Britain's Living Past

Britain's Living Past is a celebration of the best of the past, of things that have been preserved because they still matter to the community. It is a book in which the emphasis is very much on the word 'living'; looking at traditions, pastimes and working practices, some centuries old, that survive today not as museum pieces or in pages of a history book but as part of everyday modern life.
From reminders of Britain's great maritime past in the crafts of the shipwright and the rope maker, to the organised mayhem that is the Ashbourne Tuesday football match and the exotic splendour of Giffords traditional circus, writer Tony Burton and photographer Rob Scott have travelled the length and breadth of our great nation to recreate for the reader the amazing sights they have seen. Together they have travelled from Shetland in the far north to the tip of Cornwall. They have sailed along the Scottish coast in a paddle steamer and learned how to make Melton Mowbray pork pies by hand. They have watched ponies galloping through the streets of Appleby and resisted the temptation to try too many of the sweets in the world's oldest sweet shop.
This is a book that delights in the rich diversity of our historic survivors. For both author and photographer it has been a pleasure to witness many skilled people at work: to discover the complexity of building a fairground organ or to marvel at the skill and athleticism of circus performers. This is a book of rich variety that celebrates the great survivors from our islands' history.

Anthony Burton has been a freelance writer for fifty years, dividing his work into two rough categories. The first group have looked at the history of industry and transport, while the second have been walking guides to Britain's countryside, including the official guides to three national trails: The Cotswold Way, The Ridgeway and The Hadrian's Wall Path. He has also worked extensively in television, writing and presenting over thirty documentaries for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and, more recently, has acted as historical adviser to six 10-part series' for the Discovery Channel.
Rob Scott has been working as a photojournalist and editorial photographer for more than 30 years and his portraits of celebrities such as BB King, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Simon Rattle and David Beckham have been published around the world. After an 18-year spell as chief photographer and manager of one of the largest editorial photography studios in the country he returned to freelancing and since then has specialised in documenting working life around the world, and in particular the continuing traditional working and cultural practices in Britain.
www.robscottphotography.com