Mary-Ann Ochota: How to be a Landscape Detective

How to be a Landscape Detective

Have you ever stared out of a car or train window at a lumpy field and wondered what made it lumpy? Or walked along a footpath sunk so deeply into the landscape that it felt like being in a tunnel? Or sat in a historical pub wondering about its age?

Wherever you go in Britain there’s history woven into the landscape around you – in the shape of a field, the wall of a cottage, a standing stone or churchyard, even in the grass under your feet. If you know what to look for, you can become a Landscape Detective, equipped to puzzle out the historical mysteries around you, clue by clue.

In this upbeat talk broadcaster and author Mary-Ann Ochota will take us on a journey into 6,000 or more years of British archaeology and point out the clues we can spot in the countryside around us. From burial mounds to barns, there are treasures around every corner. Mary-Ann’s passion is infectious – never before have hedges, chimneys and rural roads been so exciting! And be warned, Landscape Spotting is an addictive pastime – once you start, you’ll find yourself noticing features everywhere.

Mary-Ann will be signing copies of her books, Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape and Secret Britain: Unearthing Our Mysterious Past after the talk.

She’ll also be performing a live archaeological storytelling show with Jason Buck Storyteller in the evening, at 7.30pm on Saturday 29th August, as part of the festival.

Mary-Ann Ochota

Mary-Ann Ochota is a broadcaster and author specializing in anthropology and archaeology. She’s a familiar face on TV archaeology programmes, including the recent History Hit series, Ancient Ways, cult show Time Team, History Channel’s Ancient Impossible and Smithsonian and Channel 5’s Mystic Britain exploring unexpected corners of history with Clive Anderson.

Mary-Ann has written two acclaimed books on British archaeology. Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape explores the history of the landscape and the clues ‘hidden in plain sight’ that can help you puzzle out the layers of history. It was selected as a New Statesman Book of the Year. Secret Britain: Unearthing Our Mysterious Past reveals the stories of 75 artefacts and sites from around the country that continue to intrigue researchers.

Mary-Ann is also a passionate campaigner on countryside issues. She’s President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, CPRE, championing healthy, thriving rural communities, affordable housing and smart land use, and is a proud member of All the Elements, a network of outdoor leaders working to diversify the UK outdoors and make it more accessible for all.