In living memory: Mapping the landscape of Greenham and Crookham Commons

Abstract

Greenham and Crookham Commons in West Berkshire, UK, are geographic places identifiable on satellite images and survey maps. This article complicates simple physical mappings of the Commons by analysing the mental maps that emerge from the recorded memories of 12 elderly participants engaged in a ‘reminiscence project’. Originally part of a community sound installation, the recordings provide insights into lives lived in and around the Commons from the early 20th century to the present day. Following a chronological structure linked to the geographical features of the Commons, the article examines myths and stories associated with these shared spaces as they were transformed by time, history and ageing. Early childhood memories of the landscape of the Commons create a virtual cartography that brings to the fore experiences of daily life and practices of space belonging to earlier generations. These memories are set in stark contrast to the memories of the US army occupation of the Commons, and of the anti-nuclear protests that made them famous. Considering these virtual cartographies enables reflections on the relationship between memory, space and landscape over time as well as on the unique ways in which old age may alter conceptions of space in shared reminiscences.