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Thanks to John Alcock for permission to publish this review From coalfields and conurbations in the north to Cotswold farms and quiet villages in the south, Warwickshire is a county of contrasts. The same is true geographically and historically. Bisected by the Avon, northward lies Arden, once a glacial land that became ancient forest and ‘green’ clearings; southward, the Lias clays offered good arable and pasture terrain. It is here, in the mists of geological time, that Mick Jeffs begins Warwickshire Landscapes: The Story So Far, his fascinating account of the evolution of our countryside into the appearance we see today. But, although nature takes the initial credit, he goes on to show that what we think of as the ‘natural’ landscape is largely man-made. Mick Jeffs spent most of his working life with Warwickshire County Council, travelling around the shire and developing a close appreciation and understanding of the landscape. In recent years he has been an active member of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), with a special interest in planning, and is currently Vice-Chair of the Warwickshire Branch. Warwickshire Landscapes falls into two parts: from earliest times to the end of the 19th century, followed by a more detailed look at the 20th century and first decade of the 21st. Archaeological evidence reveals that it was in the New Stone Age (4000-2400BC) that the hunter-gatherers of the wild wood began to clear the land and farmed settlements started to appear. Thus, the history of landscape became the history of agriculture: from then on, through Bronze and Iron Ages, into Roman, Saxon and Norman times, the landscape took on the underlying form we see today. Each chapter then tackles a century, showing emerging patterns, changes and developments. Inevitably there were agricultural lows and highs. In the 14th century, development was cruelly impeded by the Black Death (in a way not repeated until the period immediately following the First World War). The high period was the 18th century, with the building of great houses and landscape planners such as ‘Capability’ Brown and the Agrarian Revolution that laid much of the foundation of modern farming – although enclosures and clearances cast a shadow over so-called ‘progress’ Arriving at the 20th century, we see how two factors influenced developments: accommodating the demands of two world wars and the development of mechanised farm machinery. But along came something else too – government policy on a scale not experienced before and, inevitably, ministerial ‘red tape’. This is where the book’s subtitle comes into force and we are reminded that we are only looking at The Story So Far. Wartime airfields, for example, helped to formulate a new type of land feature: brownfield sites. Home grown food production in time of war led to the new agribusiness (my least favourite word) of the post-war years. Today, a new element has entered the equation. As well as the domestic issues – farming methods, government policy (EU as well as UK), and pressure for urban expansion – over-riding concerns on a universal scale hang over us: climate change, global warming and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels (for farming is as dependent on oil-powered machinery as any other industry). In Mick Jeffs’ mind, this is where the importance of organisations such as CPRE comes in. Strategic planning for the future is a top priority, perhaps for our very survival. The decisions we take now and in the near future will surely affect not only the lives of generations to come but the very landscape which, we hope, will be their legacy to inherit and enjoy.
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