Sources and bibliography
Sources suitable as reference works on hedges are clearly indicated; some of these books cover hedging only incidentally.
| Author | Title and publisher | Comments |
| Angus, Anne | Hedgerow Partridge Press 1987 162 pages |
Beautifully produced book in the form of a journal describing a particular hedge in West Wales throughout the year. Marvellous illustrations throughout by Michael Woods |
| Beddall, J.H. | Hedges for Farm and Garden Faber & Faber 1950 360 pages |
Excellent book. Large section on farm hedges. Also covers fences, gates, stiles, stone and turf hedges. Out of print and difficult to find! |
| Brooks, Alan and Agate, Elizabeth | Hedging BTCV 1975/1998 123 pages |
The best practical guide to hedgelaying. Also covers planting and establishment. Updated and much improved in 1998 with lots more information on regional styles of hedgelaying. I suppose I should declare an interest as I submitted content for the final edition (on a voluntary basis!), particularly in respect of working with volunteers and for the description and schematic of South of England of binding. Out of print, but you can get an electronic copy from TCV - see here |
| Burton, Robert | Nature by the Roadside EP Publishing 1977 115 pages |
Small section on hedges. |
| Dowdeswell, W.H. | Hedgerows and Verges Allen & Unwin 1987 190 pages |
Authoritative and fascinating academic study. |
| Feltwell, John | A Guide to Countryside Conservation - Britain's Rural Heritage WI Books 1989, 160 pages |
Includes a chapter on hedgerows. |
| Greaves, Valerie | Hedgelaying Explained National Hedgelaying Society 74 pages |
Good practical guide. Very inexpensive. Gives more detail than BTCV on different hedging styles. |
| Hart, Edward | Hedge Laying and Fencing Thorsons 1981 128 pages |
A practical guide for the smallholder. Covers hedgelaying in some detail, also chapters on planting, fencing and walling |
| Hennell, Thomas | The Countryman at Work Architectural Press 1947 80 pages |
Originally a series of articles in The Architectural Review. Mainly notable for the author's illustrations. Short chapters on hedging, hurdle making and the woodman. |
| Lee, Brian | Fields & Hedgerows - A Nature Guide Crowood Press 1985, 128 pages |
Emphasis is on flora and fauna throughout. |
| Le Sueur, A.D.C | Hedges, Shelterbelts and Screens Country Life 1951 128 pages |
Good chapter on agricultural hedges including description of hedgelaying. Particularly useful on shelterbelts which are little covered elsewhere in this detail. Out of print and difficult to find! |
| Morley, Margaret and Ken | The Great Upheaval - An Account of the Enclosure of Wingrave and Rowsham in 1798 Bucks Print, Aylesbury 1994 62 pages |
Fascinating account of a single enclosure act and its impact on a community. |
| Maclean, Murray | New Hedges for the Countryside Farming Press 1992 276 pages |
A comprehensive modern guide, concentrating, as you would expect, on hedge propagation, planting and aftercare. |
| Martin, George A. | Fences, Gates and Bridges - A Practical Guide Stephen Greene Press 1974 191 pages |
Reprint of this 1887 publication from the USA surprises with a small section on hedges and hedgelaying and advice on suitable hedging plants for the US. |
| Pollard, Hooper & Moore, | Hedges Collins New Naturalist 1974 256 pages |
Indispensable but out of print. If you read only one book about hedges, this should be it! |
| Rackham, Oliver | The History of the Countryside Dent & Sons 1986 445 pages |
Marvellous, massive and very readable with an excellent section on hedges. |
| Rackham, Oliver | The Illustrated History of the Countryside Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1994 240 pages |
Beautifully illustrated. Good section on hedges. |
| Showell, Romola | Hedges, Walls and Boundaries Dryad Press 1986 48 pages |
An introduction for children covering walls as well as hedges |
| Stowe, E.J. | Crafts of the Countryside Longmans 1948 128 pages |
Short chapter on hedging. Other chapters cover dry stone walling and hurdle making |
| Streeter, D and Richardson, R | Discovering Hedgerows BBC 1982 160 pages |
Concentrates on flora and fauna. Follows two hedges month by month through the season. Nicely illustrated. |
| Thomas, Eric & White, John T | Hedgerow Dorling Kindersley 1982 46 pages |
Simple text, beautiful colour illustrations. Suitable for children. |
| Wilson, Ron | The Hedgerow Book David & Charles 1979 204 pages |
Concentrates on hedgerow plants and animals. |
| Wright, John |
A Natural History of the Hedgerow and ditches, dykes and dry stone walls Profile Books, 2016 376 page |
An excellent book. Very good coverage of field systems from the very earliest times. The author is a naturalist and expert on fungi. Includes a lot of information about species that depend on particular hedge plants and lots about insects and the tell-tale signs they leave behind on shrubs and herb species found in hedges. Includes good colour photographs throughout. |
| Young, Arthur | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Hertforshire (1804) David & Charles Reprints 1971 236 pages |
An invaluabe and fascinating study of the rural economy of Hertfordshire in the early 19th century. Arthur Young covers hedgelaying in some detail over 10 pages in this book, including a series of plates and to my surprise and probably that of many others today remarks that "Hertfordshire may be considered as the county where the plashing system is carried on to the greatest extent: it has been universally practised here since time immemorial". He then gives his reasoning for this and goes onto to explain what is particular to Hertfordshire hedges in particular, making comparisons with Leicestershire, Suffolk. Since Arthur Young also produced the companion volumes for Lincolnshire, Oxford, Norfolk, Suffolk and Sussex, he clearly got about a bit. |