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 Doyden Castle 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.
Abberley Clock Tower, Worcs
Alfred's Tower, Somerset
Balderton, Notts
Balkan Water Tower, Essex
Belle Vue, Norfolk
Belmount Tower, Lincs
Bishop's Tower, Devon
Brizlee Tower, Northumberland
Broadway Tower, Worcs
Bull's Tower, Essex
Cambridge Library Tower
Charborough Tower, Dorset
Clavell Tower, Dorset
Dunstall Castle, Worcs
East Cranmore, Somerset
Faringdon Tower, Oxon
Farley Mount, Hants
Finedon Water Tower, Northants
Fonthill Abbey, Wilts
Freston Tower, Suffolk
Goole Coal Hoist, S.Yorks
Grimsby Dock Tower, N.Lincs
Gumley Stables, Leics
Hadlow Tower, Kent
Haldon Belvedere, Devon
Hardy's Monument, Dorset
Horton Tower, Dorset
House In The Clouds, Suffolk
Keppel Column, S.Yorks
Kew Pagoda, London
Kilsby Ventilator, Northants
Lansdown Tower, Avon
Leith Hill Tower, Surrey
Lewis's Tower, Leicester
Littlestone Water Tower, Kent
Luttrell's Tower, Hants
Martlesham, Suffolk
Mistley Towers, Essex
Mow Cop, Cheshire
Old John, Leics
Peterson's Folly, Hants
Post Office Tower, London
Powderham Belvedere, Devon
Princethorpe, Warks
Rouse Lench Campanile, Worcs
Rushmore, Wilts
Severndroog Castle, London
Shooter's Hill Water Tower, London
Somerset Tower, Gloucs
Stepper Point, Cornwall
Stop sniggering at the title and enjoy this selection of unusual landmark buildings that pepper England's towns and countryside
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Discover BritainThis 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
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We Love This BookAn 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.
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BooksellerEditor'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.
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Bookseller
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.
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