Leicestershire And Rutland

Pevsner wrote that "Leicestershire is not a county of extremes" and agreed that "no other county in England surpasses Rutland for unspoiled quiet charm". The large and the small Midland counties possess a varied and rewarding range of buildings. Church architecture encompasses the classical Normanton, preserved in remote isolation from the flood of Rutland Water, to Market Harborough with its elegant medieval steeple, and a fine group of Victorian churches in Leicester. The major country houses include Belvoir Castle, Staunton Harold and Burley-on-the-Hill, while the more modest homes of the late nineteenth century include notable work by Ernest Gimson, Voysey and a garden city at Leicester by Parker & Unwin. Leicestershire also possesses fine modern buildings, from its architecturally progressive schools to the justly renowned buildings of Leicester University, dominated by Stirling & Gowan's Engineering Building.

The County Avifaunas are a growing series of books, each of which gives details of the status and range of every species on the county list, with a detailed breakdown of rarity records. Each has introductory sections describing the county's ecology and habitats, climate, ornithological history and conservation record. This new avifauna covers Leicestershire and neighbouring Rutland, an area with a particularly strong birding tradition - the Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithological Society is one of the largest county bird clubs in Britain. The region holds some of England's most important inland reservoirs, including the largest, Rutland Water. This massive lake holds some 10,000 wintering birds of a variety of species each year, and has an impressive rarity list as well as some of England's few breeding Ospreys. The county also has important woodlands, gull roosts and river habitats. Rutland Water is the home of the British Birdwatching Fair, the most important trade fair in the birding calendar.

This dictionary of Leicestershire and Rutland place-names examines their origins and meanings. It includes not only towns, villages and hamlets, but also rivers, streams, hills, fields and woods, as well as streets, buildings and public houses. A comprehensive description of the origin and evolution of each name is given, bringing to life the history of the place in a new and remarkably revealing way. Few are aware of the background of the names that are part of our everyday language, and Anthony Poulton-Smith uncovers this aspect of Leicestershire and Rutland's rich history to great effect.