Who'd Have Thought That? About Drought

In this episode, we hear memories from the 1976 drought and its effect on people's gardens and allotments, with tips that may well be useful during the UK's current dry spell!

Who'd Have Thought That, About Drought Podcast Series

Episode 5: Allotment and Garden Special

In Episode 2 of Who'd Have Thought That? About Drought we here about the changing colour of the landscape during this hot, dry spell in the UK. From brown grass to new archaeological finds, we hear from Toby Driver who talks us through the processes involved in tracing history from the air.

Episode 6: The Changing Colour of the Landscape and Archaeological Finds

Dr Rebecca Pearce is back following an unsettled weekend at her allotment, this week talking about hosepipe bans and water scarcity. She hears from a two oral historians recalling their memories 1976 drought, on the dairy farm, and in Cheshire.

Episode 7: To Ban Or Not To Ban

This week on the Who'd Have Thought That? About Drought Podcast we hear all about Algae Blooms from Ken and Shirley Spalding who recall their time as Reservoir Wardens in Devon.

Who'd Have Though That, About Drought Podcast Series

Episode 8: Algal Blooms

In the Who’d Have Thought That? About Drought podcast series, Dr Rebecca Pearce explores oral histories of droughts from across the UK and analyses the social impacts of droughts from 1890 to the present day. We hear from memory donors highlighting encounters that we would have never thought about in connection with the impacts of and responses to droughts in natural and spatial spheres. 

In this podcast, we hear about battling fires and drought during the drought of 1976.

A transcription is available here: http://aboutdrought.info/whtt-pod1-1976/

Who'd have thought that? About Drought Podcast Series

Episode 1: Fire, Heat, and Uniforms

We hear again from Dr Rebecca Pearce to hear some of the interesting and unusual things that happen during droughts – the sorts of things that make you stop and say, “well who’d have thought that?”

A transcription is available here: http://aboutdrought.info/whtt-pod2-water-saving-westcountry-1976/

Episode 2: Water Saving in the Westcountry in 1976

Welcome to podcast three in the Who’d have thought that, About Drought series. This time we think about Water Saving Campaigns and how they these can be crucial during times of drought.

A transcription is available here: http://aboutdrought.info/whtt-pod3-water-saving-1976-1983-1995/

Episode 3: Water Saving Campaigns in Focus, 1976, 1983, 1995

Welcome to episode four in the Who’d had thought that, about drought podcast series. I’m Dr Rebecca Pearce and I am using this edition to pose a question: how, when, and through which media should we discuss droughts?

A transcription is available here: http://aboutdrought.info/whtt-pod4-impact-media-drought-seengland/

Episode 4: The Media Drought

The experiences of droughts by people in the UK can vary considerably. From being barely noticed to being so severe they create long-lasting memories that can be recalled in an instant. This is because although water is essential for life and we’d all notice if we did not have a reasonable level of access to it for drinking, cooking, and hygiene, we are fortunate to have benefited from many years of progress in water engineering, which has resulted in our generally having security of supply.

Dr Rebecca Pearce has been recording oral histories of droughts from across the UK and has started the 'Who’d Have Thought That?' About Drought Podcast series which explores the oral history collection and newspaper inventory in detail, analysing the social impacts of droughts from 1890 to the present day.