The Perfect Christmas Present
When the nation needed more food after the Second World War, farmers responded to that need, explains Sydling St Nicholas farmer Johnny Morris. Sharing some of his memories in Robin Mills’ book, Deep Roots: an Insider’s Photographs of Dorset Country Life, he says: ‘We were farming for production. Nothing else.’ Today he is ‘grasping the challenges of going the environmental route on the farm’ and says it’s going really well despite being a ‘complete reversal of the old attitudes’.
With so many dramatic changes to our lifestyle, our landscape and indeed our climate, the opportunity to document the heritage of farming and westcountry life has allowed Robin Mills to continue to compile a written and photographic history of our wider local community.
Comments from farmers such as Johnny add a rich vein of narrative to the photographs that Robin Mills has taken over the years and memories shared by those whose lives are recorded for posterity are both fascinating and vital.
In his book, Robin depicts some of the characters that have made country life such a source of fascination. Many of the images offer a view of a changing era, when farming dictated the rhythm of many people’s lives. These photographs offer a very personal insight into how life in Dorset and its borders has changed in just a short few decades.
From sheep shearing in Sydling to milking cows in Glanvilles Wooton, the many people that appear in the pages of Deep Roots are a testament to the value and immense importance of preserving our history, enhancing cultural appreciation, and guiding future generations.
In an age dominated by rapid technological advances and urbanization, these photographs serve as poignant reminders of our roots, offering a real connection to the past that may inspire and educate future generations.
They also act as vital historical records. A visual chronicle of a way of life that is increasingly under threat. As farming communities evolve, photographs help preserve these elements, offering future generations a glimpse into the past and the opportunity to understand the evolution of agriculture and rural societies.
A section of photographs taken at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2001 capture the depth of history of a stalwart of the country event calendar that is in danger of being lost to history. The Great Dorset Steam Fair couldn’t be held in 2023 or 2024 due to spiralling costs. From carousel to fairground organ, and cider drinkers to steam engines, these photographs may be highlighting the last of an era.
Robin also includes a section of photographs of the last hunt meet at Abbotsbury in 2005 as well as a farm sale at Ansty.
With a foreward by Kate Adie, celebrated journalist and President of the Dorset CPRE, Deep Roots: an Insider’s Photographs of Dorset Country Life is a chronicle of westcountry community and deserves a place on any bookshelf or coffee table.
Young and old, Deep Roots is an ideal Christmas present for all the family. To order a copy at £25 +£3.50 p&p, either email Robin at robins.mills72@gmail.com or telephone 07976 154101.
