This new full-colour hard-bound book will have some 300 pages and 700 illustrations, and will be printed on silk art paper. It will be launched later this year. When the twin valleys of the River Gwash were flooded in the mid-1970s, Rutland Water became one of Europe's largest man-made lakes, set in England's smallest county. This large reservoir, initially strongly opposed, has become a major tourist attraction and is internationally recognised for its wildlife. The research for this book has been carried out by members of the Society as a Local Heritage Initiative project, involving the local community in investigating, documenting and publicising the changing heritage of the area.

Contents will include:
Overview of the Gwash Valley - from its source to the River Welland
Building the Reservoir - reasons, proposals, objections, legislation, naming and photographic record
What was Lost - Middle and Nether Hambleton, farms, homes, livelihoods, ways of life, and landscapes
What was Gained - the new heritage- a photographic panorama
Geology - fossils and rocks, and the problems faced by the dam builders
Archaeology - from stone age hut circles to deserted medieval villages
Great Houses - Barnsdale, Burley, Catmose, Edith Weston, Exton, Hambleton, Lyndon and Normanton
Natural History - surveying the valley and the creation of a nature reserve
Communications - old and new roads, turnpikes, rights of way, bridges, railways, canals, and in the air
Farming the Valley - Pre-enclosure and modern farming
Stories and Scandals - murders, apparitions and tornadoes
Changing Communities - life in the surrounding villages before Rutland Water
Bibliography and Index

You would expect a book of this quality to normally sell for £30 to £35, but because of the LHI lottery funding it will be £10 to £12 (excluding postage). The Heritage of Rutland Water will be launched in the autumn of 2006.
To reserve your copy, or merely to express an interest, please send an Email with your contact details.