North Downs Landscapes  
Author(s): Doug Kennedy
Published by Oxbow Books
Publication Date:  Available in all formats
ISBN: 9781909686595
Pages: 0

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ISBN: 9781909686595 Price: INR 1016.99
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The North Downs are a range of hills that run east-west from the south-east tip of England, at Dover in Kent, to Farnham in Surrey. They skirt the southern edge of London, so for a long time have offered Londoners beautiful countryside to escape to, or for a home to commute to work from. A hundred years ago, they were still quite remote, but London has grown, spreading onto Downland, and rail and road links have ensured that the many towns across the hills have also grown substantially in size. Despite development there is still a lot of unspoilt landscape, from farmland, to deep woods, to open grassland ridges with fantastic views across the weald of Surrey and Kent; and it is these places that are the focus of this book. North Downs Landscapes takes the reader on a journey from the White Cliffs of Dover, through the rolling Kentish farm land with its open vistas and small villages, across the River Medway at Rochester, with its’ castle and cathedral, on to the wooded ridges past Sevenoaks, into Surrey and across the River Mole to explore Leith Hill, then to Guildford and the River Wey, and over the Hogs Back to Farnham.

The core of this book are beautiful full-page colour photographs illustrating the beauty and distinctive landscapes of the Downs. The text explores the history, geography, geology and ecology of the countryside and some of its towns and villages. Together photographs and text capture the character and atmosphere of a special part of the British Isles.
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The North Downs are a range of hills that run east-west from the south-east tip of England, at Dover in Kent, to Farnham in Surrey. They skirt the southern edge of London, so for a long time have offered Londoners beautiful countryside to escape to, or for a home to commute to work from. A hundred years ago, they were still quite remote, but London has grown, spreading onto Downland, and rail and road links have ensured that the many towns across the hills have also grown substantially in size. Despite development there is still a lot of unspoilt landscape, from farmland, to deep woods, to open grassland ridges with fantastic views across the weald of Surrey and Kent; and it is these places that are the focus of this book. North Downs Landscapes takes the reader on a journey from the White Cliffs of Dover, through the rolling Kentish farm land with its open vistas and small villages, across the River Medway at Rochester, with its’ castle and cathedral, on to the wooded ridges past Sevenoaks, into Surrey and across the River Mole to explore Leith Hill, then to Guildford and the River Wey, and over the Hogs Back to Farnham.

The core of this book are beautiful full-page colour photographs illustrating the beauty and distinctive landscapes of the Downs. The text explores the history, geography, geology and ecology of the countryside and some of its towns and villages. Together photographs and text capture the character and atmosphere of a special part of the British Isles.
Table of contents
  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Introduction
  • North Downs Landscapes
    • The White Cliffs of Dover
    • Dover Castle and the Start of the Downs
    • The Folkestone Downs
    • Roaming a Vibrant Downs Landscape
    • Agricultural Icons of the East Kent Downs
    • Eastling: an old Downs village
    • Wye: ancient routes
    • The North Downs Scarp
    • The Pilgrim’s Way and the North Downs Way
    • Chilham Castle
    • The Archbishop’s Palace, Charing
    • The Valley of the Great Stour
    • Rochester Town
    • Rochester Castle
    • Difficult Soil High Up in the Downs
    • Orchids of the Chalk Grassland
    • The West Kent Landscape
    • Otford
    • The Kent–Surrey Border
    • Motorways in the North Downs
    • Reigate and Redhill
    • Protecting What We Love: the battle for Banstead Downs
    • Margery Wood: a fragmented habitat
    • Reigate and Buckland Downs
    • Steep Ways and Wild Woods on the Scarp Slopes
    • Epsom and its Race Course
    • Dorking Town
    • Box Hill
    • The Mole Valley and Denbies Wine Estate
    • The Mole Gap: Mickleham and the Stepping Stones
    • The Mole Stepping Stones
    • Mickleham
    • Ranmore Common
    • Chalk, Greensand and Fungi
    • Mushrooms and Toadstools
    • At Polesden Lacey
    • Leith Hill Tower
    • Leith Hill Villages
    • Wotton and the Tilling Valley
    • Rhododendrons: Beauty and the Beast
    • The ‘Stop Line’ and Pillboxes
    • Abinger Hammer
    • Shere Village
    • St James Church, Shere
    • Albury: a moving village
    • Silent Pool
    • The Chimneys of Albury
    • Albury Downs and Newlands Corner
    • St Martha’s Church
    • Chantries and Pewley Down
    • Guildford
    • Mother Ludlum’s Cave
    • A Path up Crooksbury Hill, South of Farnham
    • Farnham
    • Farnham castle
    • Conclusion
    • References and Indexes
    • Index of images and map references
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