I'm enjoying Prof. Thurley's lectures and find them so thorough. I do disagree with the contention that Britain has not been invaded successfully except by the Normans. I'm not sure why he picked the last invaders. We know Britain was "Roman" and drove the Celts into submission, then the Anglo-Saxions "invaded" or just took over the empty space of the Romans, and the Vikings invaded and took over the Northern half. The Normans were last and then blended with the rest. In a sense the Welsh invaded in the form of Henry Tudor. I guess its all a matter of degrees.
I also want to hear more about the imperial and immigrant influences on Britain's architectural landscape. Too often in 'these green and pleasant lands' we think of our history as locked away from 1066 onwards - as though Britain then developed in a test tube.
I'm enjoying Prof. Thurley's lectures and find them so thorough. I do disagree with the contention that Britain has not been invaded successfully except by the Normans. I'm not sure why he picked the last invaders. We know Britain was "Roman" and drove the Celts into submission, then the Anglo-Saxions "invaded" or just took over the empty space of the Romans, and the Vikings invaded and took over the Northern half. The Normans were last and then blended with the rest. In a sense the Welsh invaded in the form of Henry Tudor. I guess its all a matter of degrees.
I also want to hear more about the imperial and immigrant influences on Britain's architectural landscape. Too often in 'these green and pleasant lands' we think of our history as locked away from 1066 onwards - as though Britain then developed in a test tube.
The Building of England: printed in China, you've got to laugh
The Dutchman William the 3d took over England.... You forgot???