Pathways to History: researching footpaths and 'green lanes' in Norfolk

Considering the amount of use and attention they receive from the general public, minor rights of way, public footpaths and 'green lanes' remain remarkably under-researched by academics. Recent initiatives by Natural England have emphasized the importance of green lanes as habitats, which has led to some surveying and recording by local naturalist groups, including the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society. But the history of these features has received little attention, and that of public footpaths virtually none.

Pathways to History aims to encourage local communities to research and record the public rights of way (PROW) within their own particular area. Communities would be supported by training sessions delivered by landscape historians from the School of History and our partner organisations. Training in the use of oral history will also be offered, so that participants can effectively record reminiscences about the use of particular routes in the past, lost names for lanes, and local stories and traditions attached to them. In addition, communities will be strongly encouraged to undertake fieldwork to record the physical features of PROW. Participating groups would then be encouraged to upload the results of their research directly onto the project website, which would be designed and maintained by the University, and publicised with the assistance of our project partners. We would also organise a number of guided public walks, each hosted by one of the local groups involved, where they would be able to communicate their findings directly to a wider audience. In addition, the research team will produce three articles presenting the overall results of the project to an academic audience.

The project will benefit a wide range of potential users, and has significant implications for the formulation of public policy. Public rights of way are important for many groups and individuals. They are regularly used by members of the public, and represent one of the key ways in which the public physically engages with the countryside. In the present climate of economic austerity, when local authorities are obliged to restrict the amount of money available for the maintenance of rights of way, green lanes and footpaths will in many cases only remain open and accessible if current levels of usage are maintained or increased. Encouraging communities to engage with the history and archaeology of their local paths is likely to increase the frequency with which they are used, thus ensuring that the direct benefits of the project are passed on to the wider community, whether or not its members have been involved at the outset. This project aims to encourage local communities actively to explore their local footpath network, and by extension will promote the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle for all ages. The public health benefits of walking have been recognised by the National Health Service and by charities such as Age UK and Macmillan Cancer Research UK.

The project will also prove invaluable to those involved in the management and conservation of public rights of way within Norfolk. They include Norfolk County Council, which maintains the 'definitive' map of public rights of way and oversees their maintenance and accessibility. The data collected as part of this project can be used directly by the local authority in its daily management of the rights of way network. In addition, the data and other research carried out by communities will be uploaded onto the Norfolk Historic Environment Record (NHER), which is compiled by Norfolk County Council. The NHER provides information on the historic environment of the county to researchers, academics and members of the public and to commercial clients, including developers and archaeological units. In terms of national policy frameworks, the findings from the project would be of direct benefit to national organisations, such as Natural England. Public sector organisations and charities including the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and The Ramblers, would also benefit from the proposed project. All of these organisations could use the data and research in formulating local and national policy relating to public rights of way, rural accessibility, the management of the historic environment and public health. Public rights of way are also a vital part of our cultural heritage as well as our physical heritage. This project will bring together raw data and historical research to produce a rounded view of green lanes and footpaths in Norfolk, which will help to place the rights of ways network within a wider historical context. Local communities, as well as regional and national organisations, will gain a new appreciation of the importance of public rights of way to rural communities both past and present.