Books
Please contact us if you would like to buy any of the Chester Society for Landscape History publications featured below.
Looking at the Landscape: Glimpses into the History of Cheshire and Beyond
Edited by Sharon M Varey and Graeme J White
(Chester: University of Chester Press, 2022), 212 pages, £13.99
“The seven excellent papers highlight the complex interplay of human factors – social, economic, political, cultural – which have shaped and moulded the varied landscapes of the county and its neighbours over almost two millennia. They give fascinating insights into the wider historical narrative of landscape change and development, and also emphasise the distinctive features of component parts of this diverse region. Eminently readable, thoroughly researched, and properly contextualised, they make – individually and collectively – a major contribution to our understanding of the historical processes which have created the county and the adjacent areas of England and Wales.” Dr Alan Crosby, Editor of The Local Historian.
Landscapes Past and Present: Cheshire and Beyond
Edited by Sharon M Varey and Graeme J White
(University of Chester Press, 2016), 288 pages, £12.99
Stretching from the Peak District to the Welsh border and the Irish Sea, Cheshire has a rich diversity of landscapes, some of which it shares with neighbouring counties. This volume, which marks the 30th anniversary of Chester Society for Landscape History, celebrates that diversity, both in and beyond Cheshire,through a series of papers based on members original research. It covers features dating from the twelfth century to the twentieth, all of which can still be seen today. These range in topic from moats, field patterns and way-markers to historic buildings, developing towns and lost airfields. It also includes a discussion of the appeal of landscape history as a subject.
Landscape History Discoveries in the North West
Edited by Sharon M Varey and Graeme J White
(University of Chester Press, 2012), 272 pages, £12.99
From optical remote-sensing technology (LiDAR) to more traditional forms of landscape analysis and documentary research, this volume brings together the work of both amateur and professional historians and archaeologists, united in their enthusiasm for the landscape of north-west England and north-east Wales. This collection of research papers arose from the Chester Society for Landscape History’s 25th anniversary conference and includes a wealth of illustrations. The publication offers new insights into a wide range of features indicative of the region’s history between the twelfth and the twentieth centuries, including residential buildings, settlement patterns, the names and boundaries of fields, and the legacy of developments in transport and industrialisation: a collection of landscape discoveries to be shared.
Field-names in Cheshire, Shropshire and North-East Wales
Edited by Vanessa Greatorex and Mike Headon
(Marlston Books/Chester Society for Landscape History, 2nd edn., 2015), 127 pages, £5
Why are field-names important, and what can they tell us about continuity and change in the local landscape? These ten research papers by members of the Chester Society for Landscape History examine the field-names of Cheshire and adjoining areas to present a wide range of research that will enhance the reader’s appreciation and enjoyment of our heritage.
Chester and the Landscape of North East Wales
Written by Ray Jones. Edited by Sharon M. Varey
(Marlston Books/Chester Society for Landscape History, 2013), 68 pages, £5
This volume tells the story of Chester’s influence on the development of the landscape of North East Wales from the Roman period through to the nineteenth century. Illustrated with black and white photographs throughout.
25 in 2011: An Informal Record (CSLH Monograph No. 3)
Written by Monty Cordwell. Edited by Sharon Varey and Mike Headon
(Chester Society for Landscape History, 2011), 16 pages, free to attendees of the 25 in 2011 Conference.
Reminiscences and reflections on the first twenty-five years of the Chester Society for Landscape History, liberally illustrated with photographs.
A Landscape History Alphabet (CSLH Monograph No. 2)
Written by Mike Headon
(Chester Society for Landscape History, 2010), 32 pages, £4.50
An illustrated ABC of landscape history terms and locations, with suggestions of sites to visit.
The Lost Gardens of Hoole (CSLH Monograph No. 1)
Researched by Ray Jones, Mike Headon, Jennifer Kennerley and Mike Kennerley. Edited by Sharon Varey
(Chester Society for Landscape History, 2008), 16 pages, £2
The fascinating findings of the Chester Society for Landscape History’s Research into a site internationally famed for its Alpine rock gardens.
Graeme J White, ‘Open Fields and Rural Settlement in Medieval West Cheshire’, in Tom Scott and Pat Starkey (Eds.), The Middle Ages in the
North-West (Oxford: Leopard’s Head Press, 1995), pp. 15-35.
This chapter presents the findings of a research project undertaken by the Chester Society for Landscape History.