About Britain - A Festival Series

Although the epicentre of the festival was the South Bank, it did concern itself with the promotion of the British Isles as a whole. The festival office published a series of 13 hardbacked books called ‘About Britain’.  Each guidebook took a particular region and was

“Planned to give you the fundamental facts about its scenery, its monuments, its buildings, its natural history, its people and their work and characteristics.”

They featured photographs, illustrations by popular artists, tours and a gazetteer. Clearly much thought went into these books, and they encouraged British people to appreciate their land and to explore it.

 I have a copy of the Wessex book, which was written by Geoffrey Grigson. It’s a beautiful portrait of one of my favourite parts of the world, made at a most fascinating point in time.  The 1950s are significant to this country for the founding of the first National Park in the Peak District. This was also a time of growth for the green belt movement.  Within Grigson’s text we are shown the reasons why this was happening. It shows that there was concern even then that Hampshire was rapidly becoming another of the Home Counties, and therefore an extension of the London conurbation. Grigson wrote of “…that uneasy Hampshire feeling that London is only just out of sight beyond the chalk hills.”  Also, of Bournemouth, he writes that “…it has increased like water spreading from a spilt bucket…”

 This book delivers an aura reminiscent of the work of Grigson’s contemporary, John Betjeman, who famously railed against modern ribbon developments of mock Tudor bungalows.

1950s Britain needed homes. But it also needed to preserve its landscape.  This festival inspired book shows the early attempts to draw attention to our now never ending housing conflict. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Miller-Walters/e/B00DZPX09U