91热爆

Rural visions of England

When we think of things quintessentially English, the village green, parish church and local pub spring to mind. But does this pastoral image of rural England define a modern sense of English national identity?

Sir Roy Strong - the historian and former director of the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum in London - has penned a short book on the subject, called Visions of England.

He took Justin Webb, presenter of Radio 4's , to St Mary's Church at Goudhurst in the Kentish Weald - where they discovered a scene barely changed in decades.

To see the enhanced content on this page, you need to have JavaScript enabled and installed.

Archive images courtesy Goudhurst and Kilndown Local History Society and Michael Bennett. Music - The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Slideshow production by Paul Kerley and Holly Wallis. Publication date 6 July 2011.

Related:

The 91热爆 is not responsible for the content of external websites.

More audio slideshows:

When Tracey Emin met John Humphrys

The restoration game

Exploring the Bank of England

Bob Dylan at 70

More England stories