Tilia Services - Research

	Research Interests
	As a result of working on a wide range of research topics over many years, inevitably repeating areas of interest appear. The process of research and the way in which utterly unexpected facts can crop up is highly rewarding at all times, but the results can also pool together. When this happens there is a valuable benefit to all involved. For some of these pooled areas it is usual for Tilia to continue to take an interest and add to knowledge beyond the scope of defined/commissioned projects.
	Developing Themes in Tilia Research
	Maps Maps have an incredible vocabulary of their own. All too often they are relegated to the last few phases of a project as a descriptive ‘tack-on’ or box to be ticked. This can often mean the loss of an enormously valuable tool for guidance in the early stages of a project, where the existence of key maps can be highly important. Although it is usual for the early Ordnance Survey maps to be included in a report, but very often there are Estate Maps or Tithe maps that can provide evidence of past land use that are far more helpful. Ongoing research continues into the scope of map archives and their collections.
	Historic Landscapes The late Bill Ravenhill, Professor of Geography at Exeter University, spoke of the landscape as a palimpsest (a term usually used for parchment that has been written on many times). He instilled this approach to looking at the landscape around them into all of his students’ sub-conscious minds. Each historic landscape or park is a record of its own history. This is of paramount importance when looking at the research to be done, guiding the future and understanding the relevance for restoration. In some historic landscapes one era is of primary importance, in most the secret lies in unravelling the layers of change as far as is possible and then looking at the relative importance of each layer.
	Victorian Ideas - Art and Science It is not a major coincidence that a recurring theme of many projects over the years has been the influence of the growth of Victorian ideas, ideology and science interwoven with the most remarkable philanthropy. This period was one of phenomenal growth of ideas and also of wealth and the desire to make an impact on the world around. Increased communication as well as the growth of learned societies and museums can be the key for unravelling many mysteries. Current further research includes the changes in the Victorian botanical world in this environment, especially the widespread use of private herbariums since there were no sensible books for identification. Research is also ongoing into the Victorian art world and the market for prints of exhibited artwork akin to the posters found in Athena today.
	Influence of the Individual on the World Stage Repeatedly throughout many research projects it has become apparent that the role of the individual, especially in the landscape, is often grossly underplayed. This should not be ignored. In one historic park, research into the sudden loss of trees across the whole estate in the Victorian era pointed to a surprisingly harrowing tale of a family destroyed by the marriage of the heiress of the estate, to a nephew of Wellington, and the need this man had to pay of crippling gambling debts. Other projects have often turned up evidence where the enterprise and foresight of a single visionary can change the future for an entire community. On occasions the actions of the individual have meant that the community has been forced to move, while on others community welfare has been improved through new housebuilding alongside the expansion of an estate.
	Cultural Associations There can be a magic attached to the response of a creative spirit in celebration of their surrounding landscape. For example, Wordsworth at Ullswater : “When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” Throughout the world there are creative or communicative individuals who have recorded their responses to places they have visited or lived. This is often very important when looking towards the future for these same places, especially in interpreting the character of the landscape.
	Novelty While it is often argued that there is no such thing as a new idea, there are always new facts to be found, or new interpretations of existing facts. Through this, new research interests are constantly evolving.
	Occasional 'odd' one-offs over the years
	Diseases of peach trees in Italy 'Please can you find me everything that you can by one-o'clock today about the diseases of peach trees in Italy'. Actually it turned out that Italian peach trees have a serious struggle with diseases on occasions and that planning work in this area could get quite complicated. Sadly no visit to the peach trees ensued.
	Falling rain 'Do you have any pictures of falling rain?' At the time, no, since then several have been taken, but no further requests!

	*World Heritage Sites - visited*		*Worked upon*
	Albania - Butrint Chile - Historic Quarter of Valparaiso Chile - Humberstone Saltpeter Works Ecuador - City of Quito Ecuador - Galapagos Islands Estonia - Tallinn Old Town France - Chartres Cathedral France - Versailles France - Amiens Cathedral France - Arles France - Fontainbleu France - Place Stanislas, Nancy France - Strasbourg France - Cathedral of Notre Dame France - Banks of the Seine, Paris France - le Havre Germany - Monuments in Trier Germany - Hanseatic City of Lubeck Germany - Parks of Berlin Greece - Old Town of Corfu Iceland - Thingvallir National Park Italy - Properties of the Holy See in Rome Italy - Vatican City Italy - Historic Centre of Florence Italy - Piazza del Duomo, Pisa Italy - Aeolian Islands Latvia - Riga Historic Centre Lithuania - Curonian Spit Malta - City of Valletta Norway - Bryggen Norway - Geirangerfjord Peru - Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Peru - Historic Centre of Lima Russia - Historic Centre of St Petersburg Spain - Alhambra Spain - Garajonay National Park Spain - Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) Spain - Teide National Park Spain - Works of Antoni Gaudi Sweden - Drottningholm UK - Edward's castles in Gwynedd UK - Durham UK - Ironbridge Gorge UK - Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites UK - Fountains Abbey and Studeley Royal UK - Bath UK - Westminster UK - Canterbury UK - Tower of London UK - Edinburgh UK - Greenwich UK - Neolithic Orkney UK - Dorset and East Devon Coast UK - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew UK - Liverpool UK - Cornwall and West Devon Mining District USA - Pueblo de Taos Venezuela - Canaima National Park Venezuela - Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas		UK - Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites UK - Tower of London UK - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew UK - Liverpool to proposal Albania - Butrint Turkey - Pamukkale