English Orchards English Orchards

English Orchards

A Landscape History

    • £17.99
    • £17.99

Publisher Description

Old orchards have an irresistible appeal. Their ancient trees and obscure fruit varieties seem to provide a direct link with the lost rural world of our ancestors, a time when the pace of life was slower and people had a strong and intimate connection with their local environment. They are also of critical importance for sustaining biodiversity, providing habitats, in particular, for a range of rare invertebrates. Not surprisingly, orchards and the fruit they contain have attracted an increasing amount of attention over the last few decades, from both enthusiastic bands of amateurs and official conservation bodies. But much of what has been written about them is historically vague, romanticized and nostalgic. Orchards have become a symbol of unspoiled, picturesque rural England.

This book attempts, for the first time, to provide a comprehensive review of the development of orchards in England from the Middle Ages to the present day. It describes the various different kinds of orchard and explains how, and when, they appeared in the landscape – and why they have disappeared, at a catastrophic rate, over the last six decades. Chapters discuss the contrasting histories of fruit growing in different regions of England, the complex story of ‘traditional’ fruit varieties and the role of orchards in wildlife conservation. In addition, a chapter on researching orchards provides a practical guide for those wishing to investigate the history and archaeology of particular examples.

GENRE
Non-Fiction
RELEASED
2022
31 August
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
224
Pages
PUBLISHER
Oxbow Books
SIZE
20
MB

More Books Like This

From Foragers to Farmers From Foragers to Farmers
2009
Foraging and Farming Foraging and Farming
2014
New Forest New Forest
2017
The Prehistory of Food The Prehistory of Food
2004
The Late Medieval Landscape of North-east Scotland The Late Medieval Landscape of North-east Scotland
2021
The Prehistoric Settlement of Britain The Prehistoric Settlement of Britain
2014

More Books by Gerry Barnes

Hedgerow History Hedgerow History
2008
Trees in England Trees in England
2017
Rethinking Ancient Woodland Rethinking Ancient Woodland
2015