Relive the days gone by in the countryside with this nostalgic, lavishly illustrated look at life in the British countryside from the Victorian era through to the 1960s. Explore every aspect of rural life, from the practicalities of growing and rearing food, to the intense hard work required of young and old, the craftsmen, the industries and markets that buoyed the local economy, and the sports, dances and festivals that were the hard-earned recreation. Discover the reality of living in a country cottage with no mains water, electricity or heating, and learn about the social structure of these close communities now swallowed up by urban sprawl and modern comforts. Illustrated throughout with many images never seen before, ''Times Past in the Countryside'' provides an account not just of the rose-tinted memories, but also some of the harsh realities of country life.