The rivers Severn and Wye were once home to many now long-forgotten crafts and skills. In The River Hobbler's Apprentice: Memories of Working the Severn and Wye Alan Butt provides a vivid insight into the forgotten world of the river hobbler, a unique trade and one which he learnt of at the end of its days. Falling through the cracks of society the river hobbler paid no taxes and made a living by working whatever was available on and around the river. Changing throughout the year, tasks included catching salmon and elvers, rabbiting, cleaning barrels and castrating piglets to name just a few. Each season brought with it hazards ranging from trench foot, lost fingers, pneumonia, tuberculosis and even the occasional drowning! This is a dual story in which the author seamlessly blends memories of the time he spent alongside hobblers during his youth with the life stories of other river hobblers. Tales range from falling in love with a milkmaid to the toiling tasks of earlier days, amid the hardships and constantly changing nature of work that was their lot. Featuring many previously unpublished photographs and written in a lively and humorous style with a love story running throughout, this book is sure to captivate its reader, immersing them in a way of life now long forgotten.

The Wilts & Berks Canal was opened in 1810 but promoted from 1793, connecting the Kennet & Avon Canal at Semington to the River Thames at Abingdon. In 1819 the North Wilts Canal was opened from Swindon to Latton on the Thames Severn Canal, providing an alternative route for boats bypassing the difficult Upper Thames Navigation. Abandoned in 1914, urban development took its toll on the canal and in some of the country areas it was returned to agricultural use. But the rural nature of this navigation was in many ways its salvation, meaning much of it lay undisturbed. Since 1977 the canal has been under active restoration and is now the biggest project of its type in the country. With ambitious plans in place to make the canal a centre for leisure and tourism as well as a haven for walkers, cyclists and fishermen, there has never been a more opportune time to reflect on its long journey. With over 180 photographs and informative captions, canal expert Doug Small revisits this much-loved waterway.

Henry Taunt was one of the most prolific and innovative of Victorian photographers, working mainly in and around Oxford. The River Thames became his favourite subject, and he captured its astonishing variety in thousands of glass plate negatives. From the natural beauties of the river itself and its landscape, through the historic houses, bridges and other riverside buildings which mark its progress, to its place as a playground for Victorian oarsmen, fishermen, and outdoor lovers of all kinds, Taunt's photographs present a matchless picture of late Victorian Britain. The authors have selected some 75 of Taunt's finest photographs, and, revisiting the sites today, have recorded the same views with cutting edge digital technology. These they have woven in with the originals, which are reproducing with the greatest possible care, together with a commentary based on Taunt's own numerous guidebooks. The result is a book of extraordinary beauty and power, which both evokes a vanished world and at the same time captures the contemporary beauty of what in many ways is a timeless landscape.

First published in 2000. Within the last decade the UK has undergone major shifts in terms of its land, economy, society, polity and environment, all of which have had a profound effect on the geographical landscape. This fully revised edition of a widely-appreciated book presents a full description and interpretation of the changes that have occurred during the 1990s. It includes a great deal of new material from a revised team of contributors.

Since 1990 the UK has undergone major shifts in terms of its land, economy, society, policy and environment, all of which have had a profound effect on the geographical landscape. This fully revised edition of a well-known book presents a full description and interpretation of the changes that have occurred during the 1990s. It includes a great deal of new material from a revised team of contributors.