Author talk with archaeologist James Wright at Charing Cross Library

Go to any ancient building in the Welsh borderlands, and you will be presented with interesting, exciting, and romantic stories. These stories are commonly believed and widely repeated, but are they really true?

These stories include those of secret passages linking ancient buildings, spiral staircases in castles giving advantage to right-handed defenders, ship timbers used in the construction of buildings on land, blocked doors in churches thought to keep the Devil out, and claims to be the oldest pub in the region. James will explain the development of such myths and investigate their underlying truths. Sometimes, the realities hiding behind the stories are even more interesting, romantic, and exciting than the myth itself. 

The speaker, James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award-winning building archaeologist with two decades of professional experience ferreting around in people's cellars, hunting through their attics, and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog, and his book Historic Building Mythbusting will be released via The History Press on 6 June 2024.

Come and hear James talk, ask questions, and perhaps get a signed copy of his book.

Please note that Charing Cross Library has no wheelchair access.