Geographies of England: The North-South Divide, Material and Imagined (Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography, Series Number 37)

To what extent has a North-South divide been a structural feature of England's geography during the last millennium and to what extent has it been especially associated with, and recognized during, particular periods in the past? These are the central questions addressed in this pioneering 2004 exploration of the history of a fundamentally geographical concept. Six essays treating different historical periods in time are integrated by their common concern with two geographical questions: first, to what extent is it possible for us to detect a material or tangible North-South divide in England in those periods in terms of regional differences in, for example, population, economy, society and culture; and, secondly, how important was the idea of such a divide to the geographical imaginations of contemporaries? A concluding essay by the editors reviews the social construction of England's geography and history and the significance of the North-South divide as a cultural metaphor. Material And Imagined Geographies Of England / Alan R.h. Baker And Mark Billinge -- The Contemporary Debate Over The North-south Divide : Images And Realities Of Regional Inequality In Late-twentieth-century Britain / Ronald L. Martin -- Distressed Times And Areas : Poverty, Polarisation And Politics In England, 1918-1971 / Danny Dorling -- Industry And Identity : The North-south Divide And The Geography Of Belonging, 1830-1918 / Philip Howell -- Divided By A Common Language : North And South, 1750-1830 / Mark Billinge -- South, North And Nation : Regional Differences And Consciousness In An Integrating Realm, 1550-1750 / John Langton -- North-south Dichotomies, 1066-1550 / Bruce M.s. Campbell -- Cultural Constructions Of England's Geography And History / Alan R.h. Baker And Mark Billinge. Edited By Alan R.h. Baker And Mark Billinge. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 184-207) And Index.

This book specifically examines the history of the concept of a North-South divide in England during the last millennium, a concept which has surfaced in recent political debates about regional contrasts in wealth and welfare in England. Concerned with different historical periods between 1086 and 2000, six essays examine both the material geography of England, in terms of its broad regional differences in population, economy, society and culture, and the geography of England as imagined by the people of those periods.

This is the pioneering exploration of the history of a fundamentally geographical concept - the North-South divide of England. Six essays treating different historical periods in time are integrated by two geographical questions and a concludingessay reviews the social construction of England This book examines the history of the concept of a North-South divide in England during the last millennium. This concept has surfaced in recent political debates about regional contrasts in wealth and welfare in England, but it has deep historical roots. Scholarly accounts of the historical geography of England since the Norman Conquest have tended to focus upon systematic changes in its population, economy, society and landscape.