Parks in Hertfordshire Since 1500

The cultural, political, and economic influences on the changing fortunes of Hertfordshire's great parks over the past 500 years are examined in this authoritative history. Fascinating accounts of such parks as Hatfield, Moor Park, and Knebworth are illustrated by revisiting each historical era and its prevailing fashions, such as the enthusiasm for deer hunting in the 16th century and the golden age of landscape gardening in the 18th century. Close analysis of each time period's cartographical sources further supports this fitting record of the county's green spaces, which ultimately outlines the ongoing decline in Hertfordshire's parklands, now divided piecemeal between golf courses, schools, and hotels, sold off as real estate, or precariously maintained as tourist attractions.

Hugh Prince is an emeritus reader and honorary research fellow at University College London and has been a visiting professor at several universities throughout the United States and Europe. He is the author of The Changing Landscape of Panshanger, Parkland in the Chilterns, and Parks in England.