Books published by publisher English Heritage

The Big Books of Castles is packed with eye-catching illustrations and informative text, making it an exciting resource for children to learn about castles and castle life. It tells the story of life in a medieval castle: who lived in them, why they were built and where, as well as how they were attacked and defended. Each spread asks a question - how did attackers get inside, how were castles made stronger - and easy-to-follow explanations and picture labelling provide the answers. The vivid pictures are packed with detail and each spread includes useful parents' notes.

Nine Stone Close in Derbyshire is also known as the 'Grey Ladies' and legend has it that the stones dance at midnight and at midday, but only when nobody is watching of course. The Four Stones in Powys in Wales apparently wake up when they hear the bells of the local church in Old Radnor, and cross the meadow in which they are standing in order to drink from the nearby pool. The Long Stone at Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire takes a nightly exercise run around its field at night but the lazy Diamond Stone at Avebury only goes for a gentle walk across the road and back under the cover of darkness.

Did you know that a medieval remedy for deafness was sticking a rotten eel in your ear? Or that a Victorian man once ate elephant's trunk soup? Well, it's all true - and there is much, much more! Written in an engaging style and complemented with lively black and white line drawings, Foul Facts from the Perilous Past presents a hilarious selection of fascinating and revolting facts from history that mixes learning with fun. Ranging from the prehistoric period to the 20th century and covering a variety of historical subjects, the book will captivate children with its mix of individual facts, features such as Gory Stories and Believe It or Not, and multiple-choice quizzes that test their foul fact knowledge.

Discover the lives of the inhabitants of Dover castle from its origins deep in the ghastly past, when Iron Age people built a fort made from earth; when Roman soldiers illuminated the rugged coast with a lighthouse; and when Saxons gave praise by adding a church. The story travels 900 years through time right up to the present day, highlighting the exciting, the macabre, the humorous and the dreadful along the way.

This is one of a series designed to help teachers planning a site visit. Historical background is combined with a variety of possible study approaches, documentary sources and photocopiable activity sheets for classroom and on-site work, together with practical information about the site. This book focuses on Yarmouth Castle, which was built on the Isle of Wight following the French invasion of 1545. The book contains detailed information about 16th-century methods of attack and defence, and there are ideas for cross-curricular studies, a cut-out model, a survey sheet and an activity based on the theme of pirates.