Britannia Obscura: Mapping Hidden Britain

by Joanne Parker

Longlisted for the 2014 Thwaites Wainwright Prize

Welcome to a large small island.

The outline of the British Isles is instantly recognisable. But jostling within that familiar profile are countless vying maps of the country. Some of these maps are founded on rock, or on the natural features of the land. Far more are built on dreams – on human activity, effort, and aspiration.

From investigations of caves and megaliths to canals and airspace, Joanne Parker reveals a country with countless competing centres and ceaselessly shifting borders – a land where one person’s sleepy, unexceptional province will always be the busy heart of another’s map.

Britannia Obscura opens our eyes to the infinitely layered, rich and surprising landscape of Britain.

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Joanne Parker is a Senior Lecturer in Victorian Literature in the Department of English. She researches the relationships between history, legend, place and identity - particularly in the literature and culture of the long nineteenth century. With Dr Corinna Wagner, she is part of the AHRC-funded project Community, Identity and Victorian Medievalism, and she is one of ten researchers working on the five-year EU-funded project The Past in its Place. She teaches options in Women's Writing and British Children's Literature, and also contributes to the teaching of the Year Two module, From Romanticism to Decadence.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prior to the rise of the ubiquitous sat nav, most people’s experience of maps was the beautiful OS versions, though sadly these were normally folded badly and shoved into gloveboxes. But in this book Parker looks at five other ways that people see Britain and how they map it..

Starting with cavers, normally the only point visible on a regular map will be the entry point, but as these subterranean explorers have worked their way through the 1000 miles of caves below the country they have produced their own maps of the cavern, rivers and passageways unknown to most. Their biggest discovery so far is the three county cave system that is vast in size and depth, with 140m high caverns in some places. History also plays a part, with maps of the prehistoric landscape bringing alive the dolmens, henges and stone circles that dot our country. Apart from one like Stonehenge and Avebury, most people are totally unaware that these features are still visible, but to pagans and druids these place have a spiritual significance and resonance still. A lot of these sites have celestial links, either solar or lunar or tied in with the equinoxes; the exact reasons why we can only speculate at, but at the right time of the years the visual effect can be quite dramatic.

Staying on the spiritual side, there is a chapter on Ley Lines. This are considered by their advocates to link significant sacred places in straight lines right across the UK. The two main ones traverse diagonally from the west to the east and the south to the very north of Scotland, with many others in between. They supposedly carry energies and at significant points and intersections those energies peak. These were discovered by Alfred Watkins in 1921, or should that be created... Even though I am not sure that these are genuine, there are people who are convinced of their existence, and claim to be able to find them using divining rods, many of which which had the humble role as a coat hanger previously. Whilst Parker is not judgemental to their existence, she does put forward the point of view from the archaeology community, who are very sceptical of their existence let alone relevance.

From having your head in the clouds, to actually being in the clouds is the subject of another chapter where she looks at the commercial airspace of the UK. Extending far beyond the normal boundaries of the coastline this is a three dimensional map with layers of flight paths up to 24.500 feet, this is a fascinating map. She covers a little of the history of flight in the UK, from the brave souls who took to the air in balloons, to the early runways that became our major airport and military establishments. Also on the transport theme, and feet very much back on the ground, she looks at the canals. In the days when the roads were dangerous, rutted and frequently impassable, the advent of the canals meant that heavy and fragile goods could be moved from manufacturing centres to the ports with relative ease. The capital need to build these was immense, and whilst canal blossomed their day was shortlived as the railway age dawned. In the 1960’s canals were horrible places, full of decay and despair, but with an army of volunteers and enthusiasts in the last 40 years they have had a renaissance, but now as part of the leisure industry.

One nice touch is at the beginning of each chapter has a full page map of the UK, with each relevant subject overlaid to show that these things are not subject to county or other boundaries. It is a fascinating book, written well with authority and gravitas. One of the few flaws was that it wasn’t long enough, she talks about other subjects, such as the nuclear shelters needed for the cold war, but sadly doesn’t write about them. Good book about those unknown parts of the UK. 3.5 stars

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Britannia Obscura – Surprisingly Engrossing!

Britannia Obscura by Joanne Parker is the book a lot of people will ignore thinking it is not for them as it will be rather academic and a little dry. Well they would be wrong as they would be missing an engrossing read where some facts you had an idea of and at the same time learn some very suprising facts. This book is more than just the map of Her Brittannic Majesty’s kingdom that we see on the map but all the other maps of our nation. For a small land mass it is quite surprising what maps exist and for what reason, because every one needs some sort of map!

This book is only five chapters long and it is through a series of meetings that Joanne Parker has that focuses on various different groups and communities who map the land but in a different way to what we normally see of Britain. How various people uses maps whether to map canals or to map crime the small fact that in 1861 Gloucester was Britain’s crime capital with Worcester not far behind, how times have changed today it is Stratford in East London.

Also a paragraph later we learn that the first bird watchers map of Britain was only created in 1976 based on the findings of 15,000 observers. This is only the introduction before we actually get in to the chapters!

