- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: New Holland Publishers Ltd; First Edition edition (1 Sep 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845374231
- ISBN-13: 978-1845374235
- Product Dimensions: 29.2 x 24.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 613,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £21.70
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Lost Villages of England for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £21.70, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Britain is full of deserted, abandoned and lost villages. There are over 3,000 in England alone. Many were deserted in medieval times, for reasons ranging from death by plague to the depletion of the area's natural resources, whilst others were deserted more recently for reasons of national security. Villages such as Tyneham in Dorset, and Imber in Wiltshire, were taken over by the military in wartime, yet were never returned to their original inhabitants. Today, the desolate remains of these once-populated villages are all that remain to tell the stories of the inhabitants that once lived and worked there. Author Leigh Driver examines the historical writings, documents and archaeological remains that bear witness to the past, and tells the story of the demise of each "lost" village. Illustrated with stunning contemporary colour photographs alongside old aerial views, maps, and historical documents, these "lost" villages are brought back to life in this outstanding book.
About the Author
Leigh Driver is a qualified genealogist and an authority on English towns and villages. She is the author of The English Village, also by New Holland. Leigh is the Recorder for Brandon, where she lives, under the Suffolk Local History Council's Local Recorders Scheme and is currently researching a book on the town's history. Leigh also maintains the award-winning English Villages website (www.eng-villages.co.uk).
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The subject of the 'lost' villages of England is a fascinating one. Although popular tradition states that most such villages were wiped out by the Black Death, far more were destroyed by landowners who wanted to keep sheep, and the British Army has a disgraceful record of taking over people's homes with no compensation offered.
This book explores many such deserted villages in detail, and it brings the subject to life with authoritative text and extremely evocative photographs. It's impossible not to feel the mystery and lost history of these abandoned places. My only complaint is that this book does not cover ten times as many villages!
This book explores many such deserted villages in detail, and it brings the subject to life with authoritative text and extremely evocative photographs. It's impossible not to feel the mystery and lost history of these abandoned places. My only complaint is that this book does not cover ten times as many villages!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book as a result of discovering the two lost Warwickshire/Northamptonshire villages of Braunstonbury and Wolfhamcote. I had always assumed that villages were deserted either as a result of the Black Death or the enclosures of the eighteenth century but this book makes it clear that it was not as simple as that. Sometimes it is difficult to be sure why villagers abandoned their homes; in the case of these two villages it seems to have been a gradual process although the ravages of the Black Death would have accelerated the villages' decline. I would not like to visit other villages around the country and this book will be an invaluable companion.
Format:Hardcover
As the preface makes clear, this book follows on from Maurice Beresford's classic 'Lost Villages of England' (1954) and Richard Muir's more pictorial survey of 1985. The photography throughout is superb, none more so than that of the restored church of Houghton-on-the-Hill (Norfolk) on page 9, which I last saw around 1991 as an ivy covered wreck. The publishers have added an extra dimension by including vintage aerial views, though in one case this has resulted in one almighty howler, in that the photo on page 86 (bottom left) does NOT show Mintlyn church ruins, which for some 50 years have comprised no more than the west gable wall. The photo actually shows a ruinous farmstead, which has since disappeared, though I admit it looks very church-like at first glance. This gripe aside, this is a lovely book, nicely produced and well written.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent For Curious Minds
A great book exploring the English villages, packed full of facts and useful information. Would recommend for all.
Published 22 months ago by Doris Collins
Does what it says on the cover
Full of interest for anyone interested in rural life in the past. Well written with a good mix of pictures and text.
Published on 17 Mar 2010 by Mr. CJ Patrick
The Lost Villages Of England
Interesting book with a wide range of places included. Pictures are clear. I think it would have been better in hard back.
Published on 11 Mar 2009 by Patsy Jennings
A very fine book - BUY IT.
This is a very good book, the subject matter is of interest, it is well written and worth twice the price. Read more
Published on 20 May 2007 by J. Meyer
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
