August 2012 Reviews

By Twigs Way

Reviewed by Joseph Bettey

edited by Twigs Way (Hertfordshire Record Society vol.27 2001 xxiii+74pp ISBN 978-0-9565111-0-2) £30+£3.50 p&p from 50 Sollershott Hall, Sollershott East, Letchworth SG6 3PW

Humphrey Repton (1752-1818) was the most influential landscape designer and ‘improver’ of his generation. His proposals for improvements were incorporated in illustrated volumes which, from their red leather binding, have become known as ‘Red Books’. Most of these are in private hands, and only a few have been published in their entirety. It was therefore an admirable idea of the Hertfordshire Record Society to publish in a single volume these two splendid examples of Repton’s work.

The neighbouring Hertfordshire estates of Panshanger and Tewin Water were owned by the Earls Cowper, and the family possessed all the land along the Mimram valley from Welwyn to Hertford. In 1799 the 5th Earl took up residence at Panshanger, while a cousin, Henry Cowper, was living at Tewin Water. Both men commissioned Repton to submit plans for redesigning and improving the landscape of their estates, including the building of a new mansion at Panshanger. The Red Books which resulted from these commissions not only provide details of Repton’s schemes involving major landscape transformation, but also include much detail on his general ideas and his views on the principles of landscape design. Most of the proposals for landscape improvements along the Mimram valley were carried out. The new mansion was built and a massive programme of excavation, creation of lakes, tree-planting, public road diversion and demolition of unsightly farm buildings was undertaken. Sadly, only part survives, since the estates were broken up during the twentieth century. Those sections which remain, especially at Panshanger, provide an indication of one of Repton’s finest schemes.

The costs of so much work and the labour involved in landscaping, building work, planting and water management must have been formidable. At Tewin Water even mature trees were repositioned in order to break up the existing straight avenues, and six miles of public roads and footpaths were diverted. As well as providing detailed suggestions and illustrations for the improvement of his clients’ estates, Repton also used the Red Books to promote his theories on design and the placement of features such as lakes, trees, shrubs, flower-gardens and temples. At Panshanger these principles included paying due attention to ‘Comfort, Convenience, Utility and Magnificence’, while at the same time ensuring that ‘every advantage should be taken of the natural beauties of the situation’.

This is a beautifully-produced volume with expertly photographed full-colour illustrations and with an informative, clearly written introduction by Twigs Way. The Red Books have been reproduced in facsimile with the fine script which Repton employed together with his sketches and watercolours. Repton’s ingenious ‘before’ and ‘after’ views, demonstrated by hinged inserts in his illustrations, have been photographed separately and are displayed on adjacent pages. The book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the history of landscape design, gardens, and the major influence which Repton had on the development of aesthetic taste and the appreciation of natural beauty.

                                                                                                                                                            JOSEPH BETTEY

<i normal\"="">Joseph Bettey was reader in local history at the University of Bristol and is the author of numerous books and articles on agricultural and landscape history, including Estates and the English Countryside.

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By John Christopher

Reviewed by Geoff Saul

THE LOST WORKS OF ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL John Christopher (Amberley 2011 125pp ISBN 978 1 4456 0090 1) £15.99

Unlike most of the literature on Isambard Kingdom Brunel this book is specifically about those of his creations which have not survived. My initial reaction, after a brief cursory look when first received, was ‘Ah! A well illustrated volume’, and there are indeed a great number of pictures, including some new to me. However, although the chapters cover the well known material adequately, in order to identify ‘lost artefacts’, the discussion is generally not on a level that is of any value to local historians because there is no depth of local information. The suggestion in the introductory chapter of a parallel between the Stephensons and the Brunels, father and son, is not justified—maybe between the sons, but certainly not between George Stephenson and Marc Isambard. During the reading of the separate chapters the book ‘falls to pieces’: the order of the chapters appears to be arbitrary, in several cases there are four pictures where one would have made the point, some of the captions do not make clear necessary detail about the location of the artefacts, and (of considerable importance) there is no list of contents, no list of illustrations and no index. The whole appears as though a publisher’s economy drive hit the project without a word to the author.

Two questions arise concerning this genre of ‘biography’. First, was it necessary to write it in the first place, when all the material is already in print? Second, how much artefact material still survives and is never mentioned even if it is recognised? What happened to all the early rails as the rail profile changed? Twenty five years ago, a walk along a West Country main line or redundant branch line, or some canals, would have been particularly revealing. There is one positive aspect which the author could have mentioned but did not. It is always tempting to judge the science and engineering achievements of a former era through today’s eyes and with today’s knowledge. It is extremely difficult to create in one’s mind the state of knowledge a hundred and eight five years ago. We now have the analytical techniques to describe the materials of former times without destroying the artefact. There is a field worthy of investigation …

Geoff Saul worked at what became Brunel University between 1960 and 1982. In 1979 he became the first member of the staff to give the annual Brunel Lecture. It was entitled ‘Unwritten Chapters of the Biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’. Subsequently he has given two ten week WEA courses on IKB.

