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The Postal Paths by Alan Cleaver (Hardback)
£22.00
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781800962224
Published:
24 Apr 2025
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
384 pages
Dimensions:
236x158x30mm
Weight:
0.500kgs
Author:
Postal paths span the length and breadth of Britain - from the furthermost corners of the Outer Hebrides to the isolated communities clinging to the cliffs of the Rame Peninsula in south-east Cornwall. As far back as the 1660s, postmen and women have been moulding and forging paths to deliver posts to homes across Britain, no matter how remote. A chance remark by a farmer about a postman's path led Alan Cleaver on a quest to discover more about this network of lanes, short-cuts and footpaths in the British landscape. What he found, through his walks, conversations and painstaking research, was more than just beautiful scenery. It was an incredible, forgotten slice of social history - the remarkable tales and toil of rural postmen and women trudging down lanes, over fields, and even across rivers to make sure the post always came on time.
'A fascinating exploration of routes trod by generations of rural postmen and women - lovingly told and lively.'
-JACK CORNISH, author of The Lost Paths
'A delightful exploration of one of our most important cultural figures in the community, the postman. Postal Paths journeys around the UK, unearthing forgotten stories... You will never look at a postman in the same way again.'
-REBECCA SMITH, author of Rural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside
'Charming... Cleaver brings to the life the lives of those who served their communities.'
-KIRAN SIDHU, author of I Can Hear The Cuckoo
***
Seeing the hills, the crofts, villages and ruins only tells half the story. The people who worked, walked, lived and died here are the other half.
Postal paths span the length and breadth of Britain - from the furthermost corners of the Outer Hebrides to the isolated communities clinging to the cliffs of the Rame Peninsula in south-east Cornwall. For over 200 years, postmen and women have delivered post to homes across Britain on foot, no matter how remote.
A chance remark by a farmer about a Postman's Path led Alan Cleaver on a quest to discover more about this network of lanes, short-cuts and footpaths in the British landscape. From the rolling fells of Cumbria to Kent's shingle coast, he walked in the footsteps of 20th Century posties. And what he found, through conversation and painstaking research, was not just beautiful scenery. It was an incredible, forgotten slice of social history - the tales and toil of rural postmen and women trudging down lanes, over fields, and even across rivers to make sure the post always came on time.
From women like Hannah Knowles, who began her job delivering letters in 1912 and would only miss three days through illness over the next 62 years of service, to a WW1 veteran who completed his 9-mile delivery route on one leg, Postal Paths paints a vivid picture of people who not only served communities but brought them together, one letter at a time.
About the Author: Alan Cleaver is a retired newspaper journalist and editor, with a career spent mostly in provincial journalism. In 2010, he decided to leave journalism to self-publish books on Cumbrian history, folklore and walking.
| Number of pages | 384 |
|---|
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| First Item | 2 Items & Over | |
|---|---|---|
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| EU | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| USA & Canada | £30.00 | £50.00 |
| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
| Collect in Store | free | free |
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