Cross Country: English Buildings and Landscape From Countryside to Coast

by Peter Ashley

In Cross Country photographer and author Peter Ashley unleashes his passion for Blighty. He takes us on an enlightening jaunt that encompasses many of England’s most loved regions. His love of buildings and landscape extends far beyond architecture in picturesque surroundings. By combining personal reminiscence and an ear for intriguing anecdote, he shows us with wit, and sometimes irreverent comment, just how richly varied the fabric of England abandoned Cornish tin mines above tide-washed caves; Norfolk boat sheds leaning on salt marches; Romney Marsh shepherd’s houses disappearing behind roadside willows; and hedges looked over in Wiltshire. Local details are found in both Essex estuaries and Cumbrian sand dunes; and long abandoned railway lines are once again pressed into service to take us around his beloved High Leicestershire. Ashley never misses the curious and neglected – be it a sheep wash in the Cotswolds or a disused petrol pump in Herefordshire. He travels deep into t eh countryside he cares about. His wry observations allow us to rediscover and delight in what many of us might previously have deemed familiar territory.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, and right from the start wanted to sit and read every word. This doesn't always happen with coffee table books. I usually skim through them, looking at the pictures and glancing at some of the text. In contrast, this was a pleasure to read from cover to cover. Not overly wordy with an easy chatty style that created word pictures every bit as good as the accompanying photos. Not covering the usual touristy haunts of Britain, Peter Ashley takes us to the not so well known, but just as good towns and villages that dot the rural landscape. There's plenty of outstanding photography, by the author, and this is exactly the sort of book that will inspire many holidays, walks and Sunday drives, out into the country!