Pictures record far gentler pace of life in the country

Chairman of Petworth Society and historian Peter Jerrome had already visited the pictures of photographer George Garland in five volumes.
C131501-10 Mid Petpix phot kate

A George Garland picture. C131501-10C131501-10 Mid Petpix phot kate

A George Garland picture. C131501-10
C131501-10 Mid Petpix phot kate A George Garland picture. C131501-10

But he could not resist returning for one last 
time after discovering a series of pictures not included in the official George Garland collection which covered a period between 1922 and 1927 which holds particular fascination for him.

Mr Jerrome’s meticulous research together with a set of entrancing pictures have added up to yet another masterpiece from Mr Jerrome and book designer Jonathan Newdick whose latest work is now available through Window Press.

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Names from local history come to life with pictures of the Rev Tatchell, of Lord Leconfield hunting in 1924 and a host of celebrities of the day at social gatherings in the Petworth area.

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A George Garland picture. C131501-10C131501-10 Mid Petpix phot kate

A George Garland picture. C131501-10
C131501-10 Mid Petpix phot kate A George Garland picture. C131501-10

At the other end of the scale, they tell of the toil of working men in the fields, from haymaking at Duncton in 1927, ploughing for spring oats in 1923 to the art of hedge-making captured in 1927 and largely unchanged today.

Mr Jerrome, who said he found it difficult to understand why Garland insisted on being a press photographer, has followed his camera back and forth across Sussex landscape, discovering how he made his living.

Garland’s pictures found their way into a host of national newspapers, capturing every aspect of life between the wars.

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There are political campaigns, the disaster 
of the paint lorry which left the road at Coultershaw in 1922, the floods around Pulborough, the hunting season and agricultural life.

The book is also a marvel in painstaking research which paints another picture – the picture of George Garland’s life.

There are the most minute of details about each picture printed, 
from where it was reproduced to how it was cropped and why Garland decided to place them with particular editors.

The captions themselves were no mean feat. Mr Jerrome had a ‘panel of experts’ in the 1980s.

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But those with memories stretching that far back were no longer here to help, and he said the captioning task had been far from easy.

There are 100 numbered copies of the book available at £29.99 from 
Mr Jerrome on 01798 342562 or by writing to him at Trowels, Pound Street, Petworth.

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