Through the Windows of an Ordinary House: A History of England

It is great stuff … [an] original history of England … Mortimer has established himself as a fine teller of tales about people, rather than kings … A book rich in anecdotage

Max Hastings, Sunday Times - Book of the Week

An intimate portrait of a thousand-year sweep of England’s history that – through the architectural prism of one ordinary house – conjures up the lives of the long dead and offers insights into a seemingly unfathomable past. An intriguing and compelling book

Dan Cruikshank, author of The English House

This endlessly fascinating book tells the story of England from the inside out, giving full expression to the often neglected ordinary people who lived through the vagaries of royal will, rebellion, prosperity and hardship. A wealth of exquisite period details and vivid descriptions immerse the reader in an extraordinary house and its community over the course of almost 2,000 years. A must for history lovers everywhere

Tracy Borman, author of The House of Boleyn

To understand England, you do not necessarily need to travel everywhere. Sometimes one very old house is enough. In Through the Windows of an Ordinary House, Ian Mortimer brilliantly tells the story of England through the lens of a single house ... Richly researched and engagingly written, this fascinating book reminds us that the history living quietly within the walls of many seemingly unassuming homes is anything but ordinary

Andrew Ziminski, author of Church Going

In this gripping book, Ian Mortimer sets out to tell the history of England through one medium-sized house and the people who lived in it, including a peasant, a shoemaker, a murderous clergyman and, eventually, a historian. Along the way some old historical cliches get busted … [and] the past moves from faded parchment into full and glorious colour

Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday