Mapping local food in Liverpool
Maps are brilliant things; not only do they tell where we are going, but they can be used to tell us where we’ve been. We were able to get copies of over 100 maps of Liverpool, from the Map Library at the National Library of Scotland.The maps ranged from late 18th century county plans to Ordnance Survey (OS) 1st edition surveys, at different scales, as well as copies of the latest paper maps that the OS has produced. The aim of the map research was to use the paper maps to establish whether the different map makers had depicted any food-related features. This would then allow the research team to see how food locations varied across the landscape of Liverpool, but also across time.
We ran two workshops in April and May this year, with the advice and support of Tinho Da Cruz, the map curator at the University of Liverpool. Researchers from the three community groups involved got together to look at ‘old’ (1970-1870) and ‘very old’ (1870-1700’s) maps.The aim was to establish if food was represented on the different maps, how it was depicted and whether we could identify different types of foods. The challenge, however, was to identify what counted as ‘food’ on the maps. For example, we had many discussions over whether particular trees were ‘orchard’ or just ‘wood’. This created lots useful group discussion as to what constituted ‘food’ on a map.
During the workshops we worked out that we could identify food origin sources = e.g. farms/orchards/glasshouses; production locations = mills; distribution centres = markets;storage facilities = banana sheds/warehouses and other places where food was consumed (pubs), historic sites where food was stored (tithe barns) and place names that indicated where food came from (‘High Pastures Farm’). After identifying these locations on the maps, volunteers held map working bees where they added the information we gathered from the paper maps on to a Google map.
As you can see we have masses of information from all over Liverpool and beyond. We also have some gaps that could be filled. In the meantime we’re starting to develop ways of showing this information through a map-based application. To do this Chris Barker is working with the team at the Edinburgh College of Art and one way that we’ve worked out is that the different map locations can be divided into: Origins, Production, Distribution and Storage, and finally Consumption. These broad categories, which follow on from those identified in the workshops, allows us to group places together, but also to show links between historic food locations, both spatially and perhaps across time. For example, a link could be created between an orchard where apples were grown and a fruit and vegetable market where the produce was sold to traders. Similarly, a dairy farm with cattle could be linked to a dairy via a railway to a station and then to a bottling plant for the milk.
The collaborative research has produced a wealth of further information stemming from the 2D paper maps. But we will also now be adding more local knowledge to the maps by including locations and stories from our Oral History interviews. This will then enable the team to produce 3D or even 4D food experiences for the broader community.
Alex Hale – Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
LIST OF MAPS USED IN THE WORKSHOPS
Ordnance Survey maps
- Liverpool 1:500-1891
- Liverpool 1:1056-1850/1849
- Liverpool/Birkenhead 1:10560- 1938/1928/1910/1894
- Everton 1:1250 -1990/1976/1968/1958/1954
- Everton 1:2500 -1974/1968/1959/1954
- Everton 1:2500-1927 and 1908,
- Toxteth 1:10560- 1938/1928/1908/1894
- Sefton Park 1:10560- 1938/1928/1909/1894
- West Derby 1:10560- 1938/1928/1909/1894
- Hyton 1:10560- 1938/1928/1908/1894
- Walton 1:10560- 1938/1928/1909/1894
- North Hale 1:10560- 1938/1928/1908/1896/1894
- Woolton/Halewood 1:10560- 1938/1928/1908/1894
Lancashire county maps: the 1800s-1500s.
- Hennet, 1829, Lancashire county map
- Greenwood, 1818, Lancashire county map
- Yates, 1786, Lancashire county map
- Chadwick, 1725,Liverpool Town plan (1860 lithograph of original)
- Blaeu, 1645, Lancashire county map
- Saxton, 1579, Lancashire county map, engraved by Remigius Hogenberg