If you were on the other side of this summer house, then you'd think this was a one storey building. And behind you would be something much bigger. Clue: mid-southern England.
Complete change of locale this week, and away from the Deep South for once. This crane dominates the skyline of what I think is a very fascinating and absorbing place, once one gets beyond the sneers and music hall jokes that once surrounded it.
This has got to be one of my favourite churchyards. Mainly for the view from it- the half-timbering, orange brick, white painted dormers and the whole thing looking like a backdrop to a Powell & Pressburger film like A Canterbury Tale. Which gives a kind of a clue as to which quarter of the country we're in.
What can I possibly say? All has not been as it should be in Unmitigated England, but my dear readers should never have been left high and dry with just a clock tower to look at. So, once again, sincere apologies. And also to those who tried to e-mail me on the address attached to the blog. Another major failure with the intranet that has only just been sorted. Normal service is now resumed, and I hope (if anyone's still out there) that the next few weeks will see things getting better and better. Thankyou for your patience. So, where's this then?
I am a designer, writer and photographer who spends all his time looking at England, particularly buildings and the countryside. But I have a leaning towards the slightly odd and neglected, the unsung elements that make England such an interesting place to live in. I am the author and photographer of over 25 books, in particular Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2006), More from Unmitigated England (Adelphi 2007), Cross Country (Wiley 2011), The Cigarette Papers (Frances Lincoln 2012), Preposterous Erections (Frances Lincoln 2012) and English Allsorts (Adelphi 2015)
"Open this book with reverence. It is a hymn to England". Clive Aslet
Preposterous Erections
"Enchanting...delightful". The Bookseller "Cheekily named" We Love This Book
The Cigarette Papers
"Unexpectedly pleasing and engrossing...beautifully illustrated". The Bookseller
Cross Country
"Until the happy advent of Peter Ashley's Cross Country it has, ironically, been foreigners who have been best at celebrating Englishness". Christina Hardyment / The Independent
More from Unmitigated England
"Give this book to someone you know- if not everyone you know." Simon Heffer, Country Life. "When it comes to spotting the small but telling details of Englishness, Peter Ashley has no equal." Michael Prodger, Sunday Telegraph