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Rural crafts, history and bygones
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Roy Brigden £3.50 978 0 85263 630 5 (Album 100) 32 pages, 53 b/w illustrations Hand tools are scarcely used at all in modern agriculture as mechanical handling techniques continue to spread and grow in sophistication. A whole range of tools, once all too familiar to the farmworker, gradually became obsolete during the twentieth century. Some were of comparatively recent origin while others could be traced back to classical times and even to the very beginnings of farming. Although they are no longer used, farm tools have not been forgotten for interest has steadily grown since the Second World War. Many rural museums are now flourishing throughout Britain and the implements are highly prized by a growing number of private collectors. This Album describes these tools and the farming processes they performed in the period before the general dominance of the tractor and combine harvester. Roy Brigden is Keeper of the Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading. Other Shire titles by this author: |
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Val Porter £4.50 978 0 7478 0514 4 (Album 392) 40 pages, 81 colour and 32 b/w illustrations Since the eighteenth century British cattle breeds have spread worldwide and have made the names of several counties famous in distant lands. Yet some of those breeds have become extinct and are in danger of disappearing. In the hope of awakening enthusiasm for the diversity that still makes British cattle so interesting, this book describes all the existing breeds and many of those that have already gone. Agricultural practices and the markets that farmers serve change but there will always be a place for good breeds that can meet different needs. Val Porter has written several books on breeds of livestock, including the Shire Album British Pigs. Cows are something of a passion: she worked with a Jersey dairy herd and kept her own Jersey housecows in the 1970s. |
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D. W. Kelley £3.50 978 0 85263 731 9 (Album 159) 32 pp, 42 ills. Charcoal, the smelting fuel of the Bronze Age, has been in continual use in Europe for over five thousand years and was essential to the early metalworkers. History records its manufacture and the use of its by-products but gives few details of the charcoal burners – obscure figures often working in remote forest areas. This book describes the rapid growth of the industry up to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and how the emphasis of development changed to the production and refining of charcoal’s by-products – acetic acid, tar and wood spirit – for the textile industry and the rapidly growing chemical industries. D. W. Kelley has been involved in the charcoal industry for many years. He joined the oldest and largest British manufacturer, Shirley Aldred & Company Ltd, in 1959 and was Managing Director from 1969 to 1983. He has been Chairman of the former National Association of Charcoal Manufacturers and is Chairman of the British Charcoal and Coppice Group. |
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John McCann £4.99 978 0 7478 0579 3 (Album 105) 48 pp, colour and b/w ills. Buildings made of unfired earth are of great antiquity; in Britain they continued to be built until the middle of the nineteenth century. Consequently much of the traditional architecture that gives each region its distinctive character is of these materials. In this book John McCann describes the various processes of building with earth, quotes contemporary descriptions from past centuries, examines the regional patterns and illustrates standing buildings of clay and cob in many parts of Britain. For twenty-five years John McCann photographed modern architecture for architects and the architectural journals. Since 1975 he has studied the traditional buildings of the English countryside and their historic origins. |
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Ken Kilby 5.99 978 0 7478 0584 7 (Album 426) 64 pp, many colour and b/w ills. Wooden casks, or what most people today call barrels, are containers of exceptional strength, durability, versatility and mobility, but they have become a rarity in Britain, displaced so completely by metal containers that it is hard to imagine their importance in former times. The coopers who made them were once numerous and independent craftsmen, while latterly many were employed by breweries. Their craft was not only economically vital but was physically demanding and required skill acquired only through years of practice. This book seeks to preserve the memory of their special skills, tracing the history of the craft and its considerable scope, while describing and illustrating how a barrel was made. |
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Discovering Country Winemaking Daphne More 978 0 85263 480 6 (Db 249) 64 pp, 9 ills plus recipes. This book is intended for people interested in making their own country wines. It deals with the practicalities of the craft, briefly explaining the process which turns the basic ingredients into wine, and describing the equipment needed, much of it already available in the kitchen or easily improvised. Step-by-step instructions guide the beginner's first attempt at winemaking, then various alternative methods both traditional and modern are discussed. There are many recipes for wines to make from flowers and leaves, fruits and vegetables. Daphne More has written on gardening, wildlife, beekeeping, cottage antiques and other topics for a number of periodicals. She is the author of the Shire book ‘Discovering Beekeeping’ which is currently out of print.
