Three founders of the British conservation movement, 1865-1895: Sir Robert Hunter, Octavia Hill, and Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley
McGaffey, Beth Ann Knight
McGaffey, Beth Ann Knight
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1978
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Abstract
The years between 1865, when George Shaw-Lefevre founded the Commons Preservation Society, and 1895, when three veteran conservationists established the National Trust, saw the rise of the British movement to preserve scenic areas, open spaces, and lovely regions such as the Lake District. That movement coincided with a period in which Englishmen in general found themselves with increasing amounts of leisure time and thus were in a position to visit and enjoy such open spaces as were available to them. It coincided also with the period in which the Romantic poets were popularizing new attitudes toward nature, in particular, William Wordsworth and later John Ruskin, who embellished Romanticism to comply with Victorian standards. Robert Hunter, Octavia Hill, and Hardwicke Rawnsley drew inspiration from Ruskin, but they were not Romantic rebels urging a return to the past or the creation of a modern Utopia. They exemplified the Victorian work ethic and the devotion to duty and service to humanity preached by the Christian Socialists. They worked within the English system to improve conditions, and thus were part of the great nineteenth century reform effort. Their work on various aspects of the conservation problem defined the British movement in the nineteenth century. All three took the approach that nature was for man's rational pleasure, that beautiful scenery should be preserved for the public as a national heritage. That doctrine frequently brought them into conflict with those who held the prevailing notions of property rights prevalent at that time. But unlike their mentor Ruskin, they were willing to compromise and always took a realistic approach, Hunter, a solicitor, employed his vast legal knowledge to save thousands of acres of common lands which were threatened by inclosure. He fought numerous tedious court battles in his campaign to preserve the commons for the use of the public. Once that battle was largely won, he used his pen to win wide public support for the conservation movement, writing numerous articles and books on the subject. Octavia Hill began her conservation crusade by trying to establish open green spaces for the people who lived in the most crowded areas of London. Observing the congested conditions of the city poor, she began a drive to convert disused burial grounds into "open air sitting-rooms." Later she became the leader in the movement to save larger open spaces from being used as building sites or for commercial purposes. Her effectiveness as a fund raiser made her an invaluable asset to the conservation movement, Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley was a clergyman who worked energetically to preserve the beauty and the solitude of the Lake District. His efforts brought him into conflict not only with the City of Manchester regarding a proposal to convert Lake Thirlmere into a reservoir, but also with several railroad promoters and. a number of local landowners who were trying to block traditional footpaths which he considered important to the enjoyment of the region, His educational campaigns and his numerous books and articles earned him the title "watchdog of the Lake District," In 1895 these three people, whose paths had often crossed in the thirty previous years, joined in a common effort and founded the National Trust. Its success was evidence that the conservation movement had matured into a full-blown national endeavor. Thanks to Hunter, Hill, and Rawnsley the people of England had come to believe that the preservation of natural beauty was both desirable and possible.
Contents
Subject
Subject(s)
Hill, Octavia, 1838-1912
Hunter, Robert, Sir, 1844-1913
Rawnsley, H. D. (Hardwicke Drummond), 1851-1920
National Trust (Great Britain)Conservationists
Hunter, Robert, Sir, 1844-1913
Rawnsley, H. D. (Hardwicke Drummond), 1851-1920
National Trust (Great Britain)Conservationists
Research Projects
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Dissertation
Description
Format
ii, 269 leaves, bound
Department
History