Book description
Wartime Farm accompanies the must-see 8-part BBC2 television series
of the same name.
During World War Two Britain had to look to the land to provide the
produce it had previously shipped in from abroad, meaning huge changes
on both the agricultural and domestic scenes. Accompanying an 8-part
BBC series and written by the three presenters who spend a year living
on a reconstructed farm from the era, Wartime Farm sets these changes
within a historical context and looks at the day-to-day life of that
time. Exploring a fascinating chapter in Britain's recent history, we
see how our predecessors lived and thrived in difficult conditions
with extreme frugality and ingenuity. From growing your own vegetables
and keeping chickens in the back yard, to having to 'make do and
mend', many of the challenges faced by wartime Britons have resonance
today. Fascinating historical detail and atmospheric story-telling
make this a truly compelling read.
All three authors appeared in previous 'farm' series, including
'Edwardian Farm' and the award-winning 'Victorian Farm' as well as
'Tales from the Green Valley' (all BBC2). Peter Ginn studied
archaeology at University College London and has since been an
archaeological digger, supervisor and teacher.
Historian Ruth Goodman is an expert in nineteenth-century social and
domestic history and has appeared in a number of television series, most
recently 'Victorian Pharmacy'. She spent ten years as a historical
advisor to the Royal Shakespeare Company's Globe Theatre and also
appeared in the BBC2 programme 'Tales from the Banquet Hall'.
