Alex Langlands

An archaeologist takes us into the ancient world of traditional crafts to uncover their deep, original histories.

An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts

Cræft

Ruth Goodman

Peter Ginn

During World War Two Britain had to look to the land to provide the produce it had previously shipped in from abroad, meaning huge changes on both the agricultural and domestic scenes. Accompanying an 8-part BBC series and written by the three presenters who spend a year living on a reconstructed farm from the era, Wartime Farm sets these changes within a historical context and looks at the day-to-day life of that time. Exploring a fascinating chapter in Britain's recent history, we see how our predecessors lived and thrived in difficult conditions with extreme frugality and ingenuity. From growing your own vegetables and keeping chickens in the back yard, to having to 'make do and mend', many of the challenges faced by wartime Britons have resonance today. Fascinating historical detail and atmospheric story-telling make this a truly compelling read.

Wartime Farm

Follow-up to the hit BBC series Victorian Farm Victorian Farm sold over 40,000 copies (Nielsen Bookscan figures) Includes projects and recipes to try at home Following on from the hit BBC series Victorian Farm, this book accompanies a new 12-part BBC series. This time, Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn take a leap forward in time to immerse themselves in an Edwardian community in the West Country. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Morwellham Quay was situated in a bustling and commercially prosperous region – a stunning rural landscape encompassing rolling farmland, wild moorland, tidal river, coast and forest, which supported a vibrant and diverse economy. Ruth, Peter and Alex will spend a year exploring all aspects of this working landscape - restoring boats, buildings and equipment, cultivating crops, fishing, rearing animals and rediscovering the lost heritage of this fascinating era as well as facing the challenges of increasingly commercial farming practices, fishing and community events.

Rural Life at the Turn of the Century

Edwardian Farm

No electricity, no gas, no flushing toilet ... and no tractor! Could you survive a year on a Victorian farm? This book reveals what the Victorians, ate, wore, how they managed their animals, farmed the land and organized their lives. It also describes advances in detail, including inventions, breeding methods and advances in agricultural science.

Victorian Farm

The Book of the Farm, written by the 19th-century farming expert Henry Stephens, was the indispensable farming 'bible' referred to by the historians living and working on the BBC series Victorian Farm. This brand new version has been fully revised and edited by Alex Langlands, who starred on the programme, to bring its timeless wisdom to a fresh audience. Beautifully illustrated throughout with both black-and-white and colour illustrations, the book is a complete guide to the farming year, from planting thorn hedges in winter to pulling up potatoes in autumn. Along the way it gives fascinating information about every aspect of farming, from sheep shearing to bringing in the harvest, and practical instructions for skills such as cheese- making, animal husbandry, sheepdog training and other traditional country pastimes. Although farming has changed irrevocably since the 19th century, there are some aspects that remain timeless, and this exquisite book is a nostalgic celebration of our rural past.

concise and revised edition

Henry Stephens's Book of the Farm - concise and revised edition

"In a fascinating time-travelling experiment, a team of historians spend a year recreating farm life in 1885, with no electricity, no gas, no flushing toilet and no tractor. The book accompanies the BBC television series, produced by Lion TV, which follows Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn and Ruth Goodman as they learn how to run the farm using only materials and resources that would have been available to them in the Victorian era. Divided into six themed chapters, the book reveals what Victorian country folk ate and wore, how they organized their lives, managed their animals and farmed the land. With the help of specialist advisors the team take on a wide variety of tasks, from agricultural practices, animal husbandry and ancient craft skills to Victorian leisure activities, and producing food and drink. Providing a real insight into life on a Victorian farm, this book is a timely reminder of how history often comes full circle. Recycling, the organic diet, the use of natural products from cleaning and healthcare, an interest in crafts and gardening are as relevant to the environmental concerns of today as they were to daily life in the 19th century." --P.[2] cover.

Rediscovering Forgotten Skills

No electricity, no gas, no flushing toilet, and no tractor! Could you survive a year on a Victorian farm? In this fascinating time-traveling experiment a team of historians spend a year recreating farm life in 1885. Accompanying the television series, this book follows the team as they try to run a farm using only materials and resources that would have been available to them in the Victorian era. This was a crucial period in the history of Britain--rapid industrialization had radically changed life in the cites but rural communities used a mixture of centuries-old and pioneering modern practices. Packed with informative text and photographs from the farm year, this book reveals exactly what the Victorians ate and wore and how they managed their animals, farmed the land, and organized their lives. Providing a real insight into life on a Victorian farm, this series is also a fascinating reminder of how history comes full circle. The organic diet of 1885, use of natural products for cleaning and healthcare, and interests in crafts and gardening are of increasing relevance today as we look for a more responsible way of living over 120 years later.

Victorian Farm 2nd Edition

Ryan Lavelle

"This volume draws together a series of papers that present some of the most up-to-date thinking on the history, archaeology and toponymy of Wessex and Anglo-Saxon England more broadly. In honour of one of early medieval European scholarship's most illustrious doyennes, no less than twenty-nine contributions demonstrate the indelible impression Barbara Yorke's work has made on her peers and a generation of new scholars, some of whom have benefitted directly from her tutorage. From the identities that emerged in the immediate post-Roman period, through to the development of kingdoms, the role of the church, and impacts felt beyond the eleventh century, the rich and diverse character of the studies presented here are testimony to the versatility and extensive range of the honorand's contribution to the academic field"--

Alex Langlands

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