Arenig, Nant Ddu and the beginning of Modern Landscape Painting in Britain
This year marks the centenary of the death of James Dickson Innes, an artist whose qualities and obses- sion with a North Wales mountain deserve to be better known. This article by Gareth Roberts, cele- brates the work of Innes and other artists who painted in and around Arenig, North Wales between 1909 and 1914. A review of a re- cently published biography of the life and work of Innes will feature in Landscape Re- search. Arenig Fawr and Arenig Fach are outliers of ‘porphry’; igne- ous intrusions of volcanic origin which rise, island like, from an extensive moorland landscape between Bala and Trawfynydd in North Wales. Although far from the highest mountains in Snowdonia they have a presence enhanced by their isolation. The views afforded from their summits are among the finest in the Na- tional Park. (see photo). The Migneint the blanket bog moorland that surrounds the Arenigs is the most extensive in England and Wales. Its wet boggy nature made it difficult to cross historically. In 1798 the Reverend John Evans wrote that he saw here ‘no ves- tige of a dwelling, no mark of human footstep’ only the ‘awful desolation of this extensive tract of hope- less sterility’. By the end of the 18th century North Wales had become a popular venue for artists in search of the picturesque but Arenig and the Migneint was not on their itinerary. By the beginning of the 20th century attitudes had changed. This is the how that came about. 2
In 1910, a young artist James Dickson February 1913. It marked the pinnacle railway halt at Tryweryn only a few Innes, stumbled across Rhyd y Fen an of the careers of Innes who died of TB minutes’ walk from their front door, isolated inn on the moorland road be- the following year and Lees who was allowing guests to come and go rela- tween Bala and Ffestiniog in the committed to a mental institution tively easily. It was also close to Betws shadow of Arenig Fawr. Born in shortly after. John outlived both and Gwerful Goch where John’s friend Llanelli and trained at the Slade School went on to secure considerable acclaim John Sampson, Chief Librarian at Liv- of Art, Innes had embarked on a tour of during his lifetime. erpool University and champion of North Wales in the summer of 1910 Romany culture, had a cottage. after reading George Borrow’s Wild In the history of British landscape Sampson had his own gipsy caravan Wales. Suffering from TB and relying painting, the significance of the and travelled with Innes and Lees to heavily on the support of family and ‘Arenig’ period 1910 -14 cannot be visit the Romany families in local vil- friends, Innes had lages and taverns shown talent for land- frequented by gipsy scape painting from an girls places which the early age and whilst at Welsh nonconform- the Slade had become ists shunned. The close to Augustus John. three shared corre- John’s bohemian life- spondence about the style also attracted In- beauty of these girls nes. John preferred and their willingness countryside to the city to serve as models. and often travelled in a Women in landscape caravan and consorted was to become a with gypsies. notable feature of their work during this The appreciation of the period, but for Innes, natural beauty of wild it was the relation- landscape was fast be- ship between Arenig coming a popular notion Fawr, ‘his favourite and chimed well with girl’ and Euphemia Innes. It is little wonder ‘the love of his life’ then that Innes was at- that dominated. tracted to the landscape Augustus John re- at Rhyd y Fen, over- ported that Innes looked by Arenig Fawr. buried his love letters So awe-struck was Innes from Euphemia in a by the place that he had little difficulty overestimated. However, their achieve- silver casket below the cairn on the persuading his mentor Augustus John ment was somewhat overshadowed by summit of Arenig Fawr. and student colleague Derwent Lees to the outbreak of the First World War return there with him a few months and it was not until February 1939 that Innes’ death at the age of 27 cut short later and rent a cottage at Nant Ddu. the first major retrospective of all three what might have proved a far more They lived and worked there off and on artists’ work was staged in London’s illustrious career. It is to be hoped that for the next three years. Nant Ddu com- Redfern Gallery. the new biography of his life and work manded a good view of Arenig Fawr and the exhibitions being convened to and was only a short walk from the These three artists had come together in mark the centenary of his death will remote railway halt at Tryweryn so large part because of the influence of help to raise his profile and enhance his friends and families could visit rela- Augustus John who was already re- importance as a leading landscape tively easily. We learn from John that garded among his colleagues at the painter of the modern era. Innes worked ‘obsessively’ undertaking New English Art Club as an outsider. long treks in search of favourable views They were undoubtedly kindred spirits, Later this year the Landscape Research of Arenig Fawr, which he painted in bohemian in attitude and hedonistic in Group will convene guided walks and various atmospheric conditions and nature, attracted to the language and talks about the artists who worked in these often featured Euphemia, his culture of Romany people and recep- and around Nant Ddu between 1909- muse and lover. John later likened the tive to new ideas emerging in art at the 14, this in partnership with MOMA the experience to Innes ‘discovering some beginning of the 20th century in France. Museum of Modern Art in Wales miraculous promised land.’ whose exhibition of the work of JD Nant Ddu with its wild and untamed Innes opens in Machynlleth on Landscape paintings by the three artists landscape suited them and was in Saturday 13th September. inspired by their time at Nant Ddu fea- John’s words ‘well placed for our pur- tured in the Armory Show, the first poses’. Remote enough to ‘protect’ the GR major exhibition of modern art in North privacy of their friends and lovers, it Notes America launched in New York in also offered the added convenience of a 1 Evans, Re. J. (1800) A Tour through part 3 of North Wales