Romantic castles and palaces : $b as seen and described by famous writers

Description

"The pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria" by of Alexandria Hero is a scientific treatise written in the 1st century AD. It sets out the principles and marvels of air, steam, and water pressure, detailing fountains, automata, and other mechanical devices that turn natural forces into spectacle and practical mechanism. The opening of this volume presents an illustrated anthology, introduced by a preface that explains the choice of notable castles and palaces for their architectural beauty, historical resonance, and legendary associations, and then lists a wide-ranging table of contents. Early selections move from a vivid account of Conway Castle—its role in Edward I’s conquest, its architecture as half-castle, half-palace, and surrounding Welsh legend—to an opulent tour of Venice’s Ducal Palace, its gates, stairways, wells, grand halls hung with Tintoretto and Veronese, and the Bridge of Sighs and prisons. Next come Linlithgow’s royal history and local lore, including the ruse of William Binnock’s hay-wain and the palace’s later burning; Arundel’s lowland-and-downland setting and long line of owners framed by pastoral Sussex; and Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio as the stage of civic power, Savonarola’s council hall, and Cosimo I’s calculated statecraft and patronage. The section closes by recasting Kensington Palace as the intimate, domestic face of royalty—expanded under successive monarchs, Dutch in William III’s taste, and associated with tea-table sociability more than pomp. Overall, the beginning establishes the book’s pattern: celebrated writers evoke place, memory, and design to animate each fortress or palace. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Subjects

• Palaces
• Castles
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