From 1991 to 1995 the Trust’s annual overview included “Durham Broadcast”, a short section listing new publications or broadcasts concerning the City. This is being revived, albeit in the different form of occasional reviews of material most likely to be of interest to members.
Paul Clayden, The Law and History of Common Land and Village Greens, 7th Edition, Open Spaces Society, 2022
Chris Hugill provides an authoritative review of this invaluable book for lawyers and others seeking a better understanding of the law in this area. This eagerly awaited update of the law relating to commons and town and village greens was written by the late Paul Clayden and brought to publication this year with the expert assistance of his former colleagues at the Open Spaces Society after his sad death. This is a difficult area of property law and the author has succeeded in summarising it expertly and succinctly.
Dr David Mason: Roman County Durham: The Eastern Hinterland of Hadrian’s Wall (Durham County Council, 2021) 557 pages; 485 illustrations, 350 in colour. £37.50
Katie Mountain presents an authoritative review of Roman County Durham. This book is the first volume of its kind, with over 500 pages dedicated to the rich Roman heritage of County Durham. Over 19 well set out and clearly written chapters, Dr David Mason takes us on a journey through an area often overshadowed by Hadrian’s Wall and places a well-deserved spotlight on the wealth and uniqueness of archaeological evidence of Roman County Durham.
Nikolaus Pevsner (1953), Elizabeth Williamson (1983), revision by Martin Roberts, 2021: The Buildings of England: County Durham (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2021), 880 pp. £ 45.
Douglas Pocock presents a comprehensive review of the new revision of Pevsner’s County Durham. He concludes: “In compiling this review it soon became evident that the author, the City of Durham Trust and this reviewer appeared to be of one mind. This of course, was no surprise, as a trawl through the Trust’s Bulletins and Annual Reports will immediately confirm. The clearest single indicator is the Trust’s annual Architectural Awards, which were given to no fewer than eight of the buildings singled out by Martin for particular commendation. Such affirmation of the values held by the Trust apart, the volume as a whole deserves to be on the shelf of anyone interested in the architecture of County Durham.”
Derek Dodds: Durham City in 50 Buildings (Stroud: Amberley Publishing, Stroud 2019). 96 pp. £14.99.
Douglas Pocock, a leading expert on Durham’s history and a member of the Trust (and past Honorary Secretary), has written a review of the book Derek Dodds: Durham City in 50 Buildings (Stroud: Amberley Publishing, Stroud 2019). This book attempts to describe Durham in fifty buildings in less than ninety pages of text. Douglas discusses how the author has risen to this challenge.
