An Anthropology of Landscape : The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

To the memory of Tor, an extraordinary Border Collie who knew the heath better than either of us. vi vii vii An AnThropology of lAnDsCApe xii xii xii Environmentalists Interviews were conducted between 5 April 2009 and 11 August 2009 in a variety of locations, including Aylesbeare and Venn Ottery Commons, people's homes and a café in Colaton Raleigh. We are most grateful to the environmentalists for giving of their time, thoughts and ideas and allowing us to take part in volunteering sessions. Our particular thanks go to Brian, Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Preface 9 Acknowledgments 13 Table of contents 17 List of figures 18 List of tables 21 1 The anthropology of landscape: materiality, embodiment, contestation and emotion 23 Introduction 23 Materiality 26 Embodiment 28 Contestation 31 Emotion 32 The Pebblebed heathland landscape of East Devon 36 Social groups and the research field 38 Conclusions 42 Part I The heathland as taskscape 45 2 Managing the Pebblebed heathlands 47 Introduction 47 Clinton Devon Estates and the heathland 48 Visions of the heathland and their management 52 From car parks to conservation site 54 Perspectives of conservation professionals 64 The archaeological perspective 68 What time is this heath? 70 A contested landscape 78 Conflicts in conservation management 80 Topsoil scraping moratorium meeting: fieldwork notes 83 Swaling 86 Grazing 88 Conservation grazing, heathland fencing and the consultation process for the future of the heathlands 90 Conserving the heathlands and managing people 95 Dogs and dog mess 97 Public access and its management 99 Conclusions 104 3 Bushes that move: the Royal Marines 106 Recruits and the training programme 108 The Woodbury Common Training Area 109 Place names and reference points 112 Bodily experience in the landscape 113 Ways of moving 114 Looking and seeing 116 The weapon, kit and the body 121 Mind and body 123 Training, landscape and endurance 125 The endurance course 129 Conservation issues 138 Landscape, embodiment and memory 143 Conclusions: in and out of landscape 145 4 Environmentalists: the giving and the taking away 147 Conflict 148 Shape-shifting 149 Management, volunteers and environmentalism on the heathlands 150 The politics of environmentalism 151 Environmentalists and the Pebblebed heathlands 152 Heathland wildlife 152 Volunteer groups 153 Why volunteer? 154 Giving and taking away 155 Starting work 156 Tasks and tools 156 Butterflies 159 Damselflies 160 Nightjars 161 Feelings about volunteering 164 Feelings about the heathland 166 Conclusions 171 5 Quarrying pebbles 174 Conclusions 182 Part II The landscape as leisurescape 185 6 Introduction: the public and the heathland 187 Visitor frequency 188 Reasons for visiting the heathlands 188 Length of visit 189 Visits to other areas of the heathlands 189 Likes and dislikes 190 The archaeological and geological landscape 190 Nature, conservation and threatened species 192 Describing the heathland 193 Conclusions 196 7 Modes of movement through the landscape: cycling and horse riding 197 Cycling: an embodied identity of challenge and pleasure 197 Mountain bikes and riding apparel 201 Riding groups 205 Routes through the landscape 209 Night riders 212 Differences between day and night riding 213 Comparisons with walking 214 Relationships with the heathland 215 Relationship with other users 220 Horse riding, co-being and the landscape 223 Embodiment and landscape 231 Conclusions 232 8 The cry of the Commons: walking through furze 235 Anthropological aspects 237 A temporary dwelling 238 The cry of the commons: motivations for walking 238 The walkers 239 The physicality of walking 240 The character of the heathland landscape 241 Engagement with the heathland 241 Led walks 242 Change 244 Natural wildness? 245 Memories 245 Contestation 247 Perspective of dog walkers 248 Conclusions 254 9 Art in and from the landscape 256 Fragile environments: nature and culture 257 Inspiration, emotion, time, memory and walking 258 Artists and anthropologists sharing the same space/place 262 Heathland arts 264 The uniqueness of pebbles: the story of the beach artist 270 The Pebblebed Project artist’s story 273 Conclusions 283 10 Fishing and the watery pursuit of ‘pets’ 284 Conclusions 293 11 Model aircraft flyers: spirals and loops in the sky 295 East Devon Radio Control Club (EDRCC) 296 The planes 298 Flying 301 The environment 304 Conclusions 307 12 Conclusions 309 Back to materiality: what landscapes want and what they do 309 Unnatural nature 310 Embodiment in practice 312 A storied landscape: emotion, time, memory and place 313 Topophilia and topophobia 316 Contestation: an ordinary landscape? 317 References 322 Websites 341 Index 343

An Anthropology of Landscape tells the fascinating story of a heathland landscape in south-west England and the way different individuals and groups engage with it. Based on a long-term anthropological study, the book emphasises four individual themes: embodied identities, the landscape as a sensuous material form that is acted upon and in turn acts on people, the landscape as contested, and its relation to emotion. The landscape is discussed in relation to these themes as both ‘taskscape’ and ‘leisurescape’, and from the perspective of different user groups. First, those who manage the landscape and use it for work: conservationists, environmentalists, archaeologists, the Royal Marines, and quarrying interests. Second, those who use it in their leisure time: cyclists and horse riders, model aircraft flyers, walkers, people who fish there, and artists who are inspired by it. The book makes an innovative contribution to landscape studies and will appeal to all those interested in nature conservation, historic preservation, the politics of nature, the politics of identity, and an anthropology of Britain.

