Landscapes
Why Towns Follow River Valleys
Why towns follow river valleys becomes clearer when you compare slopes, crossings and routes, helping you read…
The reading room
All stories
Explore the geography and identity of regions through their landscapes, settlements, routes, boundaries and place names. Each piece starts with a distinct question about how places connect.
Settlements
Village, Hamlet or Town: What the Labels Can and Cannot Tell You
Village, hamlet or town labels can obscure more than they explain. Compare local usage, administration and built form…
Routes
A Road That Bends: Reading the Route Instead of Trusting the Straight Line
Learn to read a bending road on a map by tracing terrain, crossings and connections, so its curves reveal how…
Boundaries
When a Boundary Moves, What Changes on the Map?
Boundary revisions can change a map without changing the landscape. Learn which records to compare and how to tell…
Place Names
The Clues Hidden in a Place Name
Explore a place name’s possible origins by separating documentary evidence from attractive stories, and build an…
Our point of view
Places make more sense in relation
A map is a starting point, not the whole picture. We look at the features and connections that help a region come into focus.