Abandoned Castles: (Abandoned Places)

An ancient hilltop fortress. A crusader citadel in the West Bank. A fairytale medieval castle fallen into ruin. From ancient times to the end of the nineteenth century, Abandoned Castles explores more than 100 forts, castles and defensive strongholds from all around the globe. From medieval Japanese castles to Spanish colonial forts in West Africa to Norman stone keeps, the book ranges widely across history. Many have long ceased to serve a purpose, but then, like the crusader castle Krak de Chevaliers in Syria today, their impenetrable walls become the site of more fighting centuries later. Others, such as the Cathar Chateau de Queribus in southern France, stand high above peaceful coastlines, testament to the wars of the past. Some are beautiful, others brutal, but each tells a story about the way we fought and defended ourselves, and how the building has survived and aged, long after the people it was built by are gone. With 150 outstanding colour photographs, Abandoned Castles is a brilliant pictorial examination of castles, forts, keeps, and defensive fortifications from the ancient world to the end of the nineteenth century.

Table of Contents:
Introduction ANCIENT TIMES TO DARK AGES Eleutherae, Attica, Greece Danebury, Hampshire, England Masada, Judea, Israel Euryalus, near Syracuse, Sicily, Italy Coria, Northumberland, England Qal’at al-Bahrain, Bahrain Palace of Darius, Persepolis, Ira Circular Tower, Coastal Fortress, Qal’at al-Bahrain, Bahrain Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India Theodosian Walls, Istanbul, Turkey Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi, Homs Governorate, Syria EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD Coity Castle, Glamorgan, Wales Yamchun, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan Riba de Santiuste, Guadalajara, Spain Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire, England Château de Saint-Ulrich, Haut-Rhin, France Crac des Chevaliers, Homs Governorate, Syria Beaufort Castle, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon Araburg Castle, Lower Austria, Austria Rocco Calascio, Abruzzo, Italy Govone, Savona, Liguria, Italy Loarre Castle, Huesca, Aragon, Spain Dunamase Castle, County Laois, Leinster, Ireland Drachenfels, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Clock Tower, Gjirokastër Fortress, Gjirokastër, Albania Beaufort Castle, Luxembourg Corfe Castle, Dorset, England Pendragon Castle, Cumbria, England Bait Jibrin, Southern District, Israel Château de Brésis, Gard, France Belvoir Fortress, Northern District, Israel Malbork Castle, Poland Château Gaillard, Eure, Normandy, France LATE MEDIEVAL PERIOD Château de Montgilbert, near Vichy, Allier, France Tintagel, Cornwall, England Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland Château d’Alleuze, Cantal, Auvergne, France Teczyn, Kraków-Czestochowa Upland, Poland Château de l’Ortenbourg, Alsace, France Beaupre, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales Ogrodzieniec, Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, Poland Rabi Castle, Bohemia, Czech Republic Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland Château de Montségur, Ariège, Occitanie, France Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales Hammerhus, Bornholm, Denmark Altenstein, Bavaria, Germany Auchindoun Castle, Moray, Scotland Old Wardour Castle, Wiltshire, England Nakijin Castle, Okinawa, Japan Château de Quéribus, Aude, France Frangocastello, Chania Prefecture, Crete, Greece Tamagusuku, Okinawa, Japan Olsztyn, Silesia, Poland Dolwyddelan Castle, Conwy County Borough, Wales Leamaneh Castle, County Clare, Ireland Castle Stalker, Loch Linnhe, Argyll, Scotland Dobele Castle, Semigallia, Latvia Okor Castle, Bohemia, Czech Republic Hrusov Castle, Slovakia Fortress of Asklipio, Rhodes, Greece Hovenweep Castle, Utah, USA Takeda Castle, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, Argyll and Bute, Scotland Nakagusuku, Okinawa, Japan Zakimi Castle, Okinawa, Japan EARLY MODERN ERA Citadelle de Palais, Belle-Île-en-Mer, Brittany, France Ballycarbery Castle, County Kerry, Ireland Bourtzi, Methoni Castle, Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece Palmanova, Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy Janjira, Maharashtra, India Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India Fakhr al-Din al-Maani citadel, Palmyra, Homs Province, Syria Carbury Castle, County Kildare, Ireland Mortella Tower, Corsica, France Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Golconda, near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Ardvreck Castle, Loch Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland Fort San Lorenzo, Colón, Panama Fort Mahon, Ambleteuse, Pas-de-Calais, France Krzyztopor Castle, Swietokrzyskie Province, Poland Fort Paté, Blaye, Gironde, Aquitane, France Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan Minard Castle, Dingle Bay, County Kerry, Ireland Twizell Castle, Northumberland, England IMPERIAL ERA Mow Cop Castle, Mow Cop, Odd Rode, Cheshire, England Cape Coast Castle, Ghana Ussher Fort, Accra, Ghana Fort James, Accra, Ghana Palamidi, Nafplio, Peloponnese, Greece Kincasslagh, County Donegal, Ireland Martello Tower, Bawdsey, Suffolk, England Carleton Martello Tower, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Fort Alexander, St. Petersburg, Russia Fort Union, Mora Valley, New Mexico, USA Buchanan Castle, Stirlingshire, Scotland Château de Noisy, Celles, Namur, Belgium Fort Gilkicker, Gosport, Hampshire, England Fort Zverev, Kronstadt, near St Petersburg, Russia Hajmasker Barracks, Hajmasker, Hungary Bannerman Castle, Pollepel Island, Hudson River, New York State, USA Fort de Malamot, Mont Malamot, Savoy, France Fort Richmond, New York City, USA Gun Turrets, Askold Island, Fokino, Russia

About the Author :
Kieron Connolly’s books include Abandoned Civilisations, Abandoned Castles and The History of Hollywood. He is a graduate in history from the University of Edinburgh and in film from the National Film & Television School. A book editor and journalist, he has written for the Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail and The Times. He lives in London.