quoted in Condry William valley bottoms and a sense of height I have been concerned during the kick- M (1990) The Natural History of Wales which makes the off-road views long. off meeting that ‘heritage’ was tacitly (page 45). Modbury on the north edge of the area being accepted as a largely unproblem- has woods, a twisting valley bottom, atic concept, unlike ‘landscape’ or 2 The National Trust for the preservation of short slopes — nooky, comfortable, ‘culture’. This is emphatically not the historic buildings and natural beauty had been established in 1897 and endorsed by habitable and nice! case, so I am taking an immediate Act of Parliament in 1907. opportunity to write a short summary RAY/BY for the benefit of those who have not 3 Augustus John, in particular, wrote exten- been immersed in heritage critical sively in letters and in his autobiography, studies as it has developed over 25 Chiaroscuro (1962) about his work time in years, greatly influenced by French North Wales, commenting very poignantly philosophical thinking, Bourdieu et al. about his relationships with his family, friends and lovers and influences on his art. HERCULES AND There are four distinct ways in which
4 Augustus John, J D Innes, Derwent Lees, CULTURAL heritage is studied. Two of these will Paintings 1910-14. HERITAGE surprise no-one in the ‘landscape’ dis- cipline, as there is a study of stake- 5 ‘Crisis at the New English Art By Peter Howard holders (including the clash between Club’ (1904) a pen and watercolour draw- the expert agenda and the local agenda) ing by William Orpen caricatures John, and there are studies of identity level, dressed casually with long hair and beard although this has been very heavily sitting on the edge of a precipice in remote dominated by the national level. Other landscape whilst his colleagues dressed for work selects a field of heritage — the town, look on askance. [Illustrated as figure 42 in ‘Gwen John and Augustus nature, monuments, artefacts, sites, John’ Edited David Frase Jenkins and Chris events, persons — but any attempt to Stephens, Tate Publishing (2004)] define heritage by field inevitably fails. Lastly there is now wide agreement that 6 Augustus John Chiarascuro (1962) Joh- ‘heritage’ is not a product but a nathan Cape, quoted in The Mountains of process, and some papers attempt to Wales an anthology in verse and prose com- describe elements of that process and piled and edited by Ioan Bowen Rees. here note that gentrification is an inevi- Cardiff University of Wales Press (1992) table element in that process. So heri-
tage is indeed Conserved, but there are three other ways of remembering; some heritage is Collected in museums, zoos etc, some is Commemorated by me- morials, and some is Copied, so the Renaissance was effectively a heritage SOUTH HAMS: TOO movement. The most interesting under- MUCH PROSPECT graduate dissertation that one of my This note is intended to site our input to students wrote was about Heritage the- NOT ENOUGH the HERCULES project within a ory and tribute bands (e.g. the New framework of the intellectual develop- Elvis, or Beatles look-alikes). REFUGE ment of ‘Heritage’ since the 1980s as South Hams is a part of Devon people an academic area of interest. There is no good reason for making a cross to reach the coast west of fundamental distinction between the Salcombe. On returning today from the I founded the first theoretically based cultural heritage and the natural heri- notable causewayed island of Bigbury undergraduate course in Heritage and tage. Managing a zoo or a nature re- we passed a cross roads called Seven Landscape (at a School of Art) in 1990, serve is not fundamentally different Stones — likely we supposed to be and a few years later I founded the In- from managing a museum or an ar- some early pre Roman site. I noted to ternational Journal of Heritage Studies chaeological site. However, the natural Rosemary Young that if I were an which I continued to edit for 13 years. I heritage fields have only very slowly early Briton I would not wish to settle also wrote a text on heritage and co- begun to take heritage theory and prac- in this place and added ‘it is not nooky edited the Ashgate Research Compan- tice into account. RAMSAR now has a enough’. ‘Too much prospect not ion in Cultural Heritage. Heritage is cultural arm. Nature conservationists enough refuge!’ was her quick re- now taught in about 50 universities, but have only slowly accepted that people sponse. Spot on. also sits as modules within geography, have to be welcomed into the nature archaeology, anthropology. Apart from reserve and not excluded. Just to sketch in some detail it is ele- the theoretical courses, there are vated, has rounded convex slopes, Heritage Management and Heritage Until recently I had postulated that hedges but few woods, large agricul- Tourism courses. there are two opposed streams within tural fields in abundance, invisible the heritage concept, but now I have 4 begun to think that they might merge. By far the most powerful stream, much the richest, has been described by Laurajane Smith as the Authorised DEFLECTED VISTAS Heritage Discourse. This is most clearly represented by the World Heri- tage Convention, an immensely The thing I like about an avenue successful branding system to produce Is how it takes possession of the eye. tourist sites. It is a top-down and elitist Steers it directly where it’s going to - system that conserves the heritage se- lected by experts, owners and govern- That faraway, magnetic patch of sky. ments for their benefit. It takes little But if that vistal corridor is bent, account of the local population. The Thus cutting short the visibility, main tool is ‘designation’, where areas It doesn’t seem to put us off the scent; are defined to be conserved It merely feeds our curiosity. (automatically of course excluding other areas of no account), and within We humans daily struggle to survive. which experts are given control. Desig- By instinct we are programmed to explore; nation, like design, is linked to It’s part of how we keep ourselves alive. commodification. These ‘protected That is what curiosity is for! places’ many of them protected as land- Deflected vistas therefore serve to show scapes, are usually in