Category Archives: Landscape

Norman’s Pond

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Francis Pryor

First some sensational news: my new book, The Fens is going to be the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week from July 8th-12th!!! This will involve 15-minute readings (not by me), which are broadcast twice daily, most often in … Continue reading →

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I have it in my hands, my latest book: The FENS!

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Francis Pryor

Writing a work of non-fiction has one event that is never quite the same if you write fiction: it’s that moment when you rip open an envelope from your publisher to reveal your latest book. And there it is, in … Continue reading →

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Walking on Water

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Francis Pryor

It all began about three weeks ago when yellow signs appeared warning about a road closure. Then men in red overalls appeared on the bridge that crosses the big dyke near our farm. The following weekend the bridge closed and … Continue reading →

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Keeping Calm and Carrying On…

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Francis Pryor

I’ve got every reason to be happy and cheerful, even if the worsening world political situation causes me to despair – to such an extent that I can barely bring myself to listen to the news. So let’s concentrate on … Continue reading →

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The Blog That Went Missing: The Beast from the East

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Francis Pryor

As regular readers of this blog will know, it has been a fairly turbulent time for me health-wise, but thanks to our wonderful NHS I’m now very much on the mend and am looking forward to the warmth of spring … Continue reading →

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Paths to the Past: Post-Publication Reflections

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Francis Pryor

  There’s always a great feeling when you open the padded envelope from your publisher and you hold your new book in your hands for the first time. Then you part the covers and invariably it falls open at a … Continue reading →

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My new book for Penguin: Paths to the Past. Publication date: March 1st

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Francis Pryor

Just over a year ago I was approached by my Editor at Penguin, Tom Penn, about the possibility of writing something a bit shorter than my previous heavyweight book (The Making of the British Landscape), on landscapes. As it happened, … Continue reading →

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Suburbia: Taking a Different View

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Francis Pryor

It’s so easy to let one’s mind fossilize. Over the years one accumulates opinions and these tend to become more fixed and rigid with time. And I don’t know how others feel, but I find that in these days when … Continue reading →

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The Last Post – of 2016

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Francis Pryor

Gosh, 2016 was a strange year. Reason took a back seat and rationality seemed in very short supply. I also have a nasty feeling that 2017 probably won’t be that different, either. Heaven alone knows how the Euro is going … Continue reading →

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Why the Fens Aren’t Flat and Boring

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Francis Pryor

I hate our boring preconceptions about places. London isn’t rich, crowded and stuck-up, any more than Liverpool is gritty and down-to-earth. They’re just places where people live, love and wish-away their lives. Reality is what we all want to be … Continue reading →

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