Downton Gorge: the matchless valley. Landscape and industry, nature and culture

‘Matchless’ is a big claim, but appropriate for this scenic gem in Herefordshire carved by the River Teme from fossil-rich Silurian rocks. It is the setting for an astonishing range of significant features: a major seventeenth century ironworks, the ultimate Picturesque landscape garden, a Castle of influential design (with owners of national standing in the arts and horticulture), a set of exquisite water colours, a notable literature and a National Nature Reserve rich in flowering plants, trees, lichens, mosses, fungi, birds and insects.

Edited by Tom and Gisèle Wall

502 pages, paperback, colour throughout, with contributions from leading experts: Stuart Hedley, Laurence Ince, Mark Lawley, David Lovelace, Mark O’Hanlon, Alan Orange, Barney Rolfe-Smith, Michael Rosenbaum, Jo Weightman, David Whitehead, Ray Woods

More than 300 images: paintings, photos, postcards, drawings, maps.

£20 (£24 including p&p).