Hidden History of the Countryside
Schedule
Wed, 15 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter's Street, AL1 3DH Saint Albans, United Kingdom | St Albans, EN
Advertisement
The countryside is almost sacred to many Britons. There is a depth of feeling about rural places, the moors and lochs, valleys and mountains, cottages and country houses. Yet the British countryside, so integral to our national identity, is rarely seen as having anything to do with British colonialism. This talk brings rural life and colonial rule together with transformative results. Empire transformed rural lives: whether in Welsh sheep farms or Cornish copper mines, it offered both opportunity and exploitation. This talk will demonstrate how the booming profits of overseas colonial activities directly contributed to enclosure, land clearances and dispossession. These histories, usually considered separately, continue to link people's lives across continents.
To give an honest account, to offer both affection and criticism, is a matter of respect: we should not knowingly tell half a history. This new knowledge of our island stories, once gained, can only deepen Britons' relationship with the nation's beautiful landscapes.
Image: Christian Heitz (Pexels)
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
St Albans Museum + Gallery, Town Hall, St Peter's Street, AL1 3DH Saint Albans, United Kingdom, City and District of St Albans Tour Guides, St Albans, AL1 3DH, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
