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A Natural History Of The Hedgerow
This is a guide to hedgerows past and present. John Wright describes their origins and long history in the life of the countryside, their natural history, the crafts involved in their planting and maintenance, and the huge variety in their ages, sizes, shape, composition and functions. He looks too at the drystone walls of Scotland, Devon, Cornwall, the Cotswolds, and the north of England, some of which date back thousands of years. John Wright is one of Britain's best known naturalists. His account is a fascinating amalgam of natural and cultural history brought vividly to life by his intimate knowledge of the countryside. The characteristic landscapes of the British regions, the hedgerow and dry-stone crafts, and every species described in the book are illustrated with photographs, almost all taken by the author. The book is informative, practical and entertaining, something to read by the fire in winter and to stuff into your pocket for country walks in every season.
384 pages, Paperback
Published May 4, 2017
56 people are currently reading
759 people want to read
About the author
John Wright
671 books41 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. ^1
John Wright is the author of the River Cottage Handbooks Mushrooms, Edible Seashore, Hedgerow and Booze and also The Naming of the Shrew, a book which explores the infuriating but fascinating topic of how and why plants, animals and fungi earn their Latin names. As well as writing for national publications, he often appears on the River Cottage series for Channel 4. He gives lectures on natural history and every year he takes around fifty 'forays', many at River Cottage HQ, showing people how to collect food - plants from the hedgerow, seaweeds and shellfish from the shore and mushrooms from pasture and wood. Over a period of nearly twenty-five years he has taken around six hundred such forays. Fungi are his greatest passion and he has thirty-five years' experience in studying them.
John Wright is a member of the British Mycological Society and a Fellow of the Linnaean Society.
John Wright is the author of the River Cottage Handbooks Mushrooms, Edible Seashore, Hedgerow and Booze and also The Naming of the Shrew, a book which explores the infuriating but fascinating topic of how and why plants, animals and fungi earn their Latin names. As well as writing for national publications, he often appears on the River Cottage series for Channel 4. He gives lectures on natural history and every year he takes around fifty 'forays', many at River Cottage HQ, showing people how to collect food - plants from the hedgerow, seaweeds and shellfish from the shore and mushrooms from pasture and wood. Over a period of nearly twenty-five years he has taken around six hundred such forays. Fungi are his greatest passion and he has thirty-five years' experience in studying them.
John Wright is a member of the British Mycological Society and a Fellow of the Linnaean Society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 14, 2016
One of the things that you notice when coming in to land at an airport in the UK is our patchwork pattern of fields and hedges that makes this green and pleasant land. It is a unique part of our heritage, and in some cases hedge lines can be traced back hundreds and occasionally thousands of years. Not only do they add some much to our countryside, but they are literally a lifeline to our birds and mammals as well as being home to all sorts of other plants and fungi.
In this book the well known naturalist Wright takes us on a voyage of discovery with the humble hedge. He weaves together natural with cultural history along with a comprehensive list of the flora, fauna and fungi found in a most hedges. The scope is widened with the inclusion of other ways of separating crops from hungry livestock, including dry-stone wall, Cornish hedges (also walls) and the ornate fences. It is a book full of fascinating historical references and entertaining facts with plenty of high quality photos. It makes for a fascinating reference book, and when it is out in paperback will definitely be added to my library.
In this book the well known naturalist Wright takes us on a voyage of discovery with the humble hedge. He weaves together natural with cultural history along with a comprehensive list of the flora, fauna and fungi found in a most hedges. The scope is widened with the inclusion of other ways of separating crops from hungry livestock, including dry-stone wall, Cornish hedges (also walls) and the ornate fences. It is a book full of fascinating historical references and entertaining facts with plenty of high quality photos. It makes for a fascinating reference book, and when it is out in paperback will definitely be added to my library.
September 27, 2025
I'm really fond of books like these, always from Britain, in which the author passionately tells their story of a part of nature oft over-looked and in danger, complete with personally taken photographs. Books that transfer the love of the author through the words into the reader. Like John Lewis-Stempel, and Roger Deakin for example. This book by John Wright is also a gem. Very lovely and interesting.
