Stamford, Bourne and the
Deepings (2009)
Landscapes and Legends
by Rex Needle and Alan
Oliver
A PICTORIAL ACCOUNT of the landscapes and legends of
Stamford, Bourne and the Deepings written by local
historian Rex Needle and illustrated with a series of
watercolour paintings by the Rutland artist Alan Oliver.
The two worked together for over a year to complete this
book and the result is a beautifully produced volume of
almost 100 pages in full colour and printed on art paper
to ensure that the paintings are shown to their full
effect.
The subject is that segment of South Lincolnshire
countryside which embraces the three communities,
outlining their histories, development and how they
appear today and taking a closer look at some of the
more interesting places that are worthy of
investigation.
The book explores the nooks and crannies of lesser
travelled roads to provide a deeper understanding of the
link between the three places, each having an aspect of
life past and present which identifies one with another
yet all separated by short drives through attractive
countryside interspersed by interesting villages thus
bringing together the stately charms of Burghley House
and Grimsthorpe Castle with the simplicity of the
Baptist Chapel at Haconby and the ancient stocks at
Witham-on-the-Hill.
The 39 paintings reproduced include the Town Hall, St
Leonard’s Priory, Browne’s Hospital and The Meadows at
Stamford, the Red Hall, the Abbey Church, St Peter’s
Pool and the woods at Bourne while the high locks, the
River Welland, the market place and the old stone lockup
are among the views of the Deepings.
Alan Oliver is recognised as one of the leading
landscape artists in the Midlands as his work in this
volume amply demonstrates, while Rex Needle, a retired
journalist, has been chronicling the history of Bourne
and surrounding area for the past two decades and
already has several publications to his credit. This
book is a must for anyone interested in the three
places, a delightful and elegant gift or addition to any
bookshelf to be treasured and admired for many years to
come.
Copies
of the book may be obtained from the
publisher and other online retailers such as
Amazon.
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