Press Release

Press Release Archive: Wednesday 07 January 2009

Discover the history of our countryside

Renowned authority on the history of the British Countryside, Professor Oliver Rackham, will be giving an illustrated talk on Saturday 24 January, 2pm, at Grimsthorpe Castle Coach House.

Oliver Rackham has revolutionised our understanding of the British countryside. He is an ecological detective who ties the landscape to the culture that created it. Rackham has shown that the countryside as it is now, is the product of centuries of interaction between plants, animals and the human inhabitants who have made use of them. With a particular interest in trees and woodlands, he has demonstrated that humans and woods are ancient partners of linked origins. This talk is a rare opportunity to hear Oliver Rackham speak and gain a real insight into just how our landscape came to be. Entrance is by ticket only, available by contacting: info@lnu.org or 01507 357070, £7 for members of the Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union, £10 for non-members, including refreshments. Please send payment to: Spire View, Town Street, South Somercotes, LOUTH, LN11 7BH Tel 01507 357070 Mobile 07752 35330 The illustrated talk by Oliver Rackham is at the Coach House, Grimsthorpe Castle, Bourne PE10 0LY, at 2pm, on Saturday 24 January 2009, followed by tea and biscuits. It is organised by the Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union. Oliver Rackham’s book “The History of the Countryside”, first published in 1986, is the classic study of the changing of Britain’s countryside recording human intervention and activity along with natural processes.

Notes to Editors

1. Professor Oliver Rackham O.B.E., F.B.A., M.A., Ph.D. is an acknowledged authority on the British countryside, especially trees, woodlands and pasture. The History of the Countryside (1986) that won the Angel Literary Award.  He has also studied and published works on the ecology of Crete, Greece.
   
   Oliver Rackham is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College one of the ancient colleges of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1352. Oliver Rackham is a Botanist; ecologist; studying the history of vegetation and landscape in Britain, Ireland, the Mediterranean and the United States.
   
   Oliver Rackham has written a number of well-known books, including:
   • Hayley Wood, its History & Ecology, 1975. Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Naturalists' Trust.
   • The History of the Countryside, 1986. Dent.
   • The Illustrated History Of The Countryside, 2003. UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
   • The Last Forest: Story of Hatfield Forest, 1989. J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd
   • The Making of the Cretan Landscape, 1996. Manchester University Press.
   • Trees and woodland in the British landscape : the complete history of Britain's trees, woods & hedgerows, 1976. Dent.
   • Woodlands, 2006. London: Collins (New Naturalist series).
   
   
2. The Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union is the only amateur Natural History Society covering the whole of Lincolnshire. Members study, record, hold meetings, supply information, publish books, exhibit, discuss and learn. New members are welcomed. www.lnu.org
   
3. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and wild places throughout the historic county of Lincolnshire – from the Humber to the Wash. The Trust is Lincolnshire’s leading nature conservation charity with over 25,000 members and around 100 nature reserves. The Trust is a member of a nationwide network of 47 local trusts which work to protect wildlife - The Wildlife Trusts. 
   
   
4. There are 47 local Wildlife Trusts across the whole of the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney.  We are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone.  With 765,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species, whether they be in the countryside, in cities or at sea. 135,000 of our members belong to our junior branch, Wildlife Watch.  We manage 2,200 nature reserves covering more than 84,000 hectares; we stand up for wildlife; we inspire people about the natural world and we foster sustainable living. Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org

 

For further information please contact:

Rachel Shaw, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01507 526667   (ansaphone out of office hours)
Fax: 01507 525732
Email: Rachel Shaw

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Banovallum House
Manor House Street
Horncastle
Lincolnshire LN9 5HF

Website: www.lincstrust.org.uk