August 31, 2019
I was browsing in Hatchards last September and was drawn to the beautiful cover on this book. In 2017 we made our first visit to England in the format of a 2-week road trip around the country. Of course, as so many visitors have done and will continue to do, we fell in love with the beautiful green countryside; we were particularly fascinated by the hedges and stone walls. So of course I bought this book.
I most enjoyed the sections on the history of hedges and on the practical laying of hedges. So interesting! The author has a real passion for hedges and the ecosystems they encompass, and he writes engagingly and with great humour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to sharing it with my husband, who had the privilege of driving our rental SUV down a single-car-width track between hedgerows 12 or more feet high near Dorstone in Herefordshire. His favorite bit was meeting a Land Rover pulling a sheep trailer, and trying to pass each other (NOT!).
The book includes a number of colour photographs, and I made lavish use of Google to see the various flora and fauna being discussed. There are also videos on YouTube showing hedge laying which are both interesting and instructive.
I most enjoyed the sections on the history of hedges and on the practical laying of hedges. So interesting! The author has a real passion for hedges and the ecosystems they encompass, and he writes engagingly and with great humour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I look forward to sharing it with my husband, who had the privilege of driving our rental SUV down a single-car-width track between hedgerows 12 or more feet high near Dorstone in Herefordshire. His favorite bit was meeting a Land Rover pulling a sheep trailer, and trying to pass each other (NOT!).
The book includes a number of colour photographs, and I made lavish use of Google to see the various flora and fauna being discussed. There are also videos on YouTube showing hedge laying which are both interesting and instructive.
October 27, 2022
This was quite a long book for the subject and was exceptionally thorough. As this was a library loan with limited reading time available, I confess to having skimmed some pages that were a little too in depth.
John Wright has done an amazing job of studying the hedgerow, its history, its makeup, the species contained and the wildlife seeking food and shelter from within. The writing feels a mixture of academic and lay terms.
Interesting and informative, if not just slightly too long.
John Wright has done an amazing job of studying the hedgerow, its history, its makeup, the species contained and the wildlife seeking food and shelter from within. The writing feels a mixture of academic and lay terms.
Interesting and informative, if not just slightly too long.
January 15, 2023
Reading this will get you a lot of weird looks, but it is really really good! Very detailed very well researched. It takes you through the history of hedges, and then through the primary species which are found in and around hedgerows.
December 12, 2020
A readable, chatty book detailing the various origins of hedges, their flora and fauna, their maintenance and the vicissitudes they have been through in the centuries some of them have existed.
If ‘chatty’ seems derogatory, you will realise, as soon as you get a short way into it, that, for a single volume, the highlighting of a few notable aspects associated with the particular hedge plant(s) selected initially and the secondary wild plants that combine with it or them to form the basis of the mature hedge community is all that can be reasonably included. Anything attempting a complete accounting of all the fungal, plant and animal species associated with hedges (let alone fences and walls) would run to many volumes.
This serendipitous approach along with the author’s interests particularly in macro- and micro-fungi, gall-forming organisms and the less well-known insects of the hedgerow means that virtually every page relating to the natural history of the hedgerow (the bulk of the book) introduces some intriguing fact about another little known organism. Given that many of the larger plant and animal species of hedgerows and dry stone walls are already well known, adding details of lesser known denizens underlines the species richness of this overlooked and often mistreated part of the British landscape and provides a more complete picture of what makes a hedge. It also makes clear just how much is irrevocably lost to us all whenever a hedge is grubbed.
If ‘chatty’ seems derogatory, you will realise, as soon as you get a short way into it, that, for a single volume, the highlighting of a few notable aspects associated with the particular hedge plant(s) selected initially and the secondary wild plants that combine with it or them to form the basis of the mature hedge community is all that can be reasonably included. Anything attempting a complete accounting of all the fungal, plant and animal species associated with hedges (let alone fences and walls) would run to many volumes.
