The South Downs - Peter Brandon

The South Downs are no ordinary hills.

Not merely the jewel in the Sussex crown, they have become world-renowned and were a focus of English popular culture, especially in the first half of the 20th century. There have been many books on the rhythmically rolling Downs, but this is the first to reveal both their entire history and the extent to which they have entered into English rural thought, literature, art and music.

The author explains how the chalkland, its river valleys and scarp-foot have been reshaped continuously, over millennia, by successive generations of farmers. Ranging from Europe’s oldest human remains at Boxgrove to the environmental disruptions of the 20th century, he covers the entire evolution of the Downs, the part they played in the history of farming and, more recently, of landscape protection and rural planning, as well as leisure and recreation. Lavishly illustrated, with many specially-taken photographs, the book draws together a wealth of existing scholarship and the author’s own extensive research.

Dr. Brandon’s important new book cannot fail to fascinate all who know the South Downs. For those who share responsibility for them, as landowners, farmers, planners or local councillors, the book is essential reading. For those who drive, ride of walk the Downs, or live within sight of them, the book will both enlighten and entich their enjoyment of these ancient hills.