THE very essence of rural Herefordshire is captured in a unique collection of pictures and cuttings that tell the story of Eskleyside Agricultural Society.
That story unfolds in a book compiled by former Peterchurch farmer Cecil Pritchard, now of Eaton Court Farm, near Leominster, and Grace Davies who's grandparents once farmed at Michaelchurch Escley.
The two are connected by the scrapbooks of "Mrs Harry Pritchard" of the Clothiers, Urishay, that Grace saw when visiting her grand-parents.
Evelyn May Pritchard saved 61 years worth of cuttings from the Hereford Times between 1911-1972 relating to Eskleyside and the county's western border country on the basis that one day they would make a book.
That collection is the the basis for Reflections, a compilation that accounts for the Eskleyside Agricultural Society - its stalwarts, supporters, and works - from 1897-2002.
The society has survived for over 100 years and celebrated its centenary in 1999.
Reflections offers plenty for aficionados of "old school" agriculture to mull over but works best as a unique account of how one farming community moved through and changed with its times.
Right now, Reflections is circulating throughout that community, the response there will dictate the potential for hat circulation to go wider.
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