Description

The story of how Francis Pryor created a haven for people, plants and wildlife in a remote corner of the fens.

In 1992, the archaeologists Francis and Maisie Pryor acquired a large field in a remote corner of the Lincolnshire fens. The soil was exhausted by half a century of intensive cultivation; yet within a few years, Francis and Maisie would build a home here, and transform an arable desert into a haven for plants, people and wildlife. Taking their inspiration from different elements of the English gardening tradition, they set about creating a garden that was ambitious in scope but human in scale.

A Fenland Garden is shot through with the empirical wisdom of a writer with a special relationship with landscape and the soil. Francis’s account of the garden at Inley Drove is counterpointed by nuggets of fenland lore, by walks in the woods with the dogs Pen and Baldwin, and by vignettes of the plantsman’s trials and tribulations. Above all, this is the story of bringing something beautiful into being, of embedding a garden in its local landscape, and reclaiming for nature a small patch of English ground.

Publisher Review

'A gloriously bucolic fenland hymn celebrating one man's love for his garden and his wife. Francis is a fine writer and visionary, with an intelligence as sharp as an archaeologist's trowel. Time spent in his company in person or in print is well spent!' * Tony Robinson * 'Brings to life the sense of place, that mythical bond between a garden and its natural landscape.' * George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme * 'Pryor is clearly smitten with the Fens. A gently heroic account of one archaeologist's attempts to transform a beloved but exhausted landscape into a place where nature thrives.' * Sally Coulthard, author of A Short History of the World According to Sheep * The pleasure [Pryor] takes in old landscapes and farming practices, and in the poetic words that describe them... is palpable * The Times Literary Supplement * Francis Pryor and his archaeologist wife Maisie, share their thoughtful garden-making in A Fenland Garden. Through their love of the land, they unearth some great garden stories and historical insights... A marvellous chronicle * RHS Magzine * In this uplifting read, [Pryor] reclaims the land bit by bit to produce a garden where nature thrives once more. * Britain Magazine * Francis's account of the development of the garden is counterpointed by fascinating nuggets of Fenland lore and history, as well as snippets of the plantsman's trials and tribulations as he works an exceptionally demanding plot of land. * Countryside magazine * This is a charming story of a fruitful, resourceful partnership, which has produced a landscape of real quality, attractive both to wildlife and to visitors welcomed on charity open days. * Spectator * PRAISE FOR SCENES FROM PREHISTORIC LIFE: 'Decades worth of communicating archaeology on TV and screen and a recent foray into crime fiction writing help make this a highly compelling read' Spectator. 'An evocative foray into the prehistoric past... Pryor recreates [the prehistoric world] with an effortless narrative style' BBC Countryfile Magazine. 'Brings almost impossibly distant times into brilliant focus' Eastern Daily Press Norfolk. 'Pryor's colourful book makes life in Britain BC often sound rather more appealing than the frenetic and anxious 21st century!' Daily Mail. 'Vividly relating what life was like in pre-Roman Britain' * Choice Magazine *