The Nature of the Place

In the 1930s the English rural landscape was much as it had been for centuries - ancient patterns of farm buildings, patchworks of small fields enclosed by thriving hedgerows, country lanes burdened with only the occasional motor vehicle and horse-drawn traps. 60 years of intensive farming have transformed that landscape. Hedgerows, woodlands, ponds and streams have all been sacrificed, together with the diverse animal, insect and plant life they supported. Yet these are the visible changes only. Starting with a description of one of the last surviving traditional farms in Western Europe, Lower Kingcombe Farm in Dorset, the author examines the destruction of the countryside and assesses just how much has been lost. It is not simply a matter of agricultural advances encroaching on traditional practices. Villages are becoming suburbs of nearby towns and cities, new roads are eating into fields and meadows and toxic waste, be it acid rain falling on food crops or illegal chemicals dumping, also threatens the rural environment. The book suggests practical ways in which, in a new "greener" decade, we might return to a healthier, saner way of life.
Geoffrey Young is the author of "The Sunday Times Countryside Companion".