Secret Britain

Unearthing Our Mysterious Past Mary-Ann Ochota

Frances Lincoln Publishing 2020

Hb, 240pp, £20, ISBN 9780711253469

With a certain irony, archæology is a very fast moving subject. The guides that are so iconic from our childhoods are long out of date, which is why there will always be a place for books like Secret Britain, which covers 75 of the most iconic archæological discoveries found in Scotland, Wales, and England.

Starting in Orkney with the Westray Wifey, MaryAnn Ochota leads us on a circular journey around the archæology of Britain, before finishing at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis.

The photography is exquisite. Whether showing specific artefacts like the Dagenham Idol, or landscape features such as the Uffington White Horse, the images are clear and capture what is often so evocative about these objects and places. I was also impressed with the chronological spread of archæology included. Often such overviews focus on prehistoric archæology (because it has that unknowable earth mysteries quality). Here you will find a far broader range, with the Lullingstone Roman Villa, Guildhall Witch Bottle and the Royston Cave alongside places such as Star Carr and Grimes Graves.

Secret Britain is very much an introduction to these sites, locations and artefacts, aimed at a general readership. If you have a familiarity with the broader archæology of Britain you might find the discussions a little brief. Some of the locations such as Avebury in Wiltshire and Maiden Castle in Dorset deserved a bit more than a paragraph. However, I was happy to see Silbury Hill get plenty of discussion and I commend the author for giving space to less well known archæological sites.

While this will probably appeal to the more knowledgeable as a beautiful collection of images it’s a solid entrylevel exploration and could form the basis for a great tour around some of the beautiful sites Scotland, England and Wales have to offer.

Steve Toase

★★★★