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Fred Hams £4.99 978 0 7478 0447 5 (Album 378) 40 pp In 365 BC the white geese kept by the Romans saved their city from capture by the Gauls in a night attack, when the noise of the alarmed birds awoke the citizens. The keeping of geese and ducks by people as a source of food dates back much earlier, perhaps as far as the first human settlements, when an uneasy relationship between man and Mallard may have arisen. Today’s pure breeds of domestic ducks and geese have been evolving ever since. In this book Fred Hams describes and illustrates most of the domestic breeds that can be seen in Britain today, including Aylesbury, Pekin, Rouen, Indian Runner, Khaki Campbell and Call ducks, Embden, Toulouse, Brecon Buff, Pilgrim and Chinese geese. Fred Hams was born on a poultry farm in Kent where pedigree strains of popular breeds were bred. Other books for Shire by this author: |
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Peter and Jean Hansell £4.50 978 0 7478 0504 5 (Album 213) 40 pp, colour and black and white ills. Although there is little evidence that the Romano-British people bred pigeons, it is widely held that it was the Normans who introduced pigeon-keeping to Britain, and the earliest provision of housing for pigeons is found in some twelfth-century castles and religious houses. This book explains why it was important to keep pigeons and describes the wide variety of buildings that were constructed to house them over the years. Peter and Jean Hansell have spent many years travelling and researching for a detailed study of dovecotes and related topics, with particular reference to Great Britain. Since the first edition of this book was published, the authors have written two further definitive works on the subject.
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Discovering Dowsing and Divining Peter Naylor £3.50 978 0 85263 516 2 (Db 251) 40 pp, 16 ills. The art of dowsing or divining, the tracing of underground water, minerals, pipes or cables, has fascinated people for centuries and today there is renewed interest in the subject. This book sets out to prove that anyone can dowse, and it also dispels the commonly accepted myths that dowsing is a gift enjoyed by a few practioners, that it is always associated with water and that hazel twigs are the only media. The author encourages the novice to enter into the art with 'light-hearted seriousness' and stresses that dowsing is an occupation to be enjoyed for the pleasure of exploring an ancient skill in the open air. Peter Naylor is a writer of technical manuals, books and articles on local history. He gives talks and demonstrations on dowsing to groups and his services are used by miners, building contractors and farmers. Other titles for Shire by this author:
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Andrew Heaton £4.50 978 0 7478 0497 0 (Album 361) 40 pp, 51 colour and 30 b/w ills. Duck decoys – elaborate traps for catching wildfowl – were once numerous in England, especially in the extensive marshland areas of East Anglia and Somerset. The decoy consists of a pond with several arms (‘pipes’) covered with netting. Ducks would be lured into the net, often by use of a dog, and trapped by the decoyman. This book looks at the working and history of decoys, from the days when thousands of birds could be trapped in a season, through the decline in catches due to disturbance, drainage and firearms, to the last commercial operation in 1968. It brings the story up to the present day, when only four duck decoys remain in full working order, their role now changed so that birds are caught for ringing. Several disused decoys have been designated as scheduled ancient monuments, whilst others still form features of parks or nature conservation areas.
