Tuesday, 29 May 2018 10:34

Multi-award winning film maker and photographer launches new book, Pendle - Witch Country on Kickstarter

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Pendle is an area best known for its association with the controversial witch trials of 1612, located in a damp, dark corner of East Lancashire. It is a modest location overlooked by the grandeur of the tourist laden Lake District to the north whilst to the north east the famous peaks and caves of the Yorkshire Dales draw the crowds. To the south it is simply ignored by its close relations in the Peak District.

However this isolated stalwart of an uprising in the landscape has seen it all. It has weathered battles, withstood invasions and survived witchcraft, religious visions, and scientific experiments. It’s even over-seen a revolution of the industrial kind. These once wild hills on the road to nowhere remain resolute for those that hold the landscape close to their hearts. The area now known as the Forest of Pendle with its centre piece being the outstanding Pendle Hill is not a location that springs to mind when we think of classic English natural wonders.

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What we shall see in the pages enclosed are lands not only worthy of their title of an area of outstanding natural beauty but a place of great variety, a microcosm of everything that is quintessentially English about a landscape; subtle, impassive, atmospheric, beautiful, at times spectacular, but most of all inspiring.

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Steeped in history, beautiful and covered in footpaths the Pendle region is a well-trodden landscape with much to offer. We can learn and wonder about times gone by how different its appearance would have been centuries ago when the majority of the views would have been covered in trees, which would in fact have made getting a good view a rare thing. The landscape lets us engage in a multitude of physical activities whether hiking, bird spotting or something more extreme like climbing or paragliding: all are a window of opportunity to reconnect with nature and intern ourselves. The Pendle landscape allows us to experience the feeling of a much larger and more remote place than its rural location would suggest. Wild winds, exposure, and extensive views are a plenty whilst remaining in relative safety. Even on the remotest of moorland locations you’re never too far from an open fire and a good pint.

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Returning to his roots multi-award winning film maker and photographer Alastair Lee has launched a Kickstarter appeal https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1793960845/pendle-witch-country to help produce his stunning new photographic portrait of Pendle due for release in November 2018. After the success of Alastair’s previous local publications, ‘Forgotten Landscape’ (2006) and ‘Pendle, Home and History’ (2009) comes his third and most spectacular offering to date: ‘Pendle Witch Country’.

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This impressive new book embraces the area’s most cherished landmark and captures the spirit not only of its infamous past but of a thriving community that lives under its dominant presence. Celebrating the unique charm of Pendle and capturing how people interact with the landscape of which they are so passionate. Flora, fauna, farming, adventure sports and the fabled spirit of witchcraft all permeate through the pages of this illuminating book.

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Alastair has opted to keep full control over the creative, editorial and local distribution of the book ensuring the 'directors cut' is what reaches the shelves. In order to achieve this Alastair has set up this Kickstarter campaign to take advanced orders on the book and raise enough revenue to cover the bulk of the printing costs.

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The book is a hardback 160-page full-colour glossy photo book with a fine art quality finish measuring 276mm x 219mm.