The Decline Of An English Village by Robin Page

About the book: This is the 45th Anniversary Edition of The Decline of an English Village (2019).

When The Decline of an English Village was first published in 1974, its appearance was greeted with immediate critical acclaim. As a young writer, born into declining village life, Robin Page’s message simultaneously struck a chord and sounded a warning.

Now, after forty-five years, it reappears with a new and updated introduction, in which political activist Robin Page exposes greed, political ineptitude, and social and environmental indifference as the driving forces behind the deterioration of village life and the communities around it.

Robin Page transports readers back to a time when villages were founded on the value of community, and when people still worked the land in the traditional sense. He reflects and ruminates on his own experiences of rural life, raising sensitive topics, such as the intensification of farming, over-population, and environmental degradation in some of England’s most beloved places. Robin shares his concern for the alarming loss of wildlife in England, and offers his own perspective on what he perceives to be the most pressing issues. His passion for English tradition, reflected through his involvement with the Countryside Restoration Trust, radiates from within the pages of this book, along with his enthusiasm for preserving the countryside and its wildlife.

Throughout his life, Robin has observed dramatic changes in the way people live their lives. It is in this book that he reiterates the tragedy behind a countryside increasingly misused and abused in the name of urbanisation and industrialisation.

About the author: Robin Page (1943-2023) was an English writer, farmer, conservationist and political activist, journalist, television presenter, and countryman. His work mainly focused on rural affairs. He presented the BBC television show One Man and His Dog and served for twelve years as an elected member of the Council of the National Trust. In 1993, Robin assisted in founding the Countryside Restoration Trust, and served as Executive Chairman and trustee. Robin was a member of the following professional associations and clubs: The British Trust for Ornithology, The Royal Geographical Society, The East African Wildlife Society, The Farmers’ Club, The Country Land and Business Association, and The Society of Authors. He stood as a Eurosceptic, campaigning for Britain to leave the EU and wrote 33 books.