the intellectual portfolio of a particular discipline, just How overwhelming is the urge to know. as galleries are within a museum. Jay Appleton The other stream has little money and First published in A Love Affair with Land- very little power, but most ‘Critical scape. Jay Appleton. The Wildhern Press 2009 Heritage’ specialists would regard it as intellectually superior, at least more democratic. This is the bottom-up sys- tem represented by the European Land- been making a determined effort to turn Life Membership for services to the scape Convention, attempting to in- around and take a serious interest in a Group. And by the way the bookshelf , clude every place, land or sea, urban or more democratic heritage, purchasing background to the mugshot — for rural, ‘protected’ and ‘ordinary’ by simple workshops in Birmingham, and those who observe and analyse all parts giving encouragement to local people smaller homes for example, and inter- of an image — is mine! And the fact to look after the heritage that is mean- preting the lives of the servants in its that Peter is wearing an outdoor jacket ingful to them. It turns out that ordinary great houses. At the same time the suggests that he was a visitor on a cold landscapes are as meaningful to local National Trust now encourages local day. ‘Trained observer’ people as protected special ones, people to use its estates, not only for although the meaning is likely to be sporting events, but also to encourage encapsulated in the commemoration of new systems of sustainable farming. It people and events rather than large may be rather patronising, but it is cer- material objects. I hope that this is the tainly setting an example: taking the heritage direction which is represented lives of local ordinary people, and their Letter to the Editor by the HERCULES project. heritage as a matter of concern. From John Gittins Dear Bud That these two concepts need not be Even the World Heritage Convention Thank you again for another good mutually exclusive is demonstrated by has begun to make moves in less top- LRExtra. Whilst our Journal the recent history of the National Trust down directions, insisting that local (Landscape Research) occupies a key in the UK which is an NGO not a gov- people are involved (although of course position in academic studies, LRExtra ernment body. It certainly was a full this often means local entrepreneurs). I keeps us up to date in other and member of the ‘Authorised Heritage believe it is of major importance that different ways. Meanwhile (flattery Discourse’ having acquired over the HERCULES puts his strength also in over) I would like to air a number of years a huge land holding of coastal that direction…… supporting the con- comments arising from LRE 68. and moorland landscapes, most of them servation of heritage landscapes by and within other government designations, for the people who are a part of that First a comment on Peter Howard’s such as National Parks or Heritage landscape. article entitled ‘Biodiversity offsetting: Coasts, and a large portfolio of country the wider landscape and social conse- mansions and their parks, formerly the PH quences’: This certainly made a series property of major landowners, who Editor’s note: Nice to be able to report of very valid but often neglected points have even been allowed to continue in Peter (Prof Dr P) Howard of Winkleigh on a key issue. Landscape is certainly residence. But this large vessel has Devon has been elected to Honorary a place in which people live and also 5
live there. As Peter writes ‘A process that continually favours the protected against the ordinary landscape could reasonably be understood as a breach of the Convention.’ For me, this is a live issue, for my home area of Mont- gomeryshire in the Upper Severn Val- ley is a major search area for wind- power developments, an area where local people are fighting a key battle to save their everyday landscape.
My second comment is in connection with the piece by Steve Shuttleworth and Laurence le Du-Blayo entitled ‘EU. Research Project Hercules’ which I certainly support. However, when it comes to the key question ‘How will success be measured?’ I begin to ask questions. I recognise the importance and value of regional case studies and the proposed number of supplementary case studies to ensure the broad range of cultural landscape types ‘so that researchers, landscape professionals and local communities can make practical use of them.’ In respect to this latter point I am drawn to the valuable editorial in Landscape Research, Volume 39/1 by our new editor Dr Anna Jorgensen who writes thus: ‘It is rarely possible for purely descriptive research to be innovative in a landscape context: most high quality research starts with the aim of address- ing a problem, which needs to be critically acknowledged and explored from some sort of perspective.’ (1)
Lets go cut the lawn: the Formula 1 In Cheshire, we have recently come to approach in South Turkey the end of a small project which sought to test how far the idea of voluntary landscape wardens at the parish level visit. If ‘localism’ is to deliver what cause of its nearness, not something to could promote, develop and sustain one one hopes will be positive outcomes, it be disregarded and shrugged off, it is element of the Convention through a is as Peter writes, vital that the parish is where children are reared and what process of recruiting volunteers and seen as the base where offsets can yield they take away in their minds to their offering a series of focussed workshops the maximum returns and as a result the long future. What ground could be on landscape elements and a support problem of the wider landscape would more hallowed?’ system to enable them to continue to largely be resolved. Peter is in my work as eyes and ears in their local opinion also correct in stating that ‘the Jane Brown in a rather forgotten book, communities. First findings indicate process of designation coupled with ‘The Everywhere Landscape’ takes that this approach, working in partner- gentrification is very powerful’ but the this as her theme and concludes by ship with officers from the local author- issue is also tied up with the wider stating that we need to take a holistic ity and other interested parties — not landscape and what has become known approach to landscape and not to just least their respective parish councils — as the ‘ordinary or everyday landscape think of it as countryside or ‘my view’ is yielding increases in locally based where most people live.’ Do we forget or protected landscapes only. This is action. this vital fact? I recall with pleasure why the European Landscape Conven- the concluding words of Sir Frank tion is so important, vague as it may be This then fits well to the Forestry Re- Fraser Darling in his Reith Lectures in some areas, it applies to all land- search paper ‘Principles of Public 1969 given under the title ‘Wilderness scapes, making it very clear that ordi- Engagement’ by Paul Tabbush and and Plenty’: he ended with: ‘The near nary or everyday landscapes are signifi- Bianca Ambrose-Oji published by the landscape is valuable and lovable be- cant and of special value to those who Forestry Commission in 2011 and the 6 much earlier work by Sherry Arnstein Europe’, ranging through topics as in his seminal work ‘A Ladder of Citi- UNIFYING FIELDS: diverse as food security, ‘healthy zen Participation’ (1969) and subse- — ‘CHERISCAPE’ oceans’, and Alkzheimer’s. Interest- quent updates. In Cheshire it has led ingly, ‘landscape’ ideas could poten- to a number of Parish Landscape State- AND THE INTERACTION tially help to address most of the ments which have been adopted by OF LANDSCAPE AND current JPI challenges, but I wonder Local Authorities giving them status in CULTURAL HERITAGES how many landscape researchers have the statutory spatial planning system. It By Graham Fairclough responded to JPI funding calls? We did has also led to a significant number of however respond to the Cultural What’s the difference between practical landscape enhancement pro- Heritage JPI’s first invitation for fund- ‘landscape’ and ‘heritage’? Is heritage jects — tree planting, the creation of ing, and the result (one of ten accepted orchards, hedgerow enhancement and from 66 eligible projects) is CHeriS- the restoration of ponds — in individ- cape, a landscape-based project. ual parishes. Public engagement and partnership working is key in the CHeriScape is a simple idea. We are a ‘New Vision for Lindow consortium of seven partners — three part of landscape or is landscape part Moss’ (Lindow Moss in East Cheshire universities (Newcastle [Archaeology], of heritage — or are they in a Möbius- is a large peat bog where a significant Ghent [Geography] and Wageningen strip (or Möbius-matryoshka?) type of ‘bog body’ known as ‘Lindow Man’ [Land-Use Planning]), three govern- relationship, each both containing but also as ‘Lindow 11 and ‘Pete Moss’ ment-linked research bodies (the ar- contained by the other? Why is it so was discovered in 1984 — the body is chaeological section of CSIC in Spain difficult to push either into now in the British Museum). This and in Norway NIKU [Cultural Heri- ‘mainstream’ policy and politics, as the project is being led by the community tage] and Bioforsk [nature and land- . European Landscape Convention and based group ‘Transition Town Wilms- scape]) and one national heritage board the European Science Policy Briefing low.’ (RCE, the Cultural Heritage Board, in on ‘Landscapes in a Changing World’ the Netherlands) — but we expect to tell us is possible and desirable? Why All in all, I hope that the Hercules Pro- welcome other associates on board has the EC not opened landscape- ject recognises the value of local par- during our three year voyage (ideas are specific funding streams (most of the ticipation and the experience and suc- welcome from all who read this). recent landscape projects have arisen cesses to date in promoting the princi- from other, not explicitly landscape- ples which underlie the ELC set in the We will organise five conferences, one branded, streams — Hercules for ex- context of Anna Jorgensen’s editorial in each of our partner countries, on the ample, in which LRG is an associate, is and the words of Frank Fraser Darling theme of ‘landscape in heritage’. These funded from the Environment and and Jane Brown. international and interdisciplinary con- Climate Change programme? ferences, with key and influential JWG th invited speakers, will bring together 15 April 2014. I have just begun to be the coordinator experts and practitioners to explore the — with my colleague at Newcastle, relationship between heritage and land- Sam Turner — of a new European scape and more importantly to look Notes, references project called CHeriScape (‘Cultural ahead toward future research avenues Fraser Darling F., (1970), 'Wilderness Heritage in Landscape’) which will and ways to make that research work and Plenty - The Reith Lectures explore such questions, and many in terms of influencing social, environ- 1969' British Broadcasting Corpora- others. It is mainly financed by five mental and economic policies at Euro- tion. national research councils (AHRC in pean, national and local levels. Our Brown J., (1982) 'The Everywhere the UK, and equivalent councils in conferences will be separately themed Landscape' Wildwood House, Lon- Norway, the Netherlands, Flanders in but closely interwoven, focussing on don, ISBN 0 7048 3058 9. Belgium and Spain) as part of the pilot the interaction and synergies of land- Jorgensen A., Editor, (2014) 'Editorial call for grants in the JPI on Cultural scape in heritage (or landscape as in Landscape Research - Journal of Heritage that was established in 2012. heritage, and vice versa) in terms the Landscape Research Group' Vol- Its vision, and soon its ‘Strategic of: — ume 39, Number 1, February 2014. Research Agenda, can be seen at:
Tabbush, P., and Ambrose-Oji, B., 1. Policy (to be held in Ghent, Bel- (2011), 'Principles of Public Engage- http://www.jpi-culturalheritage.eu/. gium, July 2014). ment' Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey. What are JPIs? JPI stands for ‘Joint 2. Science and research (at Amers- Arnstein, Sherry, R., (1969). Programming Initiative’, a process foort, Netherlands, November 2014). 'A Ladder of Citizen Participation' used by the EC since 2008 to pool and 3. Community (Oslo, Norway, May JAIP, Vol 35, No 4, pp 216 - 224. coordinate national research efforts to 2015).
