Jim Dixon: Scattering Plenty: The People Who Made the Modern Countryside

Friday 15 November, 5.30 - 6.30pm, QUAD Derby

At the start of the 20th century, the management of the British countryside was the preserve of powerful aristocratic estates, the ground worked by labourers toiling in time-honoured tradition.

Former CEO of the Peak District National Park Authority Jim Dixon’s book, Scattering Plenty, tells of the birth of modern farming through wartime, post-war reconstruction and four decades embroiled in European countryside policies. It follows the stories of key figures driving change; as the face of the countryside evolves, it charts their fight for nature and natural beauty, and traces the gradual control that the state and democratic agents had on the land.

Jim Dixon provides a deeper appreciation for the profound legacy of agriculture in shaping Britain’s past, present and future, as he delves into the lives of those who shaped the modern countryside and made space for the deeply rooted bucolic haven that millions enjoy today.

This event will be filmed and made available as a digital recording after the Festival. For more information please click here.

Please note that we anticipate that parking will be unavailable at the Assembly Rooms car park as demolition work will have started by November. Alternative parking is available on streets around the Cathedral area and in other public car parks including Chapel Street and Bold Lane.