As a landscape historian, I seek to reveal hidden meanings and stories in the places around us – to bring historical landscapes, people and ideas to life. This is in a variety of ways – through guided history walks, illustrated online and in-person lectures, an established blog, informal talks, scholarly articles, posts on popular websites, and academic conference papers.

A Brit who has lived and worked in the US, France and India, I now call Sheffield in South Yorkshire home. As a student I obtained an MA with distinction from the Inchbald School of Design in London, and completed post-graduate studies in landscape design and history at Harvard’s Landscape Institute. My first book, Fresh Pond: the History of a Cambridge Landscape, was published by the MIT Press in 2009.

My research interests include international and cross-cultural issues in landscape studies, the changing values and significance of heritage sites, and the need to listen to forgotten voices in the history of gardens, horticulture and landscapes. 

Recent work includes collaborating with The Gardens Trust to highlight stories in garden history that have been silenced by empire and enslavement, and contributing entries on significant Indian gardens for a Dorling Kindersley book. I also teach an online course on the history of English Landscape Gardens for Oxford University, and am a trustee of the Gardens Trust and the Historic Gardens Foundation.