The Journey from Chester to London

In this 1782 travelogue, naturalist Thomas Pennant (1726-98) immortalised the local history, churches, homes and antiquities he encountered on his yearly trip to London. In The Literary Life of the Late Thomas Pennant, Esq. (1793), also reissued in this series, Pennant writes that he often stayed several days or more in each village to learn about its history. He hoped to rid the route of the ‘calumny’ of ‘dulness’, and although he was more interested in antiquities than contemporary innovations, he describes the impact of some developments such as a new canal system. In addition to describing places and artefacts which have since been altered or lost, Pennant’s writing unconsciously reveals the workings of his thorough mind, with its seemingly tireless capacity for observation. Featuring twenty-two engravings, this book contains a full account of Pennant’s 1780 journey, as well as the description of an alternative route beginning in Northamptonshire.