The Past in the Present contains seven poems of varying length and substance, from a 14-line sonnet to a four-page poem. Each poem is about a particular location in the glorious South Downs or the surrounding region.

The locations range from a single building, such as the famous ‘Shepherds’ Church’ at Didling, to an extensive area such as the scenic escarpment along which the South Downs Way runs from west to east.

The poems are written in a clear, accessible style. They reflect John’s love for these locations, combined with knowledge of their history, for example of lime-production at Amberley. They are animated by an awareness of the ways in which the past interacts with the present, so that, in the words of the opening poem, “The boundaries of time and place / Are here dissolved”.

The poems are accompanied by seven pen-and-ink drawings by Philip Hood, one for each of the seven locations.