The Kent & Sussex WealdThe Wealds of Kent, Surrey and Sussex had detractors over almost all their history but are now regarded as embodying England at its most characteristically delightful. The author explores how places such as Ashdown Forest and wooded west Kent, which were long disliked and even feared, have come to be perceived as jewels of landscape for leisure and recreation. He also traces the unremitting labour of generations of the region's small farmers to clear and settle a great expanse of wild country that has resulted in one of the most notable pieces of man's handiwork in Europe, and which has persisted to an astonishing degree relatively unchanged over a course of some eight centuries or more. This human story began as a saga of man against forest and continued as one of the interaction of man with trees - cared for to provide shipbuilding timber and fuel; to sustain the region's handicrafts; saved from the forester's axe to provide sporting pleasures and planted in pineta, arboreta and 'wild gardens' by Victorian and Edwardian 'nouveaux riches'. This book will enrich the enjoyment of those who reside in the Weald or live in sight of it and is essential reading for those whose interest in it is as landowner, farmer, ecologist, planner, conservationist, councillor or local historian. |
Contents
The Historical Bounds of the Weald | 13 |
Soils and Earth History | 25 |
The Wildwood | 35 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
16th century acres agricultural ancient appears Ashdown Battle beautiful became beds building built century changes church clay cleared common continued coppice corn cottages countryside crops cultivation deer district earlier early East England English evidence example farm farmers farmhouse fields Forest four fuel furnace gardens ground Hastings heavy hedges High Hill holdings Horsham important improvement increased industry iron Italy John Kent known labourers land landscape late later living London Lord manor means medieval miles names natural needed noted origin parish parks pasture period places planted plough ponds poor present probably produce recorded remained river roads rock rural sandstone settlement soil South stone summer supplied Surrey Sussex timber took trees village Weald Wealden West wild winter wood woodland Young