This two-volume book explores how the great buildings of England bear witness to a thousand years of the nation’s history. In every age, investment in iconic buildings reaches a climax when the prevailing mode of production is operating most effectively, surplus wealth is most plentiful, and...

1. Hegemonic Building -- 2. Roman Colony -- 3. Feudal Bastion -- 4. Merchant Exchange -- 5. Dynastic Seat -- 6. Aristocratic Playground -- 7. Imperial Capital -- 8. Global City -- 9. Reconstructing London.