Hidden Histories: A Spotter's Guide to the British Landscape

Product Description 'This fascinating spotter’s guide to Britain’s historical landscape – what to see and how to decipher it – is rammed with intriguing nuggets.' Sunday Times 'A definitive classic field guide... Its scope is as magnificent as our countryside itself.'BBC Countryfile Magazine 'This book is perfect for anyone who’s travelled through the countryside, scratched their head, and thought, ‘what on earth is that thing?' Tony Robinson For the times when you’re driving past a lumpy, bumpy field and you wonder what made the lumps and bumps; for when you’re walking between two lines of grand trees, wondering when and why they were planted; for when you see a brown heritage sign pointing to a ‘tumulus’ but you don’t know what to look for… Entertaining and factually rigorous, Hidden Histories will help you decipher the story of Britain's landscape through the features you can see around you. This spotter’s guide arms the amateur explorer with the crucial information needed to ‘read’ the landscape and spot the human activities that have shaped our green and pleasant land. Photographs and diagrams point out specific details and typical examples to help the curious spotter ‘get their eye in’ and understand what they’re looking at, or looking for. Specially commissioned illustrations bring to life the processes that shaped the landscape (from medieval ploughing to Roman road building). Stand-alone capsules explore interesting aspects of history (like the Highland Clearances or the coming of Christianity), and text boxes provide definitions of jargon or handy references as required (like a glossary of what different field names mean). Each chapter culminates in a checklist of key details to look for, other things it might be, and gives details of where to find some of the best examples in Britain. Review "...This fascinating spotter's guide to Britain's historical landscape - what to see and how to decipher it - is rammed with intriguing nuggets...You will quickly learn about the mysterious landscapes that we blunder across so blindly....Ochota's book covers a satisfying variety of different subjects, from pathways, bridges and old houses, to hedges, churches, graveyards and field patterns left behind by medieval ploughmen...it is nuggets such as these that make this richly detailed book so attractive to read." - Andrew Holgate, The Sunday Times "This book is perfect for anyone who's travelled through the countryside, scratched their head, and thought, 'what on earth is that thing'?" - Tony Robinson "...in Hidden Histories, a definitive classic field guide on a neglected area of interest - the landscape itself - is born... its scope is as magnificent as our countryside itself." - Countryfile Magazine "A great book to keep in the car ready for all those family days out and holidays. It is packed full of great illustrations that bring the book's text to life." - Four Shires "A field guide that will open your eyes to the countryside in a way that very few books can rival." - Tom Holland, New Statesman "...a fascinating guide to deciphering and understanding the British landscape." - The Countryman "A friendly and well-written introduction to the hidden riches of the British landscape, with clear explanations and excellent illustrations. Use it as a handy guide, when out-and-about, or read it from cover to cover at home. Either way, it's an excellent and authoritative read." - Prof. Francis Pryor "What a brilliant idea - I only wish I'd thought of it first! Reading the ground is so much fun - made even better by the fact it requires no kit except the human eye mark 1 - still the best tool of all, as you know. This fine tome is the perfect companion for a good old walk in the wilds. Fantastically thorough. And so much detail and careful thought, ideal for all - whether specialist or general enthusiast. I'm loving it and learning from it. First class! " - Neil Oliver "This beautifully presented and fascinating guide will enrich