study European challenges more effec- 4. Global change, (Madrid, Spain, Oc- (1) Also note a longer extract from tively on a voluntary and partnership tober 2015). Anna Jorgensen’s editorial appears basis. Currently there are ten of these later in this issue. challenge-based initiatives, from 5. Digital and virtual futures ‘Antimicrobial research’ to ‘Urban (Newcastle, United Kingdom, June 7
2016). ography) alongside creative practitio- “NAIRN THE GRATE” ners, prompting new ways of thinking THE ‘TERRIER OF From these conferences we expect about sound, music, space, and place. debate and argument, a level of public TOWNSCAPE’ engagement, new ideas and inspiration Key research objectives for the Net- A review touched off by Gillian Darley — and we intend to capture all this in a work— and the conference — are as & David McKie Ian Nairn: Words in series of conference proceedings, follows: Place (1) research agendas and specific and cumu- 1. To investigate particular privileged or By Brian Goodey photographed outside lative briefings for policy makers from hidden sites and sounds of power, poli- his studio workshop (see below). the EC downwards. The CHeriScape tics, coercion or subversion through website (at the time of writing ‘under landscape and music; construction’ but by the time of publica- 2. To explore the different modalities of tion hopefully active) is at : performing/performed landscapes; www.cheriscape.eu. 3. To interrogate the role of landscape, music, and sound in shaping subjectivity, and that is where you will be able to find social space, and the everyday; details of our conferences. 4. To articulate the theoretical gains and GF ethical imperatives of encounters between landscape, music and society. Everything that is, resounds … The
landscape resounds; facades, carica- tures, halos, shadows dance across it. A note from the organisers who (Alphonso Lingis). call for contributions Editor’s note HEARING Bit deaf myself so I find sounds of ‘This is a marvellous book. I read it like particular interest and we have published a novel … and like the very best novels I LANDSCAPE before on the topic. Below traffic noise didn’t want to turn the last page to see CRITICALLY: and chatter at a Paris pavement café. A how things worked out… Yet there it is: cartoon by social commentator Alan intelligent, compassionate and witty’. MUSIC, PLACE, AND THE Dunn 1966. ……. That’s Ian Nairn in 1970, estab- SPACES OF SOUND lishing his credentials, if such were Harvard University 14-16 January 2015. needed, for discussion in a landscape Website: journal — here he endorses Nan Fair- www.hearinglandscapecritically.net brother’s New Lives. New Landscapes linking her vision with that of Jane Landscapes are spaces of community Jacobs: landscape and townscape de- and segregation, of inspiration, mystifi- manding brave ideas (2), but his com- cation, nourishment, and devastation. ment could well be applied to the present Though landscape has long been text. acknowledged as a foundational element of our historical and contemporary This long overdue study of Ian Nairn is engagement with the world, the signifi- just not too late to be missed by those of cance of sound and music in shaping us who grew up with Nairn as the jour- notions and perceptions of landscape has nalistic environmental commentator to only recently begun to receive sustained admire, and because then there was no critical attention. better, to emulate. Born in 1930 and WANT TO BE AWARE dead by 1983 his influence in The third meeting of the ‘Hearing Land- campaigns, architectural criticism, books scape Critically’ research network will OF LANDSCAPE and pioneer TV series was from the early take place at Harvard University, 14-16 CONFERENCES? 1950‘s to the late 1970’s. January 2015. The aim of this three-year The place to go to if you are interested in project funded by the Leverhulme Trust European landscape conferences is To most he is almost of a forgotten gen- is to transform our sense of sound in www.landscape–europe.net where Jan eration, forgotten I think by A.A. Gill (3) landscape, and to document, investigate, Borovska and the ILE team run a writing of a Jonathan Meades architec- and provoke critical encounters between Network Coordination Office. They tural foray ‘almost every presenter on the social and acoustic agents involved present a list of conferences in attractive television appears as the reincarnation in the formations of landscape. The net- and clear format. It’s a must and also or imitation of some other presenter, but work embraces an interdisciplinary makes pleasant reading. Contact them Meades remains singular, without pro- methodology and brings together and they will make sure you receive their genitor or competitor, the great polemi- scholars from diverse geographical con- monthly alert. Editor. cist of the small screen, with his dry, texts and academic fields (including art comic, satirical and surreal visual style history, literary studies, and cultural ge- in stark contrast to his baroque, loqua- 8 cious and pugnacious prose.’ sentative works, Your England Revis- someone listened and Birmingham’s ited (7) captures his early campaigning active tourist heart is now there for all Meades, who has written elsewhere an and participatory style rather better, to see. incisive essay (4) on Nairn’s contribu- especially as all photographs and flying tion (and sad decline) may well be of for aerial views were done by Nairn For my generation and maybe for a his own invention, but he keeps light himself. Sprawl, utopian roadsides, wider readership Nairn, together with coming through the television crack litter, badly built neighbours and the Gordon Cullen, Colin Ward and a few that Nairn first opened and, if architects rest hark back to early CPRE and pre- others, taught me to look, and to try and and planners can recognise the lan- war planning campaigns against ‘The capture for others both the essence and guage, maintains a regular verbal Beast’ and forward to the Civic Trust the potential of place, be it urban or assault on their presumed authority. to which Nairn’s views contributed. rural (or increasingly in-between). All part of one process which finance, If Meades (who has fronted a TV retro- Darley and McKee review Nairn’s life rather than the environmental profes- spective on Nairn) is ’pugnacious’ then and work in a sequence of essays cov- sions, understood. Nairn was, both in print and on screen a ering key media outputs: Outrage; In terrier — not my term but one picked America; Buildings of England; the Whilst Nairn did not ‘invent’ up in a bar discussion where another Professions; London; Sunday paper townwscape he certainly codified its admirer suggested that Nairn’s skill essays; Screen appearance. Each is purpose and extended its meaning from was in finely ‘grating’ the surface of introduced by a brief essay contributed Cullen’s largely graphic representation. commonplace views. by Meades, Hatherley, Saint, Glancey ‘A new art needs a new name… and and others.. this one is townscape … The only ob- My first encounter with Nairn was, I ject of this book is to make the environ- find from this very well researched Andrew Saint (8) perhaps gets closest ment and hence life itself more exciting, study, in 1957/8 when a travelling exhi- to Nairn’s style … ‘Nairn’s London is humane and expressive.’ (10) — with bition Subtopia ‘prepared by the Royal not about bricks and mortar but about the two key factors being relationship Institute of British Architects’ — Ha! the ways in which buildings, places and and identity. — arrived in Chelmsford. The exhibi- flesh-and-blood human beings shape tion guide, summarising Nairn’s cam- and impose upon one another. His Some of his thinking in this regard still paign over landscape decay developed commonest complaint …is not that a permeates urban and landscape design in Outrage and Counter-Attack building is ugly or incompetent but that but excitement seldom gets further than Against Subtopia, encourages the it is heartless.’ Hence, of London Zoo the press photo icon, the street reader or viewer to act. ‘Your planning ‘It’s good to have a place which takes performer and the dribbling fountain. officer is — or should be — devoted to the mickey out of architecture, the The art of making places too often ends enhancing the landscape: go to him animal world, and its human visitors with the unveiling rather than the joy of with your troubles and give him all the simultaneously.’ How very incorrect. occupation. support you can. Architects are profes- sionally trained in ‘togetherness.’ (5). In the latter part of his life when his Nairn was no joyful man, but it needs Or you can contact the ‘Counter-Attack shambolic protests featured rather too joyful people to pick up his dormant Bureau’. Which latter we now find was often in urban documentaries, the legacy. This should not be a biographi- an in-tray for Nairn and illustrator ‘grating’ image tended to subdue the cal history, however enjoyable and Gordon Cullen at the Architectural earlier ‘terrier’. Before you search quietly provocative it is. A number of Review. YouTube (for Nairn is to be found authors have tip-toed the way Nairn there within a film from ‘Europa 1970’) trod, Gavin Stamp maintained a Much is made of Nairn’s early career imagine the exact opposite of the ‘Townscape’ column for a while (and is as a jet pilot and his landscape appre- Michael Portillo image and approach to still Private Eye’s ‘Piloti’; Will Self ciation from the air. Unlike most archi- urban places and landscapes. Nairn had and others have adopted tects and planners he was able to set his vision, saw the potential in places, was ‘psychogeography’ which brings the swingeing criticisms of the roadside unchecked by officialdom, recognised a inevitability of Iain Sinclair, probing, view within a broader context of un- hidden beating heart, and too often felt linking, reflecting, yes, but with inter- thinking environmental change. Cer- its pain and loss. As here about pretations of relationship and identity tainly his use of a Rockefeller Grant to Birmingham: that have little mass resonance. eat up some 10,000 miles of US roads in 1959/60 left a considerable mark in ‘Sitting on a goldmine? The whole of For a few moments in mid-20th century the USA ‘Mr Nairn has succeeded in canal-side Birmingham, rightly used history Ian Nairn caught, or created, the starting a grand argument, which may could become the Vauxhall or Rane- mood of public murmurings on the not be ended until this generation of lagh of the 1980’s, a city centre to go rapidly changing environment (11). city planners is in its grave’ reviewed into, not flee from, on a bank holiday. This book is a fine record of what he Wayne Andrews. (6). The will is there, nowhere better ex- achieved … and why the effort was so, pressed than in the new Birmingham personally destructive. With Darley & Although most enthusiasts highlight Repertory Theatre in the same few McKie as foundation we could do with Nairn’s two urban guides, for London square yards near the canal ba- a collection of Nairn’s newspaper arti- and Paris, as his best and most repre- sin….’ (9). They laughed then … but cles with updates, a re-revised edition 9 of London and a new Townscape there you will see large fields inten- Manifesto app. On the back of these, BRECKLAND, sively cropped separated one from the let’s have a television series that LANDSCAPE 38 — other by chain-width plantations of achieves the direct critical address, the conifers and industrial scale pig rearing grating of images and attitudes, that ARE YOU SURE units. You can read about the area in Nairn managed, at his best, to achieve. DEAR? the Natural Areas of England web site and it is Landscape 38. By Bud Young BG A few weeks ago a friend whose inter- The name Breckland persists, romantic ests lay in the publication of old maps because elusive and historic. And per- Notes gifted me a complete set of the latest haps the enthusiastic tourist passes (1) Gillian Darley & David McKie Ian Ordnance Survey style historical maps through the area and remarks on the Nairn: Words in Place, Nottingham : (1) from Cassini. My friend knows me coniferous shelter belts which inciden- Five Leaves Publications, 2013 160pp as a compulsive hoarder of unwanted tally are much more expressively dis- £10.99. From the publishers at PO Box materials (anyone need 1/ 50 000 scale played on Google Earth. And those 8786,Nottingham,NG1 9AW info@five maps of Rhodesia? aerial photography enthusiastic travellers will pause a leaves.co.uk. of Fiji or northern Kenya?). while puzzled and not quite get the gist, (2) Ian Nairn, ‘New Look for Britain. st see the significance, of what they are Sunday Times March 1 1970 And so when asked by a notable foot- seeing or why it should be a special (3) A.A. Gill ‘Brutal honesty is al- path group to investigate one of the landscape apart for the ever present ways the best policy’ – Review country’s ancient routes I turned first