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This
is very far from being a run-of-the-mill book about the Cotswolds aimed
at the tourist market: It is a collection of essays, some short, some
relatively long, dealing with places or personalities connected in some
way with the Cotswolds. The extent of the topics covered is remarkably
wide, ranging from the 'Cotswold Olimpicks' to Cirencester Park, from
John Wesley to John Masefield, from the Arts & Crafts movement to the
beginnings of the Oxford Movement, and from William Morris to Vaughan
Williams. Each subject has been extensively researched, and while not
intended to be an exhaustive treatise, it presents an excellent overview
of each individual topic, well written in an easily assimilable style.
The text is liberally illustrated with quotations and photographs, both
in colour and black & white.
The author, the late Allan Jones, was a retired biology teacher who died
suddenly and prematurely before the book could be published. Born and
brought up in South Wales, during the latter part of his life he lived
in Cheltenham, and developed a great love of the Cotswolds which he explored
thoroughly on foot and by bicycle. This book is a fitting tribute to him. |
