Warrington solicitor is one of the focuses of a new book

Looking at the Landscape: Glimpses into the History of Cheshire and Beyond has been released by the press at the University of Chester and promises to include 'major contributions' to how we think about the landscape around us.

From churches and settlements to houses, railways, and canals, the book is an in-depth exploration of the history of our surroundings.

The book has been heralded as a breakthrough in how we think about our surroundings (Image: University of Chester Press)

The publication has been heralded as making a major contribution to understanding how Cheshire and nearby areas in England and Wales have been shaped.

This is the third volume in a series from the CSLH, it brings together the work of seven members and offers insights into the past based on what can still be seen today, including a chapter on Warrington solicitor, James Nicholson’s development of Cringlemire, a 19th-century house in the Lake District.

He was also the owner of Thelwall Hall near Warrington.

The chapters cover:

• Cringlemire - Taming a Lakeland Landscape by Maggie Taylor.
• The Christian Landscape of Early Medieval Chester and Wirral by Thomas Pickles.
• Contrasting Settlements Along the Dee Valley Frontier: Defence, Crossing, Refuge by Graeme J. White.
• Early 19th-Century Growth in ­Three North Shropshire Market Towns and the Influence of the Ellesmere Canal by Robert Ginder.
• ‘Estimating the Effects of the Railway on Chester is Not Easy’ by Chris Pilsbury.
• Carnegie Libraries in Cheshire by Vanessa Greatorex.
• The Effect of Planning Laws on Settlement Development in 20th and Early 21st-Century South-West Cheshire by Polly Bird.

Graeme White, Emeritus Professor of Local History and former Head of History at the University of Chester, said: "Every contributor to this book seeks to explain features in our landscape and find answers to specific research questions.

The book has been published and is available for purchase (Image: Carol Sparkes)

"Topics range in time and some of our contributors consider a broad sweep of terrain, others focus on specific buildings, settlements or the impact of transport systems within the landscape.

"The large variety of topics covered in this volume shows the wide scope of research currently being undertaken - and collectively, they express the enlightenment and the enjoyment to be found in the study of landscape history."

Looking at the Landscape: Glimpses into the History of Cheshire and Beyond is available for purchase now, more information can be found on the University of Chester's website.