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Vacancies at Oxbow

An Archaeology of Town Commons in England

by Mark Bowden, Graham Brown and Nicky Smith

Commons are an urban as well as rural phenomenon, designed to provide grazing for the draft animals of tradesmen ("a green precursor to the carpark") as well as to serve as a civic amenity. This beautifully illustrated book is the result of an English Heritage project to survey the archaeology of surviving town commons to get a picture of their historic importance and to promote their conservation. The book presents the findings, tracing the origins of the commons and how they relate to the urban landscape, as well as examining the many uses of commons, primarily agricultural, but also including industrial functions such as quarrying, serving as military training grounds, and as open spaces for entertainment and public meetings. A gazetteer lists the known historical town commons, together with their current state of survival as recorded by the project. 101p col illus (English Heritage 2009)

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