From the stark drama of the Yorkshire Dales to the rich, warm limestone villages of the Cotswolds, Richard Turpin's camera captures the very essence of the quintessential English village as it has unfolded and developed over the centuries.

Cottages, churches, village greens, markets, pub signs and the English love of gardening all play their part in this photographic journey which reflects the glory and diversity of village architecture and the rural landscapes that surround it.

Villages of England is organised under subject headings that encapsulate different facets of English village life, rather than on a strictly geographical basis. Chapters include: `Waterside Villages', `Industrial Villages', `The Village Church' and `Timber, Clay & Stone'. Author Roger Hunt writes knowledgeably about the development of the English village as moulded by centuries of politics, laws, disease, conflict and changes in lifestyle, living standards and economics.