Chester Society for Landscape History
Upper storeys of Chester’s iconic Rows (Photograph: Vanessa Greatorex)
Field trip to Aldersey Green (Photograph: Carol Sparkes)
Forthcoming Events
Thursday 3 July 2025: Chester Festival of Ideas
Venue: Chester Town Hall, Northgate Street,
Chester CH1 2HJ
Free public talks by members of Chester Society for Landscape History:
10am-11am: What’s in a Name? Understanding Place-Names and their Link with the Local Landscape
(Speaker: Dr Sharon Varey)
1pm-2pm: Magna Carta: Take Two
(Speaker: Emeritus Professor Graeme White)
3pm-4am: Unforgotten Children: The Moving Story of the Foundling Hospital at Chester
(Speaker: Dr Anthony Annakin-Smith)
More details: https://festivalofideas.chester.ac.uk/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:
Historic England local heritage hub
Consisting of nearly 400 digital pages, this website provides information about every county, district, city, major town, and national park in England, with aerial photos, videos and podcasts among the media available to explore, along with local stories and details of listed buildings.
https://historicengland.org.uk/local/
Old maps online
This website allows you to zoom in and out of different continents and countries, specify years of interest, and investigate locations using options such as regions, rulers, people and battles.
https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en#position=6/53.33/-2.992
Is this Britain’s oldest dwelling?
Traces of a roundhouse on the Mesolithic site of Star Carr, beside the long-dried-up Lake Flixton in North Yorkshire, are believed to be around 10,500 years old. Carpentry artefacts and a head-dress made from the antlers of a red deer were also found at the site by archaeologists. This website offers descriptions of the finds are accompanied by analyses, photographs and explanations of construction techniques:
https://www.splashtravels.com/world-history/world-just-got-glimpse-britains-earliest-home-10500-years-old
Click on the blue text at the end of this sentence for links to previously recommended online resources