Inspired by Gilbert White’s famous book The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne of 1789, Robert Williams & Jack Aylward-Williams set out to explore, collect and present material from Dale Street in Lancaster throughout the year 2007 – 2008.

The book is informed by dialogues between father and son, and between residents of Dale Street, and in photographs and text which reference collections drawn from the environment, and then presented as a cabinet of curiosities.

In selecting a street in Lancaster, itself a mirror of social diversity in contemporary Britain, the project offers the opportunity for a community to reflect on its relationship with the plants, animals and insects in the locality, as well as its own history and demography.

Designed by Anna Danby. Research and Creative Enterprise Services. University of Cumbria.