Follow the River Witham's journey with new book

Following on from his two previous books on Lincolnshire’s landscape, author and photographer Jon Fox has published a third volume in his series on the county.

Entitled The Witham: Lincolnshire’s River, this book follows the River Witham on its unusual course through the county from the source near South Witham to the North Sea coast in the Wash, taking in the tributary rivers including the Till, Slea and Bain.

Jon’s book also explores the varied landscapes of the Witham and its catchment, as well as historic towns on the rivers including Sleaford, Horncastle and Boston.

The book is illustrated throughout with Jon’s distinctive and evocative photographs and the accompanying text is informative and carefully researched, augmenting the illustrations to provide a unique portrait of the Witham.

Jon said that his inspiration for the book came as the river is “under-appreciated with a remarkable history”:

"I felt the River Witham is relatively little-known despite its amazing history and wildlife, and deserves to be more widely appreciated,” he said, “This is particularly true as the Witham and its landscapes face increasing pressures from development including new roads, bypasses and reservoirs, as well as water pollution and drought due to climate change.

"We need to be aware of the river and its importance of protecting it as part of Lincolnshire's heritage for the future.”

He then divided his time between researching and undertaking excursions on foot and bicycle to explore and photograph the sections on the river that are now pictured in the book’s ten chapters.

Each chapter covers a section of the Witham’s course and surrounding landscape, plus an introductory essay that provides an overview of the river and a specially-produced map.

The river’s drainage history adds another dimension of interest, including the ancient Car Dyke and the fiercely contested reclamation of the Witham Fens.

The Witham: Lincolnshire’s River is available in local book-shops and visitor attractions and can be ordered through the author’s website at www.greenploverbooks.co.uk