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Shirley Toulson £5.99 978 0 7478 0630 1 (Album 45) 40 pp, colour and b/w ills. In a bygone age when few people travelled far from their homes and almost any journey was an adventure the drovers regularly made the long and perilous trip from the Scottish highlands and islands or from the Welsh mountains to the south-east of England. They brought vast herds of cattle from the hill farms of the north and west to the markets of London and other towns. Sheep, pigs, geese and turkeys were also driven to the towns. In this book Shirley Toulson tells of these hardworking and resourceful men and of the dangers and hardships they faced. She describes the animals they drove and the way they conducted their business, and she outlines some of the routes they followed, as well as indicating features of the countryside which may reveal the passage of drovers through an area in times past. Shirley Toulson has been writing books on the social history of the countryside since 1974 and is a leading authority on ancient tracks and drove roads. |
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Lawrence Garner £4.50 978 0 7478 0620 2 (Album 114) 40 pp, colour and b/w ills. The dry stone walls of Britain happen also to be in areas which attract many tourists and so it is not surprising that the walls which are an integral part of the landscape should provoke so many questions: 'When were they built?', 'Who built them?', 'How do they stand up without cement?'. This book answers these and many other questions. The reasons for building dry stone walls, the story of their development, technical details of their construction, regional styles and the state of the craft today are all covered. Lawrence Garner is a professional writer on landscape and countryside topics. He was the first Director of the Dry Stone Walling Association, and was involved in establishing a professional register and encouraging various types of training for the craft.
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Roy Brigden £3.50 978 0 85263 979 5 (Album 234) 32 pp, 47 ills. Harvest, the most critical phase of the farming year, has always required full mobilisation of resources for maximum effort during the short period when crop ripeness and suitable weather conditions coincide. Mechanical means of assistance were first used, as far as we know, in Roman times but the story of harvesting machinery really belongs to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
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Diana Zeuner £5.99 978 0 7478 0602 8 (Album 431) 64 pp, 82 colour and 42 b/w ills. Heavy horses played a pivotal role in the development of western economies, toiling in mines and quarries, at mills, factories and docks, alongside canals and railway lines, in fields and pasture. But with the invention of the tractor and motor lorry their numbers plummeted, with some breeds close to extinction in the 1950s. Today, after a revival of interest, Shires, Clydesdales, Suffolks and British Percherons attract special attention whenever they are seen, their magnificence and strength ensuring them a place in the modern world. This book examines the breeds and their qualities, their historical role, the industry that built up around them and the revival years. Diana Zeuner is the publisher and editor of Heavy Horse World Magazine and manages the heavy horse stables at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum in Sussex on a part-time basis. |
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Discovering Horse-drawn Vehicles
D.J.Smith £7.99 978 0 7478 0208 4 (Db 284) 176 pp, 201 ills This book outlines the development of horse-drawn vehicles from their inception to the present day. Although mechanical transport has replaced stage-coach, hansom cab and family brougham, there has been a revival of interest in leisure and competitive driving, as a result of which older vehicles have been restored and new types introduced. This book will assist the identification of different vehicles and describes their purpose, history, working parts and materials used |
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Tim Buxbaum £3.50 978 0 7478 0150 4 (Album 278) 32 pp, 52 ills. Icehouses were designed to store ice in bulk for summertime use in the days before refrigeration. This book examines icehouses in Britain, where they were built in increasing numbers from the early seventeenth century, initially to provide chilled refreshment for the wealthy. By the mid nineteenth century most country estates would have had one. Their design improved as scientific knowledge increased and, although the majority of icehouses remained plain, some exuberant structures were built. Commercial icehouses were erected to serve confectioners, grocers and the fishing industry, for which huge quantities of ice were imported from North America and Norway. Tim Buxbaum is a chartered architect in private practice in Suffolk, where he lives with his wife Ruth and two sons. Much of his professional work is conservation-orientated, but he also designs new buildings. This Album stems from his interest in garden architecture. Other titles for Shire by this author are: Pargeting |
