The Making of the British Landscape

Francis Pryor is familiar to me from Time Team, which has always been a family favourite show. The Making of the British Landscape is a hefty tome, more than 700 pages, as Pryor takes us on a whirlwind journey through British history and pre-history, examining the way that humans have shaped and given meaning to the landscape. It's inevitable that some sections of the journey seem too rushed for comfort, while others feel a little plodding (the parts I'm less interested in!)

I found the early parts of the book, dealing with the time before the arrival of the Romans in 43CE, the most fascinating, probably because this period is Pryor's own area of archaeological expertise. He argues convincingly that these early inhabitants viewed themselves as deeply embedded in a landscape soaked in sacred meaning and sustained by ritual (similarly to First Nations culture here in Australia before white invasion). Though there are areas of Britain that can seem untouched and wild, like the Highlands of Scotland, it's probably true that no corner of the landmass has been unaffected by human intervention, whether through farming, hunting, enclosure, building, mining or industry.

Pryor is at his most compelling when he takes a personal view, arguing passionately for the preservation of important sites, or for local freedom to manage and maintain local quirkiness and distinctiveness. He is a knowledgeable and entertaining companion on a long and complicated journey.