Castles are hugely appealing to all who love history, architecture, archaeology, heritage and landscape. Newcomers to the study of castles as well as more experienced researchers should find Stephen Friar's companion informative, knowledgeable and wide-ranging. It contains over 1000 entries on English and Welsh fortifications from the Bronze Age to the present. If you are not sure just what a motte and bailey castle was, or whether the Romans left any fortified building during their occupation of Britain, this is the book you need. Stephen Friar uses his vast knowledge of all aspects of castles to explain things succinctly and clearly for the non-specialist. In addition, the companion is illustrated and has an index of castles, lists of addresses and further reading. Entries cover early fortifications such as Bronze Age hillforts, Roman fortifications, signal stations, medieval, Tudor and Napoleonic castles and fortifications, siege warfare, beacons, telegraph systems, modern fortifications such as military roads, pill boxes, watch towers, and romantic revival castles such as Castell Goch and Castle Drogo.