St Leonard's Forest, West Sussex

Have you ever wondered about St. Leonard's Forest as you pass it by on your bicycle, in your car, or on the bus; maybe you have walked its footpaths, with or without a dog? Was it a royal forest? Who owned it? And what about the dragon? Wasn't there something about a saint and the white and pink spring flowers, lily of the valley? Wonder no more. This book tells it all: the iron, the rabbits, the estates with their parks and gardens, the villages, churches and people, not forgetting of course, the dragon.

St. Leonard's Forest is a strange place - a forest in which it is too easy to lose one's way by taking a wrong path. Its history seems to hang heavily amongst the heathland and trees and yet locally little is really known about it apart from myth and legend.

Maggie discovered that hers was the first in-depth study of St. Leonard's Forest and so felt her research, together with the information she had unearthed about the forest, should be more widely available. It is clear from reading this thoroughly researched and engaging book, St. Leonard's Forest, A Landscape History, that Maggie has a deep interest in and love of the Sussex landscape, particularly forests.

When she came to live in Horsham in the year 2000, she was keen to know more about this lovely forest on her doorstep, so she began taking evening classes at the University of Sussex for a BA in Landscape Studies. When she retired from her work as a Probation Officer and Practice Teacher she continued studying for a part-time doctorate under the supervision of Professor Brian Short, and produced her thesis on St. Leonard's Forest in 2014.

What has evolved from Maggie's initial thesis is a fascinating local history book about St. Leonard's Forest. Additionally, Maggie also wanted to show off her new retirement interests in writing poetry and botanical painting, a beautiful addition, which perfectly balances alongside the vast amount of information, maps, postcards and other imagery in her book.