Here in the north you quite often meet people who have hobbies that most sensible people with a full deck of cards would ignore but the ones without go potholling or at least caving. While I was going my geography ‘O’ Level back in the day we visited a couple of peak district caves, wet dark and cool not really my scene. But who knew that there are maps of these caves and pot holes so as to encourage the barmpots and the first chapter is their dream chapter!

Those that have studied industrial Britain and the its growth during the Industrial Revolution will know in the first phase we moved cargo around the country by barge. Clearly there are maps for the navigators of their time but it is also a lesson in lost canals today built over by town planners as in places with the Rochdale/Ashton Canal.

As someone who lives on the flight path to Manchester Airport I found the chapter on the Highways of the Sky very interesting especially when you think of the amount of flights that take a place across the country per day. How we got the air routes today is a fascinating read and why we have restricted airspace and that there are lower and higher flight paths. Just looking at those maps is rather confusing but interesting at the same time.

Britannia Obscura is a surprisingly engrossing read where there is always an interesting fact or two tucked away for information. I learnt quite a lot in a rather enjoyable book that has turned a subject that could be quite dry in to a pleasurable read.

[JMJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised at the elegant Geographical message in the Afterword of this book, particularly as the author is an academic of English Literature. In many ways it proves the constant evolution of Geography and how much we depend on it. The constant mentions of Yorkshire were great though I can imagine that for other readers the bias could have been a little better hidden - even if Parker does explain this in the Afterword. The only real problem I had with this book is that it could have been longer in terms of chapters, the actual chapters themselves rambled a little and the inclusion of ley lines seemed arbitrary. She could just as well have mapped fairy sightings across the UK...

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, however my biggest issue with it was that it could/ should have been longer.  The title (I'm guessing inspired by the 'Atlas Obscurer') was actually what drew me to it and I think to do justice to such a great title the book needed to be more expansive. In the closing chapter the author touches additional topics she could have convered so it's a shame these weren't included in full. However if you are somebody with a love of maps, Britain and geography this book will tick all your boxes. The maps at the beginning of each chapter are fascinating, and I learned so much about the British Isles; it helped me appreciate that even when you think you know a place, there is always more to explore. Caves and canals are now very much on my to- visit list!

[JoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a consummate lover of the unusual who really likes learning about different things, things that may not even have been thought about before, this book was really engrossing. Taking the mapping theme we were told of many other ways to see the country. Yes, I now want to know more on each topic, but this was a prod and now I can go off myself and find things out. Well worth the read in my view.

[Dave Appleby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book aims to 'map' hidden Britain in five categories: caves, megalithic monuments, canals, ley lines, and air routes. It's very eclectic and its approach to each chapter is very anecdotal but it works as a sort of charming whimsy.

[Estelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not such an obscure stories. May be because the topics are not so strange for me. Learned a lot and the book will help me discovering some interesting places in England and Scotland.

[Fortytwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and enthusiastic presentation. topics include megaliths of britain, waterways of yesterday and today, as well as underground hidden pathways and caverns. Joanne seems to have spoken to many people as well as doing physical research and lots of digging around in old documentation. thought provoking and a good fire-side alternative to venturing out on a winter's day. Inspires you to have a look at things around you in a new way.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't really enter the mind's eye of the various experts and specialists (and, frankly, nutters) or describe their personal universe, as it sets out to do. I found Robert Macfarlane's Landmarks more convincing at doing that. But it's a good, clear introduction, not in too much depth, to the various ways aerial, subterranean and navigable Britain have been charted and recorded.

The subject matter didn't always engage me but I liked the writing a lot: the history, characters and misadventures of each field of study are wryly and entertainingly recounted. Several times it reminded me of Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything in the details and disputes it picked up and the tone of the retelling.

[Helen Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and enthusiastic presentation. topics include megaliths of britain, waterways of yesterday and today, as well as underground hidden pathways and caverns. Joanne seems to have spoken to many people as well as doing physical research and lots of digging around in old documentation. thought provoking and a good fire-side alternative to venturing out on a winter's day. Inspires you to have a look at things around you in a new way.

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is an interesting one - to explore alternative layers of meaning that do not appear on conventional maps of Britain. It is split into 5 chapters - the ones on caves canals and airspace are quite interesting but the ones on megaliths and ley lines, to me, give a bit too much credence to romantic hippy ideas.

[Ian Nisbet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting collection of essays but it ultimately unsatisfying - bit like only having one Jaffa cake. Caving and ley lines are the better ones; canals had nothing on recently commercial working examples.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given Britannia Obscura by Joanne Parker by a well-meaning son at Christmas. A a carto-geographer, I wondered what more it could teach me about mapping this country I live in. Written by an academic, would it prove to be rather academic and a little dry? In fact Britannia Obscura was a surprisingly engrossing read where there is always an interesting fact or two tucked away for information. I learnt quite a lot in a rather enjoyable book that has turned a subject that could be quite dry in to a pleasurable read.