Life on the Levels

Life on the Levels celebrates the cultural heritage of this unique landscape by recording the stories of people who have lived, worked and played on the Levels.

Life on the Levels forms an oral history of one of the country’s most hidden and overlooked areas, from the 1930s - 2000s, capturing voices and memories in danger of being lost.

In its time, the Levels has supported farming, reen maintenance, fishing, bathing, foundry workers, ship wrights, poachers, putcher makers, railway workers, and many more. Through interviews, letters, diaries and photographs we have created a rich archive of stories and a resource for future generations.

Images by photographers Emma Drabble and Nanette Hepburn.

Click on the links below to explore the Life on the Levels oral history archive, visit our video gallery to watch some of the interviews, or our audio gallery to listen to the full interviews.