Cumbrian alchemy

To coincide with the Cumbrian Alchemy exhibition (Rheged Centre, Penrith, UK from February to April 2014), a lavishly illustrated book is launched. Designed by the artist James Brook, it brings together material from the Cumbrian Alchemy project with essays by eminent professionals in the field in an enquiry into the place, the spaces, the people and the monuments of the region. Essayists include the archaeologist David Barrowclough from the University of Cambridge, an expert on the prehistory of Lancashire and Cumbria who considers the concept of deep-time in Cumbria and the future archaeology of long term storage of nuclear waste. Nuclear specialist Paul Abraitis investigates the natural history of radiation in the region, whilst Cumbrian journalist Alan Cleaver provides insights into the folklore of ‘places of power’ in Cumbria