This serendipitous approach along with the author’s interests particularly in macro- and micro-fungi, gall-forming organisms and the less well-known insects of the hedgerow means that virtually every page relating to the natural history of the hedgerow (the bulk of the book) introduces some intriguing fact about another little known organism. Given that many of the larger plant and animal species of hedgerows and dry stone walls are already well known, adding details of lesser known denizens underlines the species richness of this overlooked and often mistreated part of the British landscape and provides a more complete picture of what makes a hedge. It also makes clear just how much is irrevocably lost to us all whenever a hedge is grubbed.
July 7, 2018
John Wright's Natural History of the Hedgerow both failed to meet my expectation and exceeded it.
Though the book does cover the features I find most interesting about hedges: the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, fungi, I was disappointed with the coverage Mr Wright devotes to what I would call micro-species: the midges, gall wasps, rust, each of which is covered in depth while flowers and the larger fungi are listed. Just that. Listed.
On the other hand, I wasn't expecting such an in-depth coverage of the history of hedges, from Mesolithic through to modern times. Nor such detailed descriptions of the types of hedges and how they are formed (special attention to laid hedges).
I will say that Mr Wright has a wonderful turn of phrase, and a wicked sense of humour, which helps to lighten what could otherwise be a rather dull subject. But, I do wish he had widened his focus, for mostly he talks of Dorset hedges (southern England), occasionally straying into Devon and Cornwall, Wales and 'the North'. My native East Of England hardly rates a mention. But I expect Mr Wright would argue that East Anglian hedges are much the same as elsewhere in the British Isles. And I'm sure he'd be right.
For anyone with preexisting interest in the British countryside, this does make a good, informative read. The history section alone is worth the purchase.
Though the book does cover the features I find most interesting about hedges: the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, fungi, I was disappointed with the coverage Mr Wright devotes to what I would call micro-species: the midges, gall wasps, rust, each of which is covered in depth while flowers and the larger fungi are listed. Just that. Listed.
On the other hand, I wasn't expecting such an in-depth coverage of the history of hedges, from Mesolithic through to modern times. Nor such detailed descriptions of the types of hedges and how they are formed (special attention to laid hedges).
I will say that Mr Wright has a wonderful turn of phrase, and a wicked sense of humour, which helps to lighten what could otherwise be a rather dull subject. But, I do wish he had widened his focus, for mostly he talks of Dorset hedges (southern England), occasionally straying into Devon and Cornwall, Wales and 'the North'. My native East Of England hardly rates a mention. But I expect Mr Wright would argue that East Anglian hedges are much the same as elsewhere in the British Isles. And I'm sure he'd be right.
For anyone with preexisting interest in the British countryside, this does make a good, informative read. The history section alone is worth the purchase.
April 26, 2018
An engaging read. The author recounts the history of hedges from prehistoric times up to the present. Their fortunes have waxed and waned largely dependent on agricultural practice. Whilst no longer as threatened by removal for conversion to farmland (EU subsidies have helped with this) maintaining them is a challenge which not all farmers and rural councils are as enthused about as they might be.
The section on the natural history of hedges, their tree, shrub and plant-life I also found interesting. The author's interest and expertise relates to the different species that live on the living or dead vegetation that make up hedges - fungi, lichens, rusts and the various insects that disfigure plants causing galls. The book has some illustrations of these which for the average reader was illuminating but many were listed without. This was disappointing and detracted from my enjoyment of this section of the book.
The book ends with a section on how hedges are made including those not made from trees and shrubs such as dry stone walls and fences. Overall for a nature lover this book provides a wealth of information which will make my walks in the countryside more interesting.
The section on the natural history of hedges, their tree, shrub and plant-life I also found interesting. The author's interest and expertise relates to the different species that live on the living or dead vegetation that make up hedges - fungi, lichens, rusts and the various insects that disfigure plants causing galls. The book has some illustrations of these which for the average reader was illuminating but many were listed without. This was disappointing and detracted from my enjoyment of this section of the book.
The book ends with a section on how hedges are made including those not made from trees and shrubs such as dry stone walls and fences. Overall for a nature lover this book provides a wealth of information which will make my walks in the countryside more interesting.
