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An Evening with Guy Shrubsole

Local writer and campaigner discusses his new book about landownership in Britain.

Leigh Curtis

Waterstones Exeter is hosting an evening of discussion with local writer and campaigner Guy Shrubsole around his new book about landownership in Britain.

The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside?, shows that a handful of large landowners are responsible for the destruction and degradation of many of the country’s most important landscapes.

Dartmoor by Gerard Mengerink Fenced land on Dartmoor. Photo: Gerard Mengerink under Creative Commons license.

Guy Shrubsole’s first book Who Owns England? uses Land Registry data and freedom of information requests to reveal that half of England is owned by less than 1% of its population.

His second book Lost Rainforests of Britain explores temperate rainforests in the British Isles.

In 2020 Guy Shrubsole and Nick Hayes launched the “Right to Roam” campaign for legislation to enable public access to open space.

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An evening with Guy Shrubsole begins at 7.30pm on Wednesday 2 October 2024 at Waterstones in Exeter High Street.

The event costs £6, or £25 including a hardback copy of The Lie of the Land. Tickets are available via the Eventbrite website.


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