The aim of this book is to capture the well known tourist attractions and also the less familiar corners of both Leicestershire and Rutland. Although often linked together, Leicestershire and Rutland remain two separate counties as Rutland once again was awarded county status in 1997.

Leicestershire and Rutland are predominantly landscapes of rolling green farmland with some areas of higher ground, notably the Charnwood Forest area around Beacon Hill and parts of the newly formed National Forest around Coalville.

Within the counties are many places of great interest including the Great Central Railway which runs from Loughborough to Leicester North and is the only double track, main line heritage railway in the UK; Rutland water, a reservoir the size of Lake Windermere, is one of the biggest man-made lakes in Europe; The National Space Centre, situated on the banks of the River Soar in Leicester, is the UKs’ largest attraction dedicated to space; Foxton Locks on the Grand Union Canal is one of the longest flights of staircase locks in England; and Leicesters’ Diwali celebrations on Belgrave Road are the largest in the world outside India. All these sights are captured in the superb photography of Graham Oliver.

Portrait of Leicestershire & Rutland is the perfect memento.

Graham Oliver is based in Leicestershire and has lived in the county for over thirty years. His photographs have featured in many newspapers and magazines and on calendars. Portrait of Leicestershire & Rutland is his first book.

Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 1 84114 994 3, hardback, 214x230mm, 144 pages. Published April 2010.