Tim Williamson, landscape historian at the University of East Anglia, talks to us about the future of nature in historic landscapes and the limits to ‘rewilding’. 

• Is re-wilding the best way of restoring nature to the English countryside?
• What negative effects might this have on the cultural, historic landscape?
• What do we mean by ‘nature’ and ‘natural’ anyway?

This talk will examine current debates in nature conservation from an historical perspective.

Tom Williamson

Tom Williamson is a landscape historian and landscape archaeologist with wide-ranging interests. His recent research projects have included a GIS-aided study of Agriculture and the Landscape in Midland England, funded by the AHRC; and investigations of the history of tree populations and tree disease in England since 1600, funded by the AHRC, DEFRA, and the Woodland Trust. He currently leads an HLF-funded project studying the history and ecology of orchards in eastern England (‘Orchards East’); and works with Chris Scull and others on a study of the important Anglo-Saxon site at Rendlesham in Suffolk, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. He also researches designed landscapes, especially parks and gardens of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and is currently involved with the Gardens Trusts of Hertfordshire and Norfolk in researching the work of the designer Humphry Repton in these two counties. He teaches courses on landscape history at undergraduate and MA level, and supervises MPhil and PhD students researching a variety of subjects related to landscape history, agricultural history, and the history of landscape design.

Virtual Events

This talk will take place on Zoom. On the day of the talk, we’ll send you a Zoom link and a password which will allow you acces to the talk. All you’ll need is a laptop or mobile phone and an internet connection.

Accessibility

If there’s anything we can do to make this virtual event more accessible, please do let us know – email annie.davis@museumofcambridge.org.uk or call 01223 355159 for a chat.

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