Most places in Britain have had a local history written about them. Up until this century these histories have addressed more parochial issues such as the life of the manor rather than explaining the features & changes in the landscape in a factual manner. Much of what is visible today in Britains landscape is the result of a chain of social & natural processes & can be interpreted through fieldwork as well as from old maps & documents. The author uses a wide range of source material to study the history of the countryside illustrating his points with aerial photographs maps plans & charts. He shows how to understand the surviving remains as well as offering his own explanations for how our landscape has evolved.