The English Urban Renaissance: Culture and Society in the Provincial Town, 1660-1770

In the century after the Restoration of 1660, English provincial towns experienced a cultural renaissance. This book offers a guide to the most striking features of that revival: the transformation of the urban landscape under the influence of classical architecture and the emergent forces of planning, and a remarkable expansion in the provision of fashionable public leisure. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, including architecture, music, historical geography, English literature, urban studies and history, the book concentrates on the interaction between urban culture and society as a whole. It sheds new light not only on the development of the early modern town, but also on the relatively neglected history of England between the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.