October 27, 2016
John Wright has written a comprehensive record of hedges, drystone walls and other agricultural boundaries in the United Kingdom, starting with a history of these boundary markers, and continuing with the natural history associated with them. This tends to be a list of trees and plants, and the creatures associated with them, I.e. the fungi, insects, bacteria, insects, mammals and birds associated with, say, hawthorn. The Author is especially strong on fungi, moulds and rusts, as this is his specialism.
The final section concerns the different types of hedges typical of different regions of the U.K., and also dry stone walls. This will make you look at the countryside in a more informed and interested way.
The style is readable and not dry, although it is a book for the enthusiast.
The final section concerns the different types of hedges typical of different regions of the U.K., and also dry stone walls. This will make you look at the countryside in a more informed and interested way.
The style is readable and not dry, although it is a book for the enthusiast.
July 28, 2024
I started this book two years ago, but managed to loose it before finishing. Well, now I found it again and the second half flew by in less than a week!
This is probably the strangest book I've read in the sense that why ever should I be reading a book about English hedges (especially as somebody who does not live on the island of Albion)! I bought it on a whim (probably some other nature book I read had it as one of its references) and after the first leaf-through I was quite certain that it would be a dry stumble which might even lead to ditching it somewhere in the middle. I was even sure that it would go directly to the bin of used books in a second hand shop after I had finished with it. But instead I can say that it will from now on hold a special place in my bookshelf (if I ever manage to complete building it :)!
Wright manages to talk about something so mundane as the common hedgerow (a natural part of English landscape, but sadly lacking in Estonia) with such a passion and intersperses the (sometimes dry) facts with so much English humour that even the endless list of plants and their galls becomes entertaining and enjoyable. All the while the amount of information crammed into you is truly immense.
All in all: If you ever get the chance, give this a try. It is a slow-burner, but well worth it!
This is probably the strangest book I've read in the sense that why ever should I be reading a book about English hedges (especially as somebody who does not live on the island of Albion)! I bought it on a whim (probably some other nature book I read had it as one of its references) and after the first leaf-through I was quite certain that it would be a dry stumble which might even lead to ditching it somewhere in the middle. I was even sure that it would go directly to the bin of used books in a second hand shop after I had finished with it. But instead I can say that it will from now on hold a special place in my bookshelf (if I ever manage to complete building it :)!
Wright manages to talk about something so mundane as the common hedgerow (a natural part of English landscape, but sadly lacking in Estonia) with such a passion and intersperses the (sometimes dry) facts with so much English humour that even the endless list of plants and their galls becomes entertaining and enjoyable. All the while the amount of information crammed into you is truly immense.
All in all: If you ever get the chance, give this a try. It is a slow-burner, but well worth it!
March 1, 2025
I keep telling everyone you have to really love hedges to want to read this book. But if you do, like me, you’re golden! Any of the overwhelming nature of the stats is balanced by the author’s usual charming writing style. But yeah, not one for anyone starting their first foray into nature reading I’d say.
August 30, 2019
Full of great information, nicely written. The sweeping historical overviews (understandable when you're trying to pack a lot in) were probably the least satisfying sections if I'm being picky; the focus and specifics were excellent.
December 13, 2021
Three and a half stars, rounding up to four. This is an exhaustively researched book, and no detail is too small for Wright to include. On the one hand, this can be extremely interesting, as details on hedge construction and ecology - liberally interspersed with photographs - give a well-rounded summary of hedges in the UK. I'm forced to admit, though, that by the end I was slogging through it, wondering how much more there could possibly be, and it's entirely possible that, by the final chapter, I had entirely hit my limit on hedges. I'm not sure if it's more or less helpful that my own country doesn't really have the same history of hedgerows, so a lot of what I'm reading is only vaguely familiar, reminiscent as it was of the times I worked in country pubs on my OE. Perhaps if more of them were out my own front door I'd be slightly more fascinated. As it was, the lengthy middle section on species found in hedgerows left me glazed over more than once.
