Using information gathered over ten years by a team of woodland ecologists working for the Nature Conservancy Council, this is a guide to the ancient woods of Britain, those last remaining traces of original and natural woodland. It is the third of the NCC's ancient woodland trilogy. County by county, the author describes the location and current condition of our remaining ancient woods, sharing his knowledge of their history, culture and wildlife. In non-technical language, he offers an understanding of why they are important and how they have contributed to economic and cultural life through the centuries. The book explores the extraordinary variety of woodland: the tortured and stunted oaks of Dartmoor; the hilltop woods of Daventry, with their wild daffodil and bracken glades; the coppiced limewoods of Collyweston; the Royal Forest of Rockingham; the tall, stately pines of Ballochbuie. It considers the local uses of woods, woodland names, public access and conservation problems, and there are also discussions of the commonland system and enclosure, the effect of plantation forest, the influence on writers and poets, and the heyday and decline of rustic crafts and industries, such as iron smelters and quarrymen.