The author was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of. This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. This book is about the history of the way we live.

A celebration of the English countryside that focuses on the rolling green landscapes and magnificent monuments that set England apart from the rest of the world. It also presents an eclectic variety of personal icons, from pub signs to seaside piers, from cattle grids to canal boats, and from village cricket to nimbies.