Change in the Village

Abstract

George Sturt (1863–1927) was a British wheelwright and writer who usually wrote under the pen-name George Bourne. A native of Surrey, he inherited his father's workshop in the rural village of Bourne, near Farnborough, in 1891 and began to record the daily lives and recollections of his rural family and acquaintances. This volume, first published in 1912, contains Sturt's description and analysis of social changes he saw taking place in the village where he lived. At the time of publication, Sturt's village was being transformed from a rural agricultural community into a 'residential centre' populated by wealthy outsiders from London. Sturt sensitively and perceptively describes these changes, and analyses their impact on the rural society, community and economy by comparing the contemporary situation to the 'old' rural society. This volume provides valuable insights into changes and social tensions in rural Late Victorian society and economy.