‘The home of the British Army’: the iconic construction of military defence landscapes

Abstract

Abstract The spatial significance of military defence landscapes in the UK is considered. The history is outlined and the dominant presence of military land in an area of west Surrey and north‐east Hampshire centred on Aldershot that is known as ‘the home of the British Army’ is emphasized. It is argued that landscapes of military defence are iconic in nature; they have a meaning which goes much further than their overt presence. In describing the importance of ‘markers’, such as flags, army traffic on roads, and low‐flying aircraft, the reading of military defence landscapes as texts is discussed. The iconography of such landscapes is considered, with discussion of the differing representations of icons at different times and by different groups of people. The meaning of military defence landscapes to those both inside and outside the camps is investigated employing, as a conceptual framework, Ley's existential dimensions of meaning.