REVIEW BY EDWARD BIDDULPH
How did a giant ship create the White Cliffs of Dover? Why can Oxfordshire’s Rollright Stones never be counted? Which ghost said to haunt Lake Windermere was recorded on Ordnance Survey mapping? The answers can be found in Jo Woolf’s absorbing book, which presents an alternative guide to some of Britain’s best-loved natural and historical sites, and the stories and folklore associated with them.
As much as archaeologists work to uncover, assemble, and interpret evidence to bring us plausible narratives about the origins, development, and use of places, sometimes it is the tales and legends that speak most readily to us. Who is not thrilled by stories of figures like Robin Hood or King Arthur and the prospect, however remote, that we can see evidence of their exploits in the landscapes we visit? Their elusiveness as historical figures places them and their stories too far beyond reach to serve as established fact, but their familiarity through the retelling of their stories and the visiting of the locations associated with them makes us reluctant to dismiss their reality entirely.
Though a slim volume, Britain’s Landmarks and Legends is packed with fascinating glimpses into the folklore and local traditions that are associated with many well-known sites. The book is arranged by region, with England being divided into south-west, south-east, central and eastern, and northern zones, and separate sections on Wales and Scotland. Encompassing sites as iconic as Stonehenge, Avebury, and the Cerne Giant, it is no wonder that the south-west region forms the largest single section, taking up 57 of the book’s 224 pages. Readers can dip in and out of the volume, perhaps in anticipation of visits to, say, Bamburgh Castle or Sherwood Forest, but reading it cover to cover also brings rewards, revealing common aspects of folklore and connections between sites.
Margaret Alice Murray (1863-1963)