PhotoBooks England

Clustered around its parish church and green, or strung out along a curving road, the English village often seems the very embodiment of tranquillity. Winding lanes, thatched cottages, and red-brick Georgian houses bespeak a way of life that has developed peacefully over centuries, uninterrupted by war or invasion. Yet, the occasional castle or fortified manor house bears testimony to a more turbulent past, and it should not be forgotten that the style of many village churches--Romanesque or Norman--was originally borne across the English Channel on the wave of conquest. Each English village possesses its own distinct character, formed by history, location, and, indeed, local building materials. There is a world of difference between the dark-stone villages of the north and the Pennines and the thatched, half-timbered architecture of East Anglian and southern communities. Village forms and layout differ widely too. Eton, in Berkshire, is arranged along a high street and centered on a famous college. The Dorset village of Cerne Abbas is dominated by the figure of a naked, priapic giant, carved into a hillside some 1,500 years ago. In Hawkshead, Cumbria, it is still possible to visit the school attended by William Wordsworth; in Mevagissey, Cornwall, the delights of a Cornish shipping village remain virtually intact. The richness and diversity of the English village are celebrated here in absorbing commentary and magnificent photography by James Bentley and Hugh Palmer. Grouped by area and subdivided by county--northern, midland, eastern, southern, and western--this splendid volume describes and illustrates the most beautiful villages and that most beautiful of lands--"this earth, this Realme"--this England.

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A stunning collection of aerial photographs of the Home Counties – from coastal sights to stately homes.

The counties of Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, sometimes called the “garden of England”, contain some of the most beautiful buildings and lush landscape in Britain, and seen from the air it attains a new and unexpected glory. Jason Hawkes provides magnificent bird’s-eye views of such sites as Dover Castle and the White Cliffs, Canterbury Cathedral, Hever and Leeds Castles, Whitstable Bay, Sissinghurst, Arundel, Brighton, the New Forest, Epsom Downs, the ancient cathedral city of Winchester, the Isle of Wight and much more. A highly informative commentary on the pictures is provided in the captions.

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What English village would be complete without a country pub? No other nation has anything quite comparable to these cozy, convivial meeting places that are the heart of English social life. Some pubs have historical connections, others enjoy literary associations, and still more are famous simply for their own sake. Through delightful photographs and personal stories, the diversity of this cherished feature of Britain's rural landscape comes shining through.

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Take an excursion through the English countryside in summer, from small cottage plots where old-fashioned flowers bloom in harmony with vegetables and fruit, and to the more spacious gardens of the manor house, where collections of plants are carefully arranged to create a personal vision of Eden. "...enchanting...No gardener, however grand, will turn these pages and not come away with a headful of new ideas to ponder."--Sunday Times Magazine.

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Deep in the heart of England lie lush pasturelands and gentle rolling hills that stretch from Shrewsbury to Gloucester, and from the Welsh borders to Stratford-upon-Avon. This region has seen more passion and spilt more blood than any other area of the kingdom; poets have celebrated its legends, farmers blessed its fertility, and industrialists exploited its mineral resources. Discover it for yourself, with its cottages, ancient villages, elegant spa towns, great cathedrals, impressive fortresses, stately homes, and historic manors.

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Inspired by their love of England and the popular response to their collection "London", this book sees the father and son team travelling the length and breadth of England, cameras at the ready, to capture those special moments which represent the essence and spirit of the country. The result is an intriguing portrait of a land and its people, and contributes to the Gerald & Marc Hoberman Collection of photographs. With informative text by John Andrew, who also contributed to "London", the book presents an overview of England and showcases its exceptional natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and unique attributes. It also shows England through the eyes of a South African giving a new dimension to national photography.

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England's largest county is also, in the view of many, its most beautiful - a richly varied landscape with its rugged northern moorland, the rolling chalk hills of the Wolds, and the homely hills and valleys of the Dales. It is also rich with glorious stately homes like Castle Howard and Burton Constable, medieval abbeys and castles like Rievaulx, Fountains, Bolton and Richmond, and historic towns like York, Scarborough and Harrogate. In this marvellous collection of aerial photographs Jason Hawkes has captured the magic of Yorkshire, urban and rural, in all its majesty.

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From Stonehenge to Land’s End, Jason Hawkes has compiled a magnificent aerial portrait of the glorious west of England, revealing the landscape and its structures from often startling angles. Here are breathtaking views of such famous sites as Wells Cathedral and Maiden Castle, lovely fishing villages and seaside towns, the rugged Cornish coast, and the rolling inland countryside, dramatically bestrewn with ancient monuments.

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