Chester Society for Landscape History
Upper storeys of Chester’s iconic Rows (Photograph: Vanessa Greatorex)
Forthcoming Events
Saturday 30 May 2026, 2pm
Lecture (VISITORS WELCOME): Industrial Archaeology
Speaker: Dr Michael Nevell, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust; Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society
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/
Chester Society for Landscape History at Chester Festival of Ideas
Date: Thursday 2 July 2026
Venue: Chester Town Hall, Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HJ
Admission: Free, but booking advisable
Members of Chester Society for Landscape History will be giving the following talks:
11am: Cheshire as a Palatinate (Professor Graeme J. White)
2pm: How Old Am I? Trying to Date Buildings in our Rural and Urban Landscapes
(Dr Sharon Varey)
2pm: The Early Neston Collieries: Seven Reasons Why They Were Remarkable
(Dr Anthony Annakin-Smith)
For more details of talks and how to book, see https://festivalofideas.chester.ac.uk/
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:
Iron Age Melsonby Hoards
Alerted by metal detectorists, archaeologists uncovered more than 950 artefacts in two adjacent Yorkshire hoards, with items including weapons, vessels and vehicles – all deliberately burned or damaged.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/massive-iron-age-hoards-discovered-in-england-may-be-from-funeral-of-powerful-celtic-queen?utm_term=45CAB862-7568-43AB-A667-BD7298D261D3&lrh=84ce638986bc73b191ec0774c05a547009942838093c58c9450b62a0b824de21&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=9A4584EB-C6B6-44BD-887A-8B2CD8835744&utm_source=SmartBrief
How plants moved from sea to land
Life on Earth would be very different without the gradual adaptions which enabled plants to transition from water to land.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/how-plants-moved-from-sea-to-land-and-changed-earth-forever?utm_term=45CAB862-7568-43AB-A667-BD7298D261D3&lrh=84ce638986bc73b191ec0774c05a547009942838093c58c9450b62a0b824de21&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=5D3ECF90-67C6-4503-B59C-DBF2BB2A6244&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.