New Book on the Quantocks
April 2009Portrait of the Quantocks – by Craig Hutchings
The Quantock Hills are probably one of England’s best kept secrets, nestling in against their larger cousin Exmoor. But the Quantocks are so much more than a ‘little Exmoor’. This gentle ridge of uplands rises from just a few feet above sea-level at Taunton and climbs to 1260 ft at Wills Neck, before dipping its shoulders in to the Bristol Channel, a mere 12 miles later. Size for size, in these few miles that make up the Quantocks, there can surely be no more beautiful a place in Britain. Indeed Coleridge and Wordsworth captured their simple beauty in verse and in doing so wrote some of this country’s most celebrated literature while staying in the hills in the 1790s.
Indeed, little has changed since those heady days of the romantic poets. So little wonder, with all the wonderful facets the hills have to offer, the open moorland, Jurassic coastline, charismatic farmland and magnificent woodland, that the Quantocks were awarded in 1956 the distinction of being England’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
This collection of over 140 superbly composed photographs depicts one of England’s little gems. Although recognized nationally for its natural beauty, never before has such a varied and intimate portrait of the hills been assembled. Shot from dusk till dawn, subjects from moor, to coast, farmland, woodland and wildlife, have been brought to life by photographer Craig Hutchings who demonstrates his love of this wonderful landscape, not only through the well known vistas but those secret places only a local would know.
Born in the county town of Taunton, Craig can be described as an Englishman by birth and a son of Somerset by the grace of God, such is his love for his native county. He was introduced to photography by his father Ron in the 1970s, while still at school. From this early introduction, a great passion for photography grew, with Craig photographing just about everything and anything over the next 30 years. So, being brought up in the shadow of the Quantocks and now a resident of the hills along with his wife Bev and two daughters Amberley and Emily, little wonder that Craig knows just about every combe, cairn and tuft of heather on them. To capture the ever-changing light which dances across the combes and moors, has become a burden of delight. Forever drawn to early mornings, late nights and endless hours of waiting for the perfect shot, Craig has devoted much of his recent life to building up this superb collection of images.
Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 1 84114 933 2, hardback, 214×230mm, 144 pages. Published March 2009.
Craig Hutchings has most generously donated the royalties from the initial print run to Friends of Quantock - so get your copy today!
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