That being said, I was genuinely compelled by the arguments for species abundance, how the type and height of a hedge affected this, and the parallels to woodland edges. So, all in all, despite some slumpy bits, it was well worth reading in the end.
That being said, I was genuinely compelled by the arguments for species abundance, how the type and height of a hedge affected this, and the parallels to woodland edges. So, all in all, despite some slumpy bits, it was well worth reading in the end.
July 14, 2019
Enthusiastically written but completely random in its coverage. Lots of mentions of fungus and lichens but some trees are in, some are out. Most animals are out, those mentioned are in brief. The author has, explicitly, no interest in birds, so they’re out. Some things get images, some don’t, some get descriptions of images that aren’t there. A long and not strictly accurate history section at the front could have been smaller to allow for a more systematic coverage.
August 16, 2023
This is a book that explores the history and natural history not just of hedgerows, but of other field boundaries including ditches, dykes and dry stone walls.
Much of the United Kingdom's agricultural landscape has been traditionally broken up by hedgerows, living field boundaries that consist of a variety of shrubs and occasional trees and that offer home to many species of bird, mammal and insect. Hedgerows have declined with changes in agricultural practice, but they are rightly valued as being vital for wildlife.
A Natural History of the Hedgerow opens with several excellent chapters outlining the history of field boundaries, starting in prehistoric Britain and moving through changing agricultural fashions up to the current time. It is interesting how hedges have at certain times been disliked as symbols of the removal of the common rights to land for grazing and, as now, loved as valuable homes for wildlife.
Following on from the history of hedges, the book looks at the politics of hedge protection, outlining government schemes and the associated issues and controversies, including the need to focus funding on the right methods of preserving hedges. The author notes the importance of conserving the original hedge itself, rather than removing it and replacing it with new seedlings:
"It is simply impossible to replace a hedge by planting half a dozen suitable woody species in a row. Yes, it will, if looked after, form a hedge, but not the hedge that was there before, which may have been the product of many centuries and will contain an array of species that cannot be replaced in a few days' planting"
The hedge needs to be seen as more than just the woody plants that form the main part of this type of field boundary to take in the surrounding areas of field or road verge and ditch or embankment. Many species use all parts of this ecosystem, for example the Yellowhammer "feeds in the verge, nests in the hedge bottom, hides from predators in the shrubs and uses the trees to perch and sing."
The third part of the book is made up of a field guide to species found in hedges. Given that thousands of species (of plants, animals and fungi) can be found in one hedge, this guide is necessarily concise. Although the section outlining the most important shrub and tree species (especially Hawthorn) is very interesting, the rest of the wildlife is dealt with in an unsatisfying way, birds being dismissed as "nasty, feathery things that fly away before you can identify them." which seems an unnecessarily negative comment, given that hedges are vital habitats for many species of birds that are declining.
The last section of the book gives a brief overview of how to lay a hedge and maintain field boundaries.
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in the history and importance of hedgerows, but don't expect a useful field guide.
Much of the United Kingdom's agricultural landscape has been traditionally broken up by hedgerows, living field boundaries that consist of a variety of shrubs and occasional trees and that offer home to many species of bird, mammal and insect. Hedgerows have declined with changes in agricultural practice, but they are rightly valued as being vital for wildlife.
A Natural History of the Hedgerow opens with several excellent chapters outlining the history of field boundaries, starting in prehistoric Britain and moving through changing agricultural fashions up to the current time. It is interesting how hedges have at certain times been disliked as symbols of the removal of the common rights to land for grazing and, as now, loved as valuable homes for wildlife.
Following on from the history of hedges, the book looks at the politics of hedge protection, outlining government schemes and the associated issues and controversies, including the need to focus funding on the right methods of preserving hedges. The author notes the importance of conserving the original hedge itself, rather than removing it and replacing it with new seedlings:
"It is simply impossible to replace a hedge by planting half a dozen suitable woody species in a row. Yes, it will, if looked after, form a hedge, but not the hedge that was there before, which may have been the product of many centuries and will contain an array of species that cannot be replaced in a few days' planting"
The hedge needs to be seen as more than just the woody plants that form the main part of this type of field boundary to take in the surrounding areas of field or road verge and ditch or embankment. Many species use all parts of this ecosystem, for example the Yellowhammer "feeds in the verge, nests in the hedge bottom, hides from predators in the shrubs and uses the trees to perch and sing."
