The Building of the Green Valley: A Reconstruction of an Early 17th-Century Rural Landscape

This book presents the story of the construction of the 17th century historical landscape used in the BBC2 television series 'Tales from the Green Valley'. On one level it is the tale of a bizarre social project carried out by some 400 muscular historians, re-enactors, international volunteers, cavers and mountain climbers. On another it provides a detailed account of the development of a valuable experimental history project with wide educational and research applications, on a minimal budget. It catalogues a unique restoration of a derelict historic farming landscape, from buildings and field boundaries to woodlands and weed patterns, and describes its current management, on a social farming basis, with livestock co-operatives and adopted orchards.