to pine shelter belts and the monotony of inc.Concrete Poetry BBC 4’ Sunday the aerial photography then to these nd high tech cropping. Times Culture Section March 2 2014 maps, and pulling out a map dated (4) Jonathan Meades Ian Nairn (1930- 1837/8 I was delighted to find an Last week, I was more fortunate for it 83)’ Museums Without Walls Lon- ancient landscape revealed. It was that was my job to investigate that land- don: Unbound 2012. Pp 386-400 part of East Anglia at the northern bor- scape back as far as I could, using old (5) Subtopia Exhibition leaflet, 1957? der of West Suffolk where it abuts aerial photography. I began ‘as you do’ (6) Wayne Andrews ‘Townscape : A Norfolk. And of course it is well known with Google Earth, travelled back and New Name for a New Art’ New York in Natural England analysis ergo th added in a handful of late 80s and 90s Times Magazine March 7 1965 page 7 parlance as ‘Breckland’. If you travel airphotos flown by ADAS ( the now This is a review of Ian Nairn, The American Landscape : A Critical View New York : Random House, 1965 (7) Ian Nairn Your England Revisited London: Hutchinson, 1964 (8) Andrew Saint ‘Preamble to Nairn’s London’ in Darley & McKie 87-8: refers to Ian Nairn Nairn’s Lon- don, Penguin 1966. Revisited by Peter Gasson Nairn’s London. Penguin 1988. Both out of print, I buy them where I can as the best possible gifts for students and overseas visitors … not to mention the implicit pub guide. (9) Ian Nairn ‘This Britain: Venice lurks under all that spaghetti’ The Sunday Times December 17th 1972 (10 Quoted in Andrews above. (11) Worth reading, also, are summa- ries by Jonathan Glancy ‘Ian Nairn’s Voice of Outrage’ The Guardian May 15th 2011 and Rowan Moore ‘Why Ian Nairn, outspoken critic of post-war modernism, is as relevant as ever’ The Guardian November 2nd 2013
10 forgotten aerial survey arm of the Min- 2 Aerial photography viewed in the istry of Agriculture). Digging down library of the National Monuments LRE WELCOMES into the boxed airphoto archive (2) I Record Centre (English Heritage) ANNA JORGENSEN got to 1976, 1955, 1951 and back into Swindon. Anna has taken over from Maggie Roe Post War views of the later 1940s (the 3 In truth — of shelter belts there were as managing editor of Landscape Re- USAF flew it in 1944). I was thrilled a scatter even then but not in this search. Her first issue is volume 39/1 by this process to see the landscape immediate area. which members may have seen. I was reconstruct itself into a vision of its particularly pleased to see the para- early origins. What I saw might have graph (cited in italics below) outlining been from the 1830s for all the differ- the type of paper she wishes to encour- ence an extra hundred years might have age. I quote from her editorial at page made. And why? Because in early post 2. It is worth reading the full 5 page war years it was an open unhedged KIEV SPRING essay. landscape, no apparent fields or fences, certainly no shelter belts (3) and no Image from Ivor Harding and “Second as well as widening geo- arable; low quality thin natural pasture note from Gareth Roberts. graphic representation I would also and patches of like to widen the gorse. Tracks scope of the jour- across this ne- nal while strength- glected emptiness ening its overall were there and still focus. Currently exist — named the journal al- Dukes Ride (to ready publishes Euston Park) and material from of course the within numerous Icknield Way — landscape-related not so named in disciplines on a 1837/8 but a clear wide range of top- track sharp etched ics including soils, down into the cultural land- chalk. The total scapes, landscape transformation so characteristics, revealed lies ecosystem ser- wholly within my vices, nature con- life time and for servation, archeo- that reason it as- logical investiga- tonished me. A tions and historic transformation landscapes, land- which of course scapes in art and you may read literature, the vis- about: how this low fertility land with Many guide books recommend late ual, mapping, parks, gardens and the poor soil, low value and a tendency to April / early May as the best time to social construction of landscape to blow got the area its name; got a repu- visit Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. They name but a few subjects. However tation which the enthusiastic ‘day- often cite the warmer weather and the Landscape Research has tended to pub- outer’ finds puzzling or obscure. It is magnificent displays of lilac and horse lish a great deal of material related to not now so special though certainly chestnut flowers as good reasons for large scale landscape research in pre- distinctive. The map of 1837/8 identi- going at this time of the year. The dominantly rural area, perhaps reflect- fies a patchwork of locally named attached photos from a friend who lives ing the idea of landscape as subsisting heaths. Officialdom still calls it Breck- in Kiev with his Ukrainian wife, Raisa, primarily at this scale and in this terri- land (coy nostalgia, the equal of the Ye show the contrast between landscapes tory. There is also a belief that Land- Olde Tea Shoppe)) but that name is ‘so on the two sides of the river Dneipr. scape Research publishes mainly quali- not true’ anymore. The golden domes of the Lavra which tative or at least mixed mothods re- BY is the centre of the Orthodox Ukrainian search, as opposed to work deploying Notes Church, the equivalent of the Vatican quantitative approaches. I think it is 1 Published by Cassini Publishing Ltd for Catholics — stand out in stark con- very important that Landscape Re- www.cassinimaps.com Specifically trast to the slab tenement blocks built search continues to publish this kind of Sheet 144 Thetford and Diss: Old during Soviet times. work; but I also feel that it should pub- Series . The tag line on this series of IH/GR lish the broadest range of landscape maps is “Discover the Landscape of the studies, including , say, papers that are Past.” Particularly worthwhile in agri- small scale or urban in their remit, or quantitative in their approach. In terms cultural improvement areas (such as this) and spread industrial regions. of an overall focus, the overriding con- 11
