Chester Society for Landscape History
Upper storeys of Chester’s iconic Rows (Photograph: Vanessa Greatorex)
Forthcoming Events
Saturday 31 January 2026, 2pm
VISITORS WELCOME
Lecture: Mold’s Motte and Bailey Castle: Recent Discoveries
Speaker: Sophie Fish
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/
Saturday 28 February 2026
1.45pm: AGM
2pm: Lecture (VISITORS WELCOME): RAF Sealand
Speaker: Jennifer Watson
Venue: St Columba’s Church Hall, Plas Newton Lane, Chester, CH2 1SA
Admission: Members free, Visitors £4,
Student Visitors £2
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:
The Castles of Tudor History
During their lifetime as habitable residences, the medieval castles of Ludlow, Hever, Carew, Pembroke and Leeds all spent time as the temporary homes of key players in the history of Tudor England.
https://englandexplore.com/castles-tudor-history/?utm_source=mailerlite&utm_medium=email&omhide=true
The Settle to Carlisle Railway
The 72-mile line, which runs from Settle in North Yorkshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, incorporates two of the country’s most challenging feats of engineering – the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Blea Moor Tunnel – and passes through some of England’s most stunning landscapes.
https://englandexplore.com/settle-to-carlisle-railway-a-nostalgic-and-beautiful-journey/?utm_source=mailerlite&utm_medium=email&omhide=true
Huge pits at Durrington Walls
Ten metres in diameter and five metres deep, the man-made Neolithic pits may be evidence of a cohesive prehistoric structure which is one of the largest in Britain, “if not the largest”, according to Professor Vince Gaffney. The pits lie within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly3vgd5732o
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.