Praise for An Anthropology of Landscape

‘As beautiful as a heath is, it is a mosaic of such acts: a communal human-natural cooperation; perhaps even a microcosm of Britain. What emerges most strongly from An Anthropology of Landscape is its authors’ own love for their work; it is telling that the book is dedicated to Tilley’s dog, Tor, “who knew the heath better than either of us”.’
Times Higher Education

'As with all of Tilley’s work, his newest book is an important addition to the growing literature on the phenomenology of landscape and place. The book is especially valuable as a research model for understanding how the same physical environment is engaged with, understood, and acted upon by different groups of users.'
Environmental & Architectural Phenomenology

'This book is a valuable addition to the growing corpus of landscape phenomenologies, thought-provoking for anyone with an interest in place, space, and people’s connections with it. You do not need to be an anthropologist to enjoy this research. Nor do you need to be familiar with the East Devon Pebblebed heathland itself. Granted, Tilley’s has a personal engagement with this particular landscape, as presumably does Cameron-Daum. The research is clearly, and unabashedly, bound up with Tilley’s memories of his border collie, whose ashes are scattered on the heathland – and who, rather sweetly, the book is dedicated to. But the book is not about a landscape as seen by one or two anthropologists. It is about looking at it through the manifold eyes of the myriad people, from butterfly enthusiasts to performance artists, who shape this landscape and are, in turn, shaped by it.'
Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture

'Tilley’s and Cameron-Daum’s multi-level and in-depth analyses allow one to conceptualize better one’s relationships with places, spaces, and landscapes where one does not function as an egocentric user, but as an actor (among many others) who co-creates them and co-lives with them.’
Polish Journal of Landscape Studies

An Anthropology of Landscape tells the fascinating story of a heathland landscape in south-west England and the way different individuals and groups engage with it. Based on a long-term anthropological study, the book emphasises four individual themes: embodied identities, the landscape as a sensuous material form that is acted upon and in turn acts on people, the landscape as contested, and its relation to emotion. The landscape is discussed in relation to these themes as both 'taskscape' and 'leisurescape', and from the perspective of different user groups. First, those who manage the landscape and use it for work: conservationists, environmentalists, archaeologists, the Royal Marines, and quarrying interests. Second, those who use it in their leisure time: cyclists and horse riders, model aircraft flyers, walkers, people who fish there, and artists who are inspired by it. The book makes an innovative contribution to landscape studies and will appeal to all those interested in nature conservation, historic preservation, the politics of nature, the politics of identity, and an anthropology of Britain. Praise for An Anthropology of Landscape ' As beautiful as a heath is, it is a mosaic of such acts: a communal human-natural cooperation; perhaps even a microcosm of Britain. What emerges most strongly from An Anthropology of Landscape is its authors' own love for their work; it is telling that the book is dedicated to Tilley's dog, Tor, "who knew the heath better than either of us".' Times Higher Education ' As with all of Tilley's work, his newest book is an important addition to the growing literature on the phenomenology of landscape and place. The book is especially valuable as a research model for understanding how the same physical environment is engaged with, understood, and acted upon by different groups of users.' Environmental & Architectural Phenomenology 'This book is a valuable addition to the growing corpus of landscape phenomenologies, thought-provoking for anyone with an interest in place, space, and people's connections with it. You do not need to be an anthropologist to enjoy this research. Nor do you need to be familiar with the East Devon Pebblebed heathland itself. Granted, Tilley's has a personal engagement with this particular landscape, as presumably does Cameron-Daum. The research is clearly, and unabashedly, bound up with Tilley's memories of his border collie, whose ashes are scattered on the heathland – and who, rather sweetly, the book is dedicated to. But the book is not about a landscape as seen by one or two anthropologists. It is about looking at it through the manifold eyes of the myriad people, from butterfly enthusiasts to performance artists, who shape this landscape and are, in turn, shaped by it.' Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture ' Tilley's and Cameron-Daum's multi-level and in-depth analyses allow one to conceptualize better one's relationships with places, spaces, and landscapes where one does not function as an egocentric user, but as an actor (among many others) who co-creates them and co-lives with them.' Polish Journal of Landscape Studies