TITLE:
A Photo-Based Environmental History of the Use of Climbing Plants in Central Oxford, UK
AUTHORS:
Mary J. Thornbush
KEYWORDS:
Ivy; Creeper; Historical Buildings; Photo Archives; ViewFinder
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.4 No.7,
September
16,
2013
ABSTRACT: This paper examines environmental change associated with
climbing plants (ivy/creeper) on several historical buildings in central Oxford using archival
photographs. ViewFinder from English Heritage was used to access the photo archives
in an advanced search of the area of “Oxford” and in the county of “Oxfordshire”.
The study includes a variety of buildings, including colleges, churches,
chapels, asylums, inns/hotels, factories, a brewery, pubs, a castle as well as
architectural elements, such as doorways, cloisters, gates, and walls. The
findings reveal that a majority of photographs denoted ivy-/creeper-clad
buildings (in nearly 53% of photographs found mostly in the Taunt collection).
The greatest abundance of climbing plants was found in the 1880s followed by
the 1900s. A further examination of University colleges is warranted due to the
earlier and more frequent appearance of ivy/creeper on these buildings.