Children’s Landscapes

What do children call the places that matter to them?

Children invent all sorts of names for places that matter to them. Some of these are simple and descriptive (‘the climbing tree’) – others can be exotic and adventurous (‘the South Pole’). All of them are interesting but they are rarely written down and, amazingly, have never been systematically researched. This project, led by Dr Jeremy Burchardt (P.H. Ditchfield Fellow at the Museum of English Rural Life), aims to collect examples of children’s invented place names.

If you recall any place names you or your friends invented in childhood, please click on this link and complete the short form.

If you have any questions about the research please email j.burchardt@reading.ac.uk