Welcome to Backstreets

A Substack about small places, forgotten spaces, signs, maps, and unisex names... lots of unisex names.

Welcome to Backstreets. Why does this bridge arch have its own little arches?

If that’s the kind of thing that interests you, then you might like this Substack. A little bit of info:

About me: By day I’m an academic researching access to science and higher education, mainly through the lens of socioeconomic status. By night I’m a nerd who gawps at maps and messes around with Excel spreadsheets, and by weekend I’m often to be found walking up and down nondescript suburban streets noticing things.

What you can expect: Posts about small or hardly-noticed spaces - patches of woodland, scrubby wasteland, back alleys. Lots about unisex names, an area where I have a slight obsession. Occasional stuff related to my research, such as what primary-age children think scientists are really like. I’ll be posting roughly weekly.

Subscribe now if that sounds interesting! Thanks for reading, first proper post out soon.