The third part of the book is made up of a field guide to species found in hedges. Given that thousands of species (of plants, animals and fungi) can be found in one hedge, this guide is necessarily concise. Although the section outlining the most important shrub and tree species (especially Hawthorn) is very interesting, the rest of the wildlife is dealt with in an unsatisfying way, birds being dismissed as "nasty, feathery things that fly away before you can identify them." which seems an unnecessarily negative comment, given that hedges are vital habitats for many species of birds that are declining.
The last section of the book gives a brief overview of how to lay a hedge and maintain field boundaries.
This is an interesting book for anyone interested in the history and importance of hedgerows, but don't expect a useful field guide.
November 3, 2022
This book held my interest more than I thought it would. There were places in it where it went on a bit too long about something, or where I was bored or uninterested, but the majority of it was very interesting and a treasure of information. I like that, though I won't remember most of the facts about hedgerows etc., I won't look at them the same again.
A great book for nature lovers, foragers, walkers, or those who have an interest in the environment.
A great book for nature lovers, foragers, walkers, or those who have an interest in the environment.
July 5, 2017
If you've ever wondered about the differences between hedges and hedgerows then this is the book for you.
It's a history and a paean to the beautiful hedges of Britain, plus a handy guide to species that can be found in the hedges. Whilst slightly depressing in the amount of hedges lost in the last century or so it does leave room for hope.
It's a history and a paean to the beautiful hedges of Britain, plus a handy guide to species that can be found in the hedges. Whilst slightly depressing in the amount of hedges lost in the last century or so it does leave room for hope.
December 30, 2018
Interesting book about hedges and stonewalls. How and when were they made. That was quite interesting. But then the next 150 pages was about species. The writers doesn't like badgers and birds and makes a lot of mistake writing about the plants which can be growing in and near hedgerows. So here the books turned against me.
July 28, 2019
I agree with some other reviewer who mentioned the randomness of the choices for inclusion in this book: too much on leaf rusts and fungi, not enough on insects, for instance. Basic tree identification very limited. Interesting historical perspectives sometimes. I ended up skim reading the second half. A bit of a disappointment.
March 30, 2020
Loved every moment of this. Only way to improve it - make it longer! A full encyclopedia. A longer essay at the end on the future of hedges would have been nice too, I think just a bit more detail and depth in that discussion would have been perfect. Not quite enough on the dreaded flail!
April 16, 2021
I loved this book! I liked the fact they had a history section at the start as well, so you could really see how things have developed. The nature section was really interesting, and on my walks I can now tell my family all about the hedges we walk past!
February 23, 2025
Loved this book, not many books go on depth about our hedgerows and to read this book gives you an insight into their history and the wildlife within very interesting! Good to read in the car down a country lane lined with hedgerows on a warm summer day!
October 26, 2017
Written with humour and a wealth of detail, but too esoteric with insufficient description of actual wildlife for me. But a book to dip into.
December 27, 2017
Only read the book for the beginning summary of the history of British farming landscape... very good summary and enjoyable book.
August 29, 2019
High four! Trudged through the history portion to get to the good stuff but once there I fell in love with this beautiful book 💛
May 14, 2020
Very good- though the first chapter talks about the 'closed-canopy' theory, which has been largely questioned by researchers. Overall very interesting and educational.
June 4, 2020
I was every bit as excited about hedges at the end of this book as the author was, who knew hedgerows were so fascinating.
September 20, 2020
Especially loved the history of the hedge and the hedgerow in the British countryside and it chimed well with my current reading around British prehistory.
June 10, 2021
Endlessly interesting, and a very breezy read.
July 10, 2021
Very detailed and pleasant read about the past and present of hedgerows in England.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews