Preposterous Erections: A Book of English Towers - Softcover

Ashley, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0711233586 ISBN 13: 9780711233584

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, 2012

Synopsis

Eighteenth-century eye-catchers, nineteenth-century ego boosters, twentieth- century communicators, towers continually rise up into our collective consciousness. They are the landmarks of our journeys, the map pins of our personal geographies; always looked-out for, always in the corner of the eye.

Preposterous Erections brings together sixty uniquely fascinating towers from all corners of England. From the parkland Brizlee Tower in Northumberland to the coastal Stepper Point in Cornwall, Peter Ashley tells us their stories through his own very individual photographs and his witty and irreverent commentary. Although there is an obvious core of eighteenth and nineteenth-century landowner's eccentricities, the more recent past is not forgotten, including the instantly recognisable Post Office tower in London's Fitzrovia and the more retiring Lewis's department store art deco tower in Leicester. Monument or observatory, watch tower or water tower, these are sixty of the very best. Preposterous Erections will arouse the interest of even the most casual observer.

About this title

Review

Stop sniggering at the title and enjoy this selection of unusual landmark buildings that pepper England's towns and countryside

This cheekily named book is a peek at 60 towers around the country - some old, some modern, some famous, some undiscovered architectural gems. But all of them add an unexpected elegance to our skylines

 

Editor's Pic: Enchanting - and arrestingly titled - photographic book of 60 weird and wonderful towers from all over England; from the familiar like the Telecom Tower in central London to the unknown and extraordinaire like Waterloo Bridge in Birchington on Sea. The accompanying commentaries are delightful too.

An up close and personal expose of 60 eyebrow-raising erections, all closely examined and photographed in full colour. Ashley expertly handles some of the nations finest towers and eccentric follies, managing to tease out their secrets, culminating in this most memorable of publications.

Editor's Pic: Enchanting - and arrestingly titled - photographic book of 60 weird and wonderful towers from all over England; from the familiar like the Telecom Tower in central London to the unknown and extraordinaire like Waterloo Bridge in Birchington on Sea. The accompanying commentaries are delightful too.

This cheekily named book is a peek at 60 towers around the country - some old, some modern, some famous, some undiscovered architectural gems. But all of them add an unexpected elegance to our skylines

 

Stop sniggering at the title and enjoy this selection of unusual landmark buildings that pepper England's towns and countryside

About the Author

Peter Ashley is the author and photographer of over twenty books, including London Peculiars, Pastoral Peculiars, Unmitigated England and More from Unmitigated England. He edited Railway Rhymes for the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series and collaborated with Philip Wilkinson on books accompanying the BBC Restoration programmes, as well as The English Buildings Book, the ultimate guide to building types. Recent years have seen Built for Britain: From Bridges to Beach Huts (2009), followed by Cross Country (2011). He broadcasts regularly, notably talking about manhole covers and post boxes with Libby Purves on Radio 4's Midweek and reciting Betjeman on the Today programme. He has also been seen expounding on railway poetry for BBC 4's Between the Lines. He lives in Slawston, Leicestershire.

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0711233586
• ISBN 13: 9780711233584
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128