Description

In this journal of short, lyrical reflections, Andrew Rumsey takes the reader on an exploration of faith, place and identity. Focusing on the author’s home in Wiltshire, as he arrives to take up an ancient role in a testing time, English Grounds is both an affirmation and critique of this country’s Christian heritage. Together the essays challenge us to think more deeply about the place of the Church in the consciousness of the English, and the place of England in the consciousness of the Church.

Publisher Review

"This is a marvellous book, lit by faith, love and imagination - and by the beauty of Andrew Rumsey's gorgeous writing. It is a celebration of the landscape its author so fully inhabits - and a sequence of meditations on the complexities of finding a communal identity in the 21st century. Deeply rooted in both physical and spiritual worlds, English Grounds offers hope and inspiration to every reader." -- Erica Wagner, contributing writer for the New Statesman, and former literary editor of the Times "Essential and gloriously easy reading for all lovers of Wiltshire and seekers of meaning in nature and landscape. This is a journey through faith as much as through landscape and time, in which we are all pilgrims." -- Matthew Oates, nature writer