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Roy Brigden £3.50 978 0 85263 695 4 (Album 125) 32 pp, 45 ills. One of the most basic of agricultural operations, ploughing enriches and aerates the soil, producing a fertile seed bed ideal for the germination and growth of a new crop. The technology of ploughs has progressed a long way from the primitive prehistoric ard to the tractor-mounted power-controlled multi-furrow reversible plough of today but the process of ploughing remains essentially the same. This book examines the development of ploughs and their motive power (including oxen, horses, steam engines and tractors) from earliest times and shows how ploughing has evolved as man’s understanding of the scientific processes has increased. Roy Brigden is Keeper of the Museum of English Rural Life and Deputy Director of the Rural History Centre at the University of Reading. Other titles for Shire by this author:
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Fred Hams £4.50 978 0 7478 0396 6 (Album 35) 40 pages, about 30 b/w and 61 colour illustrations During the 1960s many of the old breeds of poultry almost died out, but a resurgence of interest came just in time and there is now a growing interest in these attractive and historic animals. This book illustrates many breeds of domestic fowl in colour and describes their history and development. There is also a chapter on turkeys. Fred Hams was born on a poultry farm in Kent. He is a panel A Poultry Club judge. Other titles for Shire by this author are:
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David Edgington £4.99 978 0 7478 0594 6 (Album 49) about 48 pp, colour and b/w ills. This book describes the evolution of the first practical stationary engines and illustrates some of the many designs, with notes on their important features and information on the better-known manufacturers. This book is designed for the newcomer who wishes to learn about old stationary engines and the reasons why people collect them. It will also be of interest to the longer-term enthusiast because of the large collection of captioned photographs, which will be useful for reference. In 1974, David Edgington launched Stationary Engine, a magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, and was editor until 1990. He still contributes articles and continues to study the engines as well as assisting newcomers who wish to take up the hobby. |
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Lawrence Alderson £4.50 978 0 7478 0511 3 (Album 118) 40 pp, 66 colour and 9 b/w ills. The breeds of livestock on British farms are changing constantly. New breeds emerge, and foreign breeds are imported, while some native breeds lose popularity and become unfashionable and endangered. More than half the native breeds of livestock in Britain are rare and potentially threatened with extinction, yet they are an integral part of our history and heritage. Many of them are distinctively attractive animals, and some possess special characteristics that could be of significant value to the livestock industry. A return to more traditional values was seen towards the end of the twentieth century, and this will serve to enhance the value of native adapted breeds. Awareness of the importance of these breeds has been increasing, and the work of Rare Breeds International has had a global impact. Rare breeds are a living gene bank of biodiversity, and once a breed is extinct it can never be revived. Lawrence Alderson is an international consultant on livestock breeding and production and on genetic conservation. He is a Trustee and Founder President of Rare Breeds International, and a Trustee of the Traditional Livestock Foundation in Britain.
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Scottish Agricultural Implements Bob Powell £3.50 978 0 85263 925 2 (Album 218) 32 pp, 53 ills. Over the centuries Scotland has produced a variety of agricultural implements which reflect both the subsistence farming of the crofting communities and the prosperity of the larger lowland farms. Until the eighteenth century implements were often rudimentary, particularly in crofting areas where most tasks were carried out by manpower. The movement towards improvement came in the eighteenth century and continued in the early nineteenth century and manufacturers produced implement variations to serve regional needs. In this book each implement is treated chronologically within a seasonal framework. Bob Powell is Assistant Curator at the Highland Folk Museum.
