Over the past twenty-five years Peter Shakeshaft, and his wife Maureen, have interviewed many past and present Freckleton Residents, and recorded their recollections of village life from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The interviews, combined with local newspaper reports and private correspondence, have enable a hitherto unseen picture of Freckleton to emerge from otherwise rapidly fading shadows.
The fox is our apex predator, our most beautiful and clever killer. We have witnessed its wild touch, watched it slink by bins at night and been chilled by its high-pitched scream. And yet we long to stroke the tumbling cubs outside their tunnel homes and watch the vixen stalk the cornfield.
There is something about foxes. They captivate us like no other species.
Exploring a long and sometimes complicated relationship, The Wild Life of the Fox captures our love – and sometimes loathing – of this magnificent creature in vivid detail and lyrical prose.
This unusual history draws on original letters, newspaper cuttings and a remarkable complete set of meeting minutes to set out the story of the union, and in doing so lifts the lid of a host of colourful characters who defined the place of Fylde as well as the fast paced time in which they lived.