Diderich Beckman - Our Incomparable Engineer (Paperback)

Paperback. Our Incomparable Engineer is the biography of Diderich Beckman, the Swedish military engineer who played a significant role in the defence of Royalist strongholds during the English Civil War. Drawing on extensive research in Swedish and English archives, it examines the disputed origins of Oxford's defences, traditionally attributed to Bernard de Gomme and others, and Beckman's work at Hillesden House and Malmesbury. Oxford, the Royalist capital and its most important stronghold, twice resisted Parliamentarian threats before finally being closely besieged in 1646. The defence and fall of Hillesden House to Oliver Cromwell has long been debated, while strategically important Malmesbury was besieged and captured four times. Before its final siege, Beckman was sent to strengthen the town's defences, but Colonel Edward Massey captured it before the work could be completed. Our Incomparable Engineer offers a fresh perspective on a little-known military engineer and the fortifications of the English Civil War. AUTHOR: Paul Beckmann is a practising Landscape Architect with many years' experience, particularly in drawing by hand, which gives him a very particular insight into historic maps and plans, especially terrain. As a member of the Fortress Study Group and a Landscape Architect, he approaches the subject of the defences and their design in a perhaps more pragmatic way than many previous academics have done. Paul has written a number of articles published in FORT the journal of the Fortress Study Group, as well as in other journals. He is currently writing the biography of Sir Martin Beckman, the more famous half-brother of Diderich Beckman. 24 b/w photos, 16 b/w illustrations Our Incomparable Engineer covers the life of the Swedish military engineer Diderich Beckman; it explores the contentious issue of who designed the defences of Oxford, previously attributed to Bernard de Gomme and others, and examines the defences of Hillesden House and the town of Malmesbury during the Civil War. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…