The landscape history of Britain

Aims

This course aims to:

• develop awareness of theoretical and methodological issues in landscape history
   
• encourage awareness of evidence for landscape history
   
• encourage confidence and competence in gathering, handling and assessing arguments and evidence

Content

Britain’s history lies in the turn of every lane, in the fabric of castles and villages, the lay-out of fields, the names of places, and in patterns of plants and trees. Town and country have been shaped by millennia of planning and of accidents, of agreements and conflicts, by policies and technologies, by work and by play, by fashions, even by worship, and, above all, by changing climate, population, and economies.

Landscapes are artefacts. The principles for studying them are simple but the analysis of causes can be complicated. Landscape history is an engrossing and satisfying method that can work in any country.

Presentation of the course 

Classes will comprise illustrated lectures. They will be designed to encourage discussion together of the issues arising.

Course sessions

Our course will consider the evidence of four phases: the long and varied prehistoric era, the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the fraught Modern era’s:

1. What is landscape history?
   Preview of ten millennia; to introduce the method and its results.
    
2. Before recorded history 
   The era of prehistory; the last ‘hunters’, first villagers, first kings, first monuments.
    
3. The Romans 
   Conquest and defence; towns and the roads between them; rural change and continuity.
    
4. Saxons and Norse 
   Migrants; new language, new lords, new towns. 
    
5. Medieval boom 
   Population growth; spread of ploughing, village reform, Christian monuments, castles.
    
6. Collapse and revival 
   Economic contraction; pandemic, recovery and the roots of Modernism.
    
7. Industry in field and factory    
   Population boom, Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution; urbanization, polarization.
    
8. Cambridge 
   Along the streets and by the river; traces from Roman to Victorian.
    
9. Transformation today 
   Post-industrial growth; new ways of living and connecting.
    
10. Themes 
    An alternative approach to the evidence.

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to recognise the general pattern of history in Britain
   
• to recognise the principal issues in landscape history
   
• to anticipate and recognise the principal features and forms of evidence
   
• to understand how to apply the principal methods either in Britain or elsewhere

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. 

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.