One of Salisbury's best-kept secrets is its former Bishop's Palace, now the Cathedral School. It dates back to the foundation of the city in 1220 and was occupied by successive bishops for over 700 years until 1946 when it became home to the Cathedral School. It has been at the centre of turning points of English history yet its own history has never been fully explored. In this first in-depth study of this complex building, its grounds and its gardens, the author has included not only a review of the architectural changes but also examples of how the palace was used, with accounts of the daily lives of some of the more notable bishops and their families. This scholarly but very readable text sets the story within the broad canvass of English history. It also describes the other palaces created by the bishops of Salisbury and catalogues their portraits which have hung in the Salisbury Palace. The book is enhanced by a large number of illustrations, many never having been seen in print before and will offer new insights to anyone interested in the history of Salisbury. (Spire Books)

In fact this is not a 'scholarly text' the bibliography is relatively thin and there are no footnotes citing references making the critical checking that is the characteristic of a scholarly texts impossible. This said this is a well produced text with high quality and generally useful illustrations and there is nothing about the writers style to cause offence. For the intelligent reader wanting a book giving a sound history this is fine.