Chester Society for Landscape History
Upper storeys of Chester’s iconic Rows (Photograph: Vanessa Greatorex)
Forthcoming Events
Saturday 27 September 2025, 2pm
Visitors welcome
Lecture: Title tbc
Speaker: Dr Alan Crosby, British Association for Local History, Editor of The Local Historian
Venue: All Saints Church Centre, Vicarage Road,
Hoole, Chester, CH2 3HZ
Admission: Members free, Visitors £4, Student Visitors £2
NB: For directions, please scroll to the bottom of the Centre’s own website and click on the text which says ‘Map and Directions’: https://allsaints.church/venue-hire/
Saturday 25 October, 2pm
Title tbc
Speaker tbc
Venue: St Columba’s Church Hall, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, CH2 1SA
NB: Free car park; for directions see:
https://sscolumbaandtheresa.co.uk/about/st-columbas-church/directions-and-location/
Saturday 29 November, 2pm
Excavations at Ironbridge
Speaker: Mike Nevell
Venue: St Columba’s Church Hall, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, CH2 1SA
NB: Free car park; for directions see:
https://sscolumbaandtheresa.co.uk/about/st-columbas-church/directions-and-location/
What is Landscape History?
Landscape History is the study of how people have altered the landscape through time.
It seeks to explain the historical significance of the buildings, earthworks, flora and other physical features which are our common heritage. It embraces aspects of history, archaeology, architecture, geography, geology, botany and other disciplines.
“The English landscape itself, to those who know how to read it aright, is the richest historical record we possess.” – W.G. Hoskins, The Making of the English Landscape (1955).
Picks of the Week
Here are some links to online landscape history resources recently recommended by our Information Officer and other members:
Top ten gardens designed by Capability Brown
Photographs and brief descriptions of the grounds designed by one of England’s most influential landscape gardeners, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-83), who acquired his nickname because of his skill at converting formal gardens into naturalist parklands.
https://englandexplore.com/capability-brown-gardens/?utm_source=mailerlite&utm_medium=email&omhide=true#google_vignette
Norman Castles
Part 1, illustrated with photographs and diagrams, describes what they are and how they came about:
https://englandexplore.com/norman-castles-part-1-what-they-are-how-they-came-about/?utm_source=mailerlite&utm_medium=email&omhide=true
Part 2 describes some of the earliest and best examples of Norman castles in England:
https://englandexplore.com/norman-castles-part-2-some-of-the-earliest-best-castles-in-england/
Click on the blue text at the end of this sentence for links to previously recommended Online Resources, or to specific topics, including Prehistory