Review of ‘A Peakland Chronology’, by Julie Bunting

A Peakland Chronology tells the story of the Peak District of Derbyshire from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

The fortunes of any region depend on what it has to offer to mankind. In the case of the Peak District its development has been built on a scenic landscape well suited first to the needs of its earliest settlers, right up to those of today's tourists who come to the still unspoilt hills and dales for pleasure.

Through the ages in between, this same landscape has given up its natural wealth of useful stone, lead, copper and beautiful rare minerals.

There have been times in is history when the Peak appeared to outside eyes as inaccessible and its inhabitants as wild. Yet royal battles have been fought on Peakland soil and monarchs have hunted its forests and built castles to protect this once-remote part of their realm.

From time to time, Peaklanders and their possessions have played roles in the wider scheme of things, not only in national events but worldwide. The area somewhat vaguely referred to as the Peak District is rich in evidence and in answers for the historian, the geologist, the archaeologist and the naturalist. Yet its appeal lies as much in its present beauty as in the fascination of its past.