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The 'English lowlands' and the North Sea basin system: a history of shared risk

Bankoff, Greg

Authors

Greg Bankoff



Abstract

The history of much of England is written in water. Water has not only shaped England's prosperity and external relations but it has also been a significant factor in fashioning its internal fabric. In particular, large areas of the eastern coastline and its hinterland are close to or even below sea-level and represent an 'English Lowlands' comparable in many respects to the more aptly named region on the opposite mainland. Indeed, the Netherlands, the northwest coast of Germany and the western coast of Denmark form together with eastern England one vast North Sea Basin system continually shaped and reshaped by the processes of storm, flood and erosion. Over time, the people living along its shores have had to find ways of accommodating to this dynamic world and, in the process, have become equal partners in the construction of a very particular type of landscape of sea dykes, river embankments, drained marshes and reclaimed fields. In turn, the ceaseless activities required to maintain, repair and extend such works have given rise to their own variations of social cohesion, economic cooperation and political governance. A better appreciation of what this evolution in the past entails has important practical implications for understanding and improving flood management and land drainage in England and Wales today.

Citation

Bankoff, G. (2013). The 'English lowlands' and the North Sea basin system: a history of shared risk. Environment and History, 19(1), 3-37. https://doi.org/10.3197/096734013X13528328438992

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 1, 2012
Publication Date 2013-02
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Journal Environment And History
Print ISSN 0967-3407
Publisher White Horse Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 19
Issue 1
Pages 3-37
DOI https://doi.org/10.3197/096734013X13528328438992
Keywords REF 2014 submission!!
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/469393