Presented by Keith Grimwade & Bridget Flanagan.

Visitors are very welcome to attend, for a fee of £3.

Keith and Bridget will present the findings of their four-year research project into the impact watermills have had on the landscape of the River Great Ouse, a history stretching back to at least the 10th century.  They analyse why, in 1086, the watermills on the Great Ouse were the most valuable in England, and locate the Domesday mill sites, several having been long lost.  They investigate the impact that channel engineering has had on the landscape, showing that many features previously explained as natural, are in fact the result of watermilling.  They draw on evidence from lengthy, bitter disputes in medieval times between newly created boroughs and some of the most powerful estates in the country.  And they chart the eventual decline of watermilling.  They explain how their findings have implications for understanding the evolution of parish boundaries, with an example from the River Nene, and for conserving lowland river landscapes and their unique heritage into the future.

BRIDGET FLANAGAN is a writer and researcher on local history of the old county of Huntingdonshire. As a trustee of the Great Ouse Valley Trust, she is active in promoting greater recognition of this outstanding area, and campaigns for its protection and conservation.

KEITH GRIMWADE taught geography at Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon before working in the education department at Cambridgeshire County Council.  He is a Past President of the Geographical Association.  His research interests are historical geography and landscape history, and the use of geographical information systems to interpret landscapes.