Fortress Builder

This is the first study dedicated to the military engineer Bernard de Gomme, builder of many English citadels and forts. Very heavily illustrated, and produced in a large format, it includes reproductions of many of de Gomme's original plans and drawings. Bernard de Gomme started his English career when Prince Rupert recruited him as a fortifications expert at the beginning of the English Civil War; after the Restoration he became Surveyor-General of the Ordnance Office. Though Dutch in origin, he was the contemporary equivalent of Louis XIV's great engineer Vauban. De Gomme personifies the development of English military engineering during the late 17th century, at a time when bastioned fortification in Europe was at its most sophisticated. De Gomme's life and work are the central elements of the book. But the book also provides an education in 17th century military fortification theory and practice.