Chester Society for Landscape History
The upper storeys of Chester’s iconic Rows. Although the structures date from the Middle Ages, the one on this corner was restyled by T.M. Lockwood for Chester City Council in 1888. (Photograph: Vanessa Greatorex)
Forthcoming Events
VISITORS WELCOME
Saturday 28 November 2026, 2pm
Lecture: Liverpool and Chester Railway Heritage
Speaker: David Hearn
Venue: St Columba’s Church Hall, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, CH2 1SA
Admission: Members free, Visitors £4, Student Visitors £2
NB: Free car park; for directions see:
https://sscolumbaandtheresa.co.uk/about/st-columbas-church/directions-and-location/
Our 2027 lectures will take place at St Columba’s Church Hall on the following dates (topics and speakers to be confirmed):
Saturday 30 January 2027, 2pm
Saturday 27 February 2027, 1.45pm (AGM + lecture)
Saturday 20 March 2027, 2pm
Saturday 24 April 2027, 2pm
Saturday 22 May, 2pm
Saturday 25 September 2027, 2pm
Saturday 30 October 2027, 2pm
Saturday 27 November 2027, 2pm
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:
Chester sites on Heritage at Risk register
Churches, the site of a moated hall, a Grade II* listed country house and the remains of a Roman army camp are among the heritage landmarks assessed to be at risk by Historic England investigators in 2026.
https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/26624153.chester-heritage-sites-listed-heritage-risk-register/?ref=ebln&nid=1543&block=article_block_a
The effects of the Black Death on species diversity
Pollen analysis conducted by palaeoecologists at York University’s Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity demonstrates that the fourteenth-century plague which drastically reduced both Europe’s population and agricultural activity also led to a drop in biodiversity. This supports previous findings that a mosaic landscape comprised of interlaced pockets of cereal, fruit and vegetable crops, pasture, heathland, woodland and ponds supports greater biodiversity than either completely unmanaged landscapes or vast fields devoted to monoculture.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/black-death-had-dramatic-effect-on-species-diversity-as-humans-abandoned-farmland-study-finds?utm_term=45CAB862-7568-43AB-A667-BD7298D261D3&lrh=84ce638986bc73b191ec0774c05a547009942838093c58c9450b62a0b824de21&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5B3EB0A5-CA4A-40B2-8DAE-E533F5821CDB&utm_source=SmartBrief
Click on the blue text at the end of this sentence for links to previously recommended Online Resources or for links to specific topics, including: Directories/Databases/Aerial Photographs, Geology, Ecosystems, Prehistory, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval, Tudor and Stuart, Castles, Churches/Cathedrals/Shrines, Industrial, Cheshire, Wales, Other Locations.