cern should be to publish innovative participating in political and social scholarship that is conceptually justice, taking a conversion course in URBAN CANALS founded in landscape, and to cement Law and qualifying as a solicitor in ‘Ian Nairn’ , writes Goodey in his arti- the journal’s reputation as a vehicle 1984. I practised for 13 years until cle on page 7, ‘was ahead of his time for the highest quality landscape re- 1997, gaining experience of criminal, search”. family, industrial, employment and in seeing the value of once industrial personal injury law in a South York- urban canals.’.In his explorations of shire Legal Aid practice. I became a the USA in the late 1950’s Nairn dis- partner in the practice but by the late covered the growing canal system of 1980´s I had become keen to develop San Antonio (Texas, 3 images over my creative abilities and my interest in page) an inspired expansion of desert social equity in a different arena. flood drains. Brian Goodey was equally impressed on first seeing this Throughout my life I have been expanded system. Did this, perhaps, privileged to enjoy a close relation- lead Nairn to see the potential for Bir- ship with a number of particular land- scapes, most notably a suburban brownfield site, a royal park, my grandmother´s allotment in Copenhagen, a Danish rural/coastal landscape and the Pennine Peak District. Eager to develop this rela- tionship I took the MA/Dip in Land- scape Design at Sheffield. During the MA I was successful in obtaining temporary employment in public arts administration, working for Public Arts in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
On completion of the MA, I was torn between a desire to practise Land- scape Architecture and the possibility of continuing to study. The award of If you wish to contact her she is at an Economic and Social Research [email protected] and full Council studentship to undertake PhD detail of her requirements for papers research in the Department convinced can be found on LRG’s website (given me that this was the appropriate way on page 12 of this issue). forward. After 2 years PhD study I successfully applied for the position of Interesting too to read what she says Lecturer in the Department, and have about herself in her departmental staff held this full-time, permanent post information. With her permission (or since 2001. should it be that of the University — who owns information this days!) I My career to date has therefore grab the following information. provided me with a combination of creative, analytical and research skills “Like a large number of people and interests, which continue to involved in the discipline and practice inform my approaches to teaching and The views and opinions in this publication are those of of Landscape Architecture I converted research. the authors and the senior editor individually and do not to Landscape as a mature student, and necessarily agree with those of the Group. It is prepared have brought a range of different skills My research interests focus around by Bud Young for the Landscape Research Group and and understandings to my teaching the ways in which different people distributed periodically to members worldwide as com- and research practice. experience, interact with, understand panion to its refereed main journal Landscape Research. and represent landscape, and Editorial enquiries: I studied English Literature for my especially wild or natural-looking Bud Young, first degree at Cambridge University, vegetation; and the desire to see a Airphoto Interpretation, reflecting my interest in creative, more holistic and environmentally 26 Cross Street intuitive and fictionalised ways of friendly approach to planning and Moretonhampstead Devon understanding and representing the designing urban greenspace and TQ13 8NL world. On completing my under green structure.” or emails to graduate degree I was attracted to the Editor young @airphotointerpretation.com legal profession as a means of 12 mingham’s industrial canals (3 images GARDENS IN NEWLY is the narrow strip of streetside land on page 11) as a focus for future tour- that a gifted guerrilla gardener has ism? . DEVELOPED HOUSING made into a floral paradise (see top AREAS image). It is opposite his kitchen win- by Bud Young dow! Their tiny gardens are invisible; some are approached only via the I spent some working time a few years ago mapping the structure of urban and suburban areas and at that time found a way of discriminating what planners had lumped into the category R - Residential into perhaps 35 types based on their age and the type of housing; some of this was high rise, some single storey, some terraces, some spaciously set houses, some lo- cal authority housing and so on. There was a strength in that analysis as it combined type with age. This study I performed across two London Boroughs, all of Doncaster MBC and much of Liverpool. The distribution so revealed is in itself a very telling demographic. All of this was done from aerial photography.
Notably interesting was the large amount of space provided for subur- ban gardens up to the 1950s and the poverty of space in modern day hous- house or by a shoulder -width narrow ing developments where ‘units per alley. The aerial view probably shows hectare’ is policy tightened to gasping pot plants on patios. point. A another development, a slightly Analysing the late-modern develop- larger site has a successful small pub- ments — dating them on aerial pho- lic green space (above), two residual tography each with its own date point oak trees, a new-planted now bushy — achieved by comparison of house roadside hedge and deep set rivulet, type and layout styles and the condi- fenced off — but part guerrilla gar- tion of the gardens — allowed fine dened by one householder. Children date tuning of recent developments. actually play among the trees of the Garden plots start as grass rectangles greenspace. Hurrah! surrounded by the usual board bound- ary fence. Then the garden path, then Few development today have space the shed and the trampoline. But how for those large trees that were and still quickly is the change made to ‘gardens are the hallmark of pre 1950s areas. of delight’. And how few properties So the dilemma. Pack those houses in? display planting and design quality. Remove gardens? Increased paved runoff? Create small townscale My town has developed by at least 4 spaces? Limit sprawl? Save our housing patches in the last 12 years. I countryside? Spread out and let us watch their development. The one breathe? What is all that farmland closest to me has the least provision of doing anyway! garden space. It is 8 years old and the BY most significant feature visible to me
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