Royal Palaces of Britain by Jane Struthers, Paul Riddle, and Chris Coe (New Holland Publishers, 2004)
Illustrated with Chris Coe and Paul Riddle's lavish original photography, the book visits 30 of the finest royal palaces in England, Scotland and Wales. It delves into the history of each one and reveals its position in the life of the British monarchy. The palaces covered range from London's well-known royal residences and those in the surrounding area, such as Windsor Castle and Hampton Court, to castles in North Wales and palaces north of the border.
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The Royal Palaces of Tudor England: architecture and court life, 1460-1547 by Simon Thurley (Yale University Press, 2003)
The royal palaces of the Tudor period – Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, Greenwich Palace, St James's Palace, Nonsuch, Whitehall and Richmond Palace, amongst others – are the subject of this illustrated book, in which the author examines the way in which Tudor palaces functioned on the inside. Every aspect of palace life – from the deliberations of the Star Chamber to the tennis courts at Whitehall to the problems of providing sanitation for 800 people – is covered in detail, as well as the architectural history of not only the most important palaces, but also a selection of 'lesser' houses.
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Medieval Palaces: an archaeology by Graham D Keevill (Tempus, 2000)
During the medieval period a large number of palaces were built for the monarchy and bishops of the day. This book forms the first general study of medieval palaces and looks at the sites themselves, their construction, function and, in some cases, demise.
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Life in the English Country House: A social and architectural history by Mark Girouard (Yale University Press, 1993, 2nd edition)
Classic introductory book on the architecture, use, and evolution of English country houses from the medieval period to the Second World War.
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Buckingham Palace: the official illustrated history by John Martin Robinson (The Royal Collection, 2001)
When King George III bought the Duke of Buckingham's house in 1761 it was an elegant villa situated in spacious parkland. The Court resided at nearby St James’s Palace and the house was intended purely as a comfortable retreat for the king and queen and their growing family. The story of the reshaping of the house and its gradual transformation into a royal palace forms the basis for this highly readable account.
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The Garden at Buckingham Palace: an illustrated history by Jane Brown and Christopher Simon Sykes (The Royal Collection, 2004)
As well as Jane Brown's history of the Buckingham Palace garden, the photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes record a year in the life of the garden, from snowy winter mornings to the extraordinary blaze of colour achieved for the summer garden parties.
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The Strange History of Buckingham Palace by by Patricia Wright (Sutton Publishing, 2003)
Neither conventional history nor guide, this book reveals how Buckingham Palace came to be the place it is, from a time when it probably formed the escape route from a Roman battle nearly 2000 years ago to the establishment of the first gentleman's house there in the 17th century, and on into a chequered royal history.
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Windsor Castle: the official illustrated history by John Martin Robinson (The Royal Collection, 2001)
In this flowing and well-researched account, John Martin Robinson traces the building's 1,000 years of history. He describes how William the Conqueror's impenetrable fortification became in time a medieval hunting lodge, a private retreat and a magnificent state residence. His final chapter describes the official engagements that form part of the Queen’s diary each year, and for this new, expanded edition he also includes a full account of the much-praised restoration work that was carried out after the fire in 1992.
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Edward III's Roundtable at Windsor by Juian Munby, Richard Barber and Richard Brown (The Boydell Press, 2007)
The image of King Arthur's Round Table is well-known. Now a dramatic archaeological find at Windsor castle sheds new light on the idea of a round table as a gathering. The discovery of the foundation trench of a great building two hundred feet in diameter in the Upper Ward of Windsor castle, allows the reconstruction of that building's appearance and raises the question of its purpose.
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The Palace of Holyroodhouse: official guidebook by Ian Gow (The Royal Collection, 2006)
New book in The Royal Collection series covering Holyroodhouse, due out in November.
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Edinburgh in the '45: Bonnie Prince Charlie at Holyrood House by The Lord Provost of Edinburgh (Saltire Publications, 1995)
Compiled from contemporary sources, this is an account of Edinburgh in the autumn of 1745, concentrating on Charles Edward's six-weeks' occupancy of Holyroodhouse. A description of the palace at the time is included.
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Fishbourne Roman Palace by Barry Cunliffe (Tempus, 1998)
This book by Barry Cunliffe, who led the excavation of Fishbourne Roman Palace, is the definitive book on Britain’s biggest ancient building.
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Palace of the People: the Crystal Palace at Sydenham 1854-1936 by Jan Piggott (C Hurst & Co, 2004)
This book traces the rise and fall of what became known as 'The People's Palace', the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in south London.
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The People's Palaces: Britain's seaside pleasure buildings by Lynn F. Pearson (Barracuda Books, 1993)
This book about Britain's seaside pleasure buildings from 1870 to 1914, by architectural historian Lynn Pearson, studies the late Victorian and Edwardian pleasure buildings of the English and Welsh resorts, showing how the magic of the seaside was created. Chapters look at the financing of the buildings, palaces at the end of piers, the pleasure domes, theatres of opulence, crystal palaces beside the sea, seaside amusements, and the first picture shows.
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