Catherine Clarke

I am Director of the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, where I am also Director of the Victoria County History of England. I was previously a Professor of English Literature at the University of Southampton, where I remain a Visiting Professor. I am a specialist in medieval culture, and in uses of the past today, with a particular focus on place, identity and heritage. My most recent book is A History of England in 25 Poems (Penguin Allen Lane, 2025).