There has, as a result, been some serious journalistic legwork in Shrubsole’s endeavour. ‘The question posed by the title of this crucial book has, for nearly a thousand years, been one that as a nation we have mostly been too cowed or too polite to ask. ‘ An irrefutable and long overdue call for the enfranchisement of the landless’ Marion Shoard, author of This Land is Our Land ‘This is going to be a great book, crucial for anyone who seeks to understand this country’ George Monbiot

‘ Potentially one of the most important books of the year’ Chris Packham ‘ A formidable, brave and important book’ Robert Macfarlane 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. It’s time to expose the truth about who owns England – and finally take back our green and pleasant land. Melding history, politics and polemic, he vividly demonstrates how taking control of land ownership is key to tackling everything from the housing crisis to climate change – and even halting the erosion of our very democracy. Trespassing through tightly-guarded country estates, ecologically ravaged grouse moors and empty Mayfair mansions, writer and activist Guy Shrubsole has used these 21st century tools to uncover a wealth of never-before-seen information about the people who own our land, to create the most comprehensive map of land ownership in England that has ever been made public.įrom secret military islands to tunnels deep beneath London, Shrubsole unearths truths concealed since the Domesday Book about who is really in charge of this country – at a time when Brexit is meant to be returning sovereignty to the people. But with the dawn of digital mapping and the Freedom of Information Act, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to hide. For centuries, England’s elite have covered up how they got their hands on millions of acres of our land, by constructing walls, burying surveys and more recently, sheltering behind offshore shell companies. This is the history of how England’s elite came to own our land, and an inspiring manifesto for how to open up our countryside once more.

‘A formidable, brave and important book’ Robert Macfarlaneīehind this simple question lies this country’s oldest and best-kept secret.

Who Owns England? by Guy Shrubsole