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Jacqueline Fearn £4.99 978 0 7478 0588 5 (Album 16) about 48 pp, colour and b/w ills. The craft of the thatcher probably gives more pleasure to people than any other of our rural crafts; the inclusion in a country scene of a thatched house, cottage or barn often adds the element of continuity and stability which we like to think is characteristic of the British countryside. Thatching is, nevertheless, a craft most people know nothing about and which is commonly thought to be dying out. In fact thatchers in all three materials – water reed, long straw and combed wheat reed – have had an assured livelihood over the last few decades for the first time since the late eighteenth century. This book outlines the history of thatching in Britain from its use as the commonest form of roofing to the present and explains how the thatcher works with his traditional materials. Jacqueline Fearn is an historian with a long interest in vernacular building. Other titles for Shire bu this author: |
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J. E. C. Peters £4.99 978 0 85263 556 8 (Db262) 88 pp, 68 ills. Farm buildings form an important part of the landscape. In their design they reflect the differences in types and methods of farming between one area and another and between different periods of history. The traditional farmstead was composed of a number of different buildings, each with its own characteristic features and each serving a different purpose. This book looks at the purely agricultural buildings in turn, so that each can be recognised as a barn, a cowhouse, a stable and so on. J. E. C. Peters has prepared reports for farmers and others, some for planning applications, and has publised articles on farm buildings and lectured on the subject. He is in private practice as an architect. |
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Martin Watts £5.99 978 0 7478 0654 7, approx 56 pages, colour and b/w ills Watermills were once commonplace but, because of their domestic scale and their often picturesque, waterside locations, many have now lost their waterwheels and machinery and the buildings have been converted to other uses. Their place in the townscapes and countryside of Britain is a significant one, however, as each mill required its own water supply, which usually had a noticeable effect on its immediate surroundings. Water power has been in use for over two thousand years, initially for grinding grain and pumping water, and later for driving processing machinery for a wide variety of industries, such as ironworking and textiles. Understanding the history and development of watermills as working buildings thus forms an important aspect of a wider appreciation of the built environment and the use of natural sources of power. Since 1988 Martin Watts has worked as a traditional millwright and consultant, his work covering many aspects of the repair, maintenance, conservation and interpretation of historic mills and their machinery. Other books for Shire by this author: Water and Wind Power (see below) |
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Paula Sunshine £4.99 978 0 7478 0652 3, approx 48 pages, colour and b/w ills Wattle and daub is possibly one of the oldest building methods in the world. Ever since man first erected a hut in which to shelter, sticks (wattles) and clay or earth (daub) have been used to fill in the gaps in the wooden framework, to keep out the cold, wind and rain, or the heat during summer. Wattle and daub can still be seen today as infill panels between the timbers of thousands of ancient timber-framed buildings throughout Great Britain. Its longevity is remarkable, as it may last for more than five hundred years in many situations. The author sets out to explain some of the mysteries surrounding wattle and daub and why it has stood the test of time. Paula Sunshine works daily with timber-framed buildings, teaching homeowners and people in the building trade traditional methods of repair, such as wattle and daub and lime plastering. |
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Martin Watts £8.99 978 0 7478 0418 5, 136 pages, 102 ills Watermills and windmills were the first engines. From Roman times water power was used to grind grain and raise water, and later to serve a great number of trades and industries that were vital to the social and economic development of Britain. Wind power was first introduced in the middle ages. This book is concerned not only with technology but also with some of the personalities who were involved. Historically there was a tremendous variety of water and wind powered machinery and, although much has been lost , there are still many examples that provide a fascinating picture of this aspect of Briatin's industrial past. Martin Watts specialises in recording and repairing traditional water and wind powered machinery and also undertaking historical research. Other titles for Shire by this author: Watermills (see above) |
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Martin Watts £5.99 978 0 7478 0653 0, 64 pages, 83 colour and 10 b/w ills Windmills have been in existence for over eight hundred years and, although only a fraction of those that once ground corn, pumped water and provided power for industry and agriculture now survive, they are still a distinctive and often dramatic presence in the British landscape. Among the most important features of these survivors are the variations in design that have come about through their different origins, the use of local materials in their construction, and the influence of millwrights and millers – those who built and worked them – in different parts of the country. Understanding these variations is vital for the protection and maintenance of windmills, the continued survival of which allows a fascinating insight into the historic use of renewable energy, the development of engineering, and the processing of grain for flour and bread, as well as other essential products. Since 1988 Martin Watts has worked as a traditional millwright and consultant, his work covering many aspects of the repair, maintenance, conservation and interpretation of historic mills and their machinery. Other books for Shire by this author: Water and Wind Power (see above) |
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Martin Watts £3.50 978 0 7478 0415 4 (Album 342) 32 pages, 50 b/w illustrations For thousands of years British fields were ploughed not by horses but by oxen, usually working in teams of two or four, noted for their strength, docility and economy. This is a survey of their use in Britain, their impact upon the countryside, and the relics that can still be found: yokes, bows, shoes, housing and place-names. Martin Watts is curator of the Ryedale Folk Museum in North Yorkshire.
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