Muddy Boots and Sunday Suits (Rural) - Softcover

Archer, Fred

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0750909617 ISBN 13: 9780750909617

Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1995

Synopsis

Brought into the peaceful world of the Gloucestershire village of Ashton-under-Hill in April 1915 as the guns of Gallipoli raged, Fred Archer's childhood was spent in the innocent age between the two world wars. Here he once again brings to life that lost world of summers spent sledging on grass on the staves of cider barrels, when the ingenious could construct their own toys of hoops, pop-guns and catapults, and severe Sunday school teachers instilled a sense of terror in their young charges.
A time of great change for the village is recalled, where the introduction of the wireless is met with the deepest suspicion --'No doubt it ull upset the weather'--and even a minor motor accident finds its way into the pages of the newspaper: 'Tom Archer, an Evesham farmer, drives his car along the grass verge over two heaps of stones'! A farewell is said to the governess cart and the ponies, Bob and Polly, as they are replaced by a gleaming tourer. The ritual of looking after the horses and their tack is replaced by the ritual of cleaning the car, as a way of life changes for ever.
As the era of respite draws to a close the harbingers of war, the scrap-iron Jacks, once again appear, rightly predicting the onset of war and the end of an age in Ashton.
Fred Archer's vivid portrayal of village life and its colourful characters is complemented by photographs from the author's own collection and will enchant all those with a love of the countryside.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0750909617
• ISBN 13: 9780750909617
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144