for in a book like this is is what I need to know about the things in Wales - history, where they are, what's available to see in different areas. I think that this book provides a lot of information, but what I think is a huge weakness is that there is not a lot of photography or visuals to go along with a lot of info. I think this book would be massively improved by adding more to break up the passages. Comparing this to other books of similar content, this is where the biggest gap remains. The information provided is quite interesting and I enjoyed reading through this book a lot.

I have a love for history, so much so that it was my college major. I have a good sized library of books on the various historical periods I favor, including some on castles in the UK and Europe. So when I saw this book I immediately wanted to read it. Sadly, it was a disappointment for me. An entire book on Welsh castles, something I don't see very often, and not one color image included. It's just an encyclopedic listing and description of the castles in Wales, with black and white images all the way at the end. I'm sure for some this book would be a pleasure. Not for me. There was nothing to hold my attention...nothing to make me feel that I had gone on a visual and mental trip through Wales. This is sadly not an author whose work I will ever read again.

John Paul Davis is also the author of the wonderful Castles of England. Learning about the availability of Castles of Wales thrilled me, especially as I have visited so many castles he discusses in this riveting book. Though visiting the castles really does help there is just the right amount of information to give readers a good sense of history, the attributes and purpose(s) of each (they sometimes changed), roles and whether they can be visited. The author's family had a Cadw pass when he was a young boy which revealed a different world. Wales is jam packed with castles and churches, more per square mile than anywhere, the ultimate in castle exploring for people like myself.

Not only does Englishman Davis describe the history of Wales and England from a defensive castle perspective but defines "castle" and explains many mythological connections and folklore. Additionally, he describes many multisensory hauntings witnessed by people over the ages including a "blue lady", an ape, disembodied legs, piercing screams, laughter, crying children, cold spots, soldiers and a "glowing wraith".

Many castles in Wales are Norman or Plantaganet and several comprise Edward I's "Iron Ring". However, there were fortifications well before this. Many names synonymous with the time of stone castles are Owain, William the Conqueror, Marcher lords, Cromwell, Edward I, legendary King Arthur and more. Thankfully one can visit about 200 of the 600 or so castles in Wales. The author includes a few in bordering England as well. Some of my personal favourites in the book are Caerphilly with its concentric design and double moat, wonderful Beaumaris, Chirk with its original dungeon, Denbigh's breathtaking views, Ewloe for its splendidly steep access, Gwyndir which is lived in and has peacocks strolling the grounds, Ruthin labyrinths, historical majestic Harlech, grand Manorbier, gardens at Picton, Carreg Cennen for its sublime location and passage/cave, powerful Chepstow and pretty Stokesay. I like the "The Best of the Rest" section as well as the photographs (only wish there were more!). Exploring castles and ruins is one of the most educational pursuits one can have in my opinion. If this book doesn't inspire, nothing will!

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this thoroughly researched and highly informative book. I can't wait to return to Wales!

Incredibly detailed and dense, with a few black and white photos and illustrations at the end. This book is for the committed castle lover or researcher, not for a casual browser.