Stronghold Britain : Four Thousand Years of British Fortification

From prehistoric hillforts to grand medieval castles, and from fortified country homes and Victorian follies to the defensive installations of World War II, this work explores the entire range of fortifications built in Britain in the last 4000 years.

It analyzes the development of the 5000 stronghold fortifications from prehistoric times to the modern day.

The chronological coverage includes prehistoric strongholds, the Roman legacy in Britain (Hadrian and Antonine Walls), the Dark Ages and the Nordic invasions, the motte and bailey castles left by the Normans, the castle building book of the middle ages, developments in the early modern period such as the growth of coastal forts and semi-fortified mansion houses, strongholds of the Napoleonic era and 19th-century invasion scares, and finally, defences from World War II from Scapa Flow to Hellfire Corner.