From 1925 to 1935 commercial photographers Leonard and Ralph Titshall toured Suffolk recording farm workers, tradesmen and villagers as they paused from their labours or stood at their gates. The result is a fascinating collection of vivid images of the life of the period in an arable farm setting.
About half of the 200 photographs show horses at work and their horsemen - ploughing, cultivating, drilling and carting the grain and root harvests. Another substantial series of shots covers threshing and other steam activities, and many of the engines have been identified.
Rural tradesmen featured include blacksmiths, harness- and hurdle-makers, hand brickmakers, sack repairers, as well as dairymen and farm-oriented transport. A final chapter focuses on the villagers, showing a wide range of dress, housing and ages, capturing the variety and social change of the period.
Informative captions have been prepared with the help of retired horsemen, engine drivers and specialist authorities. In the second edition many of these captions were revised in the light of new information supplied by readers of the first edition.