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Review by Lizzie Guilfoyle
WITH the future Charles III currently making headlines (for all
the wrong reasons), and Charles II brought vividly to life by
Rufus Sewell in the BBC's splendid costume drama, Charles II -
The Power & The Passion, it should, perhaps, come as no surprise
to find the very first King Charles rearing his arrogant head.
For it was Charles I who ignored public outrage by enclosing
both common and private land, to create a 2,500-acre deer park
south of London, in order to satisfy his insatiable thirst for
hunting.
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Yet, had he not done so, Richmond Park as we know it today would
not exist and Joanna Jackson would not have given us this delightful
book.
As the title suggests, the author reveals, season by season,
every aspect of life in the park, and while the text is simple,
but highly informative, it is the photographs that truly make
it a masterpiece - whether a simple dew-laden cobweb or a magnificent,
centuries-old oak resplendent in Autumn foliage, all are visually
stunning - making it a book that nature lovers everywhere will
treasure.
Perhaps more importantly, though, it will introduce those unfamiliar
with the park to its beauty and diversity, while at the same time,
proving itself a welcome companion to those already captivated
by its manifold charms.
A Year in the Life of Richmond Park is published by Francis Lincoln
and sells at £14.99.
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