An investigation and explanation into commonly repeated stories about historic architecture. Go to any mediaeval building in the land and there will be interesting, exciting and romantic stories presented to the visitor. These stories include those of spiral staircases in castles giving advantage to right-handed defenders, grooves left in church porches by archers sharpening their arrows and secret passages leading from the manor houses to nunneries. Ship timbers are often cited as being used in terrestrial buildings. Burn marks on those timbers are said to be the result of unattended candles. Blocked doors in churches are thought to keep the Devil out. Delightful as these tales are, they can be a little misleading in some cases and absolute myths in others. AUTHOR: James Wright is an award-winning freelance buildings archaeologist who specialises in mediaeval and early modern architecture. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people's cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He holds both a BA and PhD in Archaeology from the University of Nottingham and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He is a recognised specialist in timber-framed vernacular buildings and has expertise in understanding the development of folklore and myths relating to the historic built environment. He has over 10,000 Twitter followers, is an experienced nationwide public speaker and has made many appearances on TV, radio and podcasts. 25 colour illustrations
