Conisbrough Castle

When I was a lad I lived in a council house in Conisbrough, an industrial township in the West Riding of Yorkshire. There was nothing special about the house – except the view, because right across the valley was one of the best-preserved castles in Yorkshire. It inspired me, at ten years old, to write a book about the castle, but not knowing much about history or archaeology, I ended up copying out Thompson's guidebook (1959) with a few changes and additions. It was not until 2014 that I wrote my first novel about Conisbrough Castle, The Abduction of Lady Alice. This was followed by two more books, Crusader and The Poet and the Castle. Along the way, I wrote two articles for Yorkshire History magazine, several poems, some short stories and a novella, Allan-a-Dale and Adela. Most of those stories and poems ended with a Historical Note, which was basically a summary of the research I had done. Those historical notes are collected here, along with some photographs and extracts from the texts. The result is an alternative history of Conisbrough Castle from an author's perspective.

Christopher Webster was brought up in Conisbrough, Yorkshire, which is well-known for its magnificent castle. The castle and its link with England's founding father, Hengest, inspired his interest in history. He studied English at Leeds University and was an English teacher for many years. His first publication was Poetry Through Humour and Horror (Cassell). This was followed by many more educational publications, including the best-selling 100 Literacy Hours (Scholastic). He has also published a wide range of fiction, drama and poetry culminating in his "masterpiece" pentalogy, English Dawn and its sequel, The Grail Delusion. He is currently retired and living his dream, which is to be a full-time writer (though it is sometimes a nightmare when the words won't flow!). If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a review.