Gallery
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Northamptonshire - A county in the Midlands of England. It merges into the Fens in the east and the Cotswolds in the west. For the most part its landscape is quint essential rolling English Midlands: acre upon acre of quiet pastoral land, great estates and parks, its dreams of a bygone rural England deepened rather than disturbed by the regular passage of man and horse in pursuit of foxes. Rutland is a unitary authority in eastern England, bounded to the south by Northamptonshire.It is mainly rural and is in the midst of the hunting shires. |
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Norfolk, they say, is flat, Well, have it so: These undulations never rise so high They reach the dignity of hills - but, oh Range upon range, the mountains of the sky! E. Pratt Green |
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....the Cambridgeshire type of landscape, the England of big villages, few, busy roads, thin hawthorn hedges, windswept brick farms, and ivied clumps of trees in corners of fields, a predictable landscape of wide views, sweeping sameness and straight lines. Oliver Rackham |
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The Peasant Poet, John Clare (1793-1864) was born and is buried in Helpston. Clare worked in Helpston as a hedge-setter and day labourer, publishing the successful collections Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, The Village Minstrel and The Shepherd's Calendar. A move from Helpston to Northborough in 1832 destabilized him and he was admitted to an asylum in Epping in 1837. He escaped in 1841, walking back to his home county thinking that he might be reunited with his first love, Mary Joyce. It took him 4 days. Declared insane once again, Clare spent the remainder of his life in the County Asylum in Northampton where he continued to write his poetry.... |
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"To live in the Fens is to receive strong doses of reality. The great, flat melancholy of reality; the wide empty spaces of reality". Graham Swift |
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The weekend of the 13th/14th September started with the many and varied vintage tractors coming into the Wood Lodge Farm field at Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire on the Saturday morning ready to start the Ploughingfun Weekend that had been organised by Paul Shipton of Islip, Northamptonshire, to raise money for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance service. Saturday was the set up and practice day for the ploughmen/women that were taking part in the ploughing competition on the Sunday. Sunday morning a convoy of lorries arrived with their tractors and ploughs came driving in to the field. Shortly after, the competition got underway under the eagle eye of the judges. A few hours later at the end of the competition the judges totted up the Points and gave the results to Paul who presented the certificates and prizes to the winners. http://www.ploughingfun.co.uk/ |
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Laxton is the village just next to the beautiful Harringworth viaduct. Several vintage tractors were put through their paces.... |
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19th October 2008.... |
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October 2008 |
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Organised by the East of England Agricultural Society, visitors witnessed thousands of animals of all shapes and sizes, from small livestock exhibits, including mice and fancy rats, to special displays of rare and endangered livestock breeds. There were many displays of traditional country life, including country crafts, as well as large animal exhibits. Magnificent Shire Horses, incorporated as part of the Wisbech Shire Horse Show, were dressed in their traditional glory. There was also the chance to see Pony Club show jumping competitions, donkey driving and harness goats. For those who prefer their animals with a bark, there were plenty of dog displays and classes including 'Scruffts' (the Kennel Club's search for the crossbreed of the year) and the final of the Burgess Supa Dog Agility Stakes http://www.eastofengland.org.uk/Autumn_Show/Home_Page.htm This portfolio features Autumn Shows from 2008 onwards.... |
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The magnificent sight of over 200 Shire Horses in all their traditional glory once again starts off the run of shire horse events in 2009 at exec Peterborough at the East of England Showground. The Shire Horse Society Spring Show – the largest Shire Horse Show in the World – held between 13th and 15th March 2009. The whole Show is undercover in the fabulous indoor arena in the Showground’s exhibition centre. The three-day spectacular, organised by the Shire Horse Society, a registered charity, helps to raise much needed funds to support this threatened breed and secure its future, especially among the younger generation. The Show attracts a large audience, from all over the world, and visitors see hundreds of Shire Horses expertly presented and dressed in their traditional glory. The range of classes and demonstrations include in-hand, ridden and driven. It is vital that as a nation we continue to support the Shire horse. The Spring Show is a fantastic way to do that, all in the comfort of the wonderful exec Peterborough exhibition hall. Whatever the weather you can enjoy the majestic and nostalgic sight of these wonderful animals looking their best. All the 2009 shows will appear in this gallery..... |
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Hall Farm, Little Casterton 20th & 21st September 2008 The ever popular Little Casterton Working Weekend provides a special look at yesterday’s farm machinery at work. From cultivating through to harvesting, a diverse collection of machines are put through there paces. |
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Ploughing matches around East Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire |
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I have been asked by a few people recently to take portrais of their kids. This is a new area for me so I have decided to experiment with different layers, tones etc to get an original style that I am comfortable with.... |
