Unofficial Britain

There is a Britain that exists outside of the official histories and guidebooks – places that lie on the margins, left behind. This is the Britain of industrial estates, and tower blocks, of motorway service stations and haunted council houses, of roundabouts and flyovers. Places where modern life speeds past but where people and stories nevertheless collect. Places where human dramas play out: stories of love, violence, fear, boredom and artistic expression. Places of ghost sightings, first kisses, experiments with drugs, refuges for the homeless, hangouts for the outcasts.

Struck by the power of these stories and experiences, Gareth Rees set out to explore these spaces and the essential part they have played in the history and geography of our isles. Though neglected and forgotten, they can be as powerfully influential in our lives, and imaginations, as any picture postcard tourist destination.

Welcome to Unofficial Britain, a personal and occasionally fevered journey along the edges of a landscape brimming with magic and mystery, tragedy and myth; a story of Britain that gets cut from the narrative; a map of the cracks in the urban façade where unexpected life can flourish.

About the Author

Gareth E. Rees is a writer, journalist and musician, and founder of the popular Unofficial Britain website. Born in Germany, brought up in Scotland and the north of England, he lived in London for many years before moving to Hastings. The stories, modern myths and folklore of place have always driven his writing. He is the author of a novel and three non-fiction titles, Marshland, The Stone Tide and Car Park Life, published to rave reviews in 2019.