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By Shap Local History Society

Reviewed by Margaret Shepherd

MARDALE Echoes and reflections of a lost Lakeland community (Shap Local History Society 2011 213pp ISBN 978-0-906839-06-5) £14.95

When reservoirs are created by damming a valley and either extending existing lakes or creating entirely new ones, land is flooded and homesteads may be submerged. Even in this overcrowded country it is unusual to lose a whole community, but Mardale in Westmorland was destined to disappear beneath a new reservoir needed to supplement Manchester’s water supply from Thirlmere. The flooding of the valley greatly enlarged Haweswater, an existing smaller lake, and submerged the entire village of Mardale. The proposal was authorised in the mid-1930s and over the next decade the inhabitants left, Mardale was demolished, the dam was built, the valley was flooded and the work was completed.

The total loss of a community is so rare that inevitably this book’s usefulness in comparative terms is limited. But as a record of Mardale, with a wealth of reminiscences, descriptions of the buildings and accounts of life in the valley before 1940, it offers an insight into a lost world as well as of the community itself. It is these aspects that will appeal to a wider readership and will be of interest to those with Cumbrian roots and to visitors. Here we find life in rural Westmorland, perhaps even in the rural north more generally, evoked in a time that may seem distant to some, but to older readers giving memories of, or references to, a world familiar even if only from tales told by parents and grandparents.

The book has an introduction, eleven main chapters, and an epilogue written by five authors, and it covers history, geology and natural history, traditional life, local customs, the houses, farms, church and school, several local families, reminiscences of family holidays spent in Mardale from the First World War onwards, and references to artists, poets and writers who visited the valley. There are several coloured illustrations and many small black and white photographs. Although Mardale was a remote valley on the eastern edge of the Lake District, the book shows how it had a vibrant community with (as well as  school and church), a boys’ club, a girls’ friendly society, Band of Hope, social gatherings, a reading room  and local customs such as the annual shepherds’ meet. Of particular interest is the chapter describing the Baily family’s association with Mardale where they spent holidays for many years.

The valley is now quieter than other parts of the Lake District, though visited by some tourists and walkers: golden eagles have been introduced, and a wealth of plant and wild life can be seen. Not all was lost: the church pews are inside the hollow dam, the stained glass windows and some of the stones form part of the water tower, and in years of drought such as 1976 and 1995 the skeletal traces of Mardale’s fields, foundations and one of the stone bridges are visible, bring visitors in their hundreds to view the ghostly remains of the lost community. Reading this excellent book would enhance the appreciation by visitors of how the valley was before the dam was built. The members of the Shap Historical Society are to be congratulated on producing a book that tells so much more than just the story of lost Mardale.

MARGARET SHEPHERD

Margaret Shepherd is Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge. She has published two books on Cumbria: From Hellgill to Bridge End: economic and social change in the Upper Eden Valley 1840-1895 and Across the Oceans: emigration from Cumberland and Westmorland before 1914.

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By Amy Coburn and Ruth Nason

Reviewed by Margaret Ashby

THEODORA’S JOURNALS Inside history from Victorian times to the eve of World War Two edited by Amy Coburn and Ruth Nason (Harpenden and District Local History Society 2011 256pp no ISBN) £15+£3 p&p from R. Nason, 3 Hall Close, Empingham, Rutland LE15 8PE

This excellent book deserves a wide audience. Covering the years 1885–1937, it comprises the almost complete diaries of Theodora Wilson of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, but it is far from parochial in approach. The Wilson family lived from 1872-1926 at Rivers Lodge, next to the Rothamsted Experimental Station, overlooking Harpenden Common. Although they were wealthy enough to enjoy travel and take frequent holidays, they had strong social consciences and involved themselves in the local community. They also took a keen interest in national affairs. Theodora had a poor opinion of party politics, writing in December 1885, ‘A general election has taken place. And a most curious struggle it has been … Mr Parnell, the leader of those Irish who wish for home rule, made a league with Lord Salisbury to be on his side ... Oh how the two sides do slander one another. It\'s dreadful’. On 23 September 1889 she was upset to discover that ‘Even in the noblest acts difficulties arise and one wonders what is right. For now good earnest Dr Barnardo is in prison for three months’ hard labour for refusing to give up a child to its lawful guardian certainly but one who had morally forfeited that title. Right and wrong seem so inextricably twisted that one is dazed. Even in Christian England the law of the land is not always at one with the law of Christ’.

The outbreak of war in 1914 made an immediate impact on Harpenden, which Theodora described as having been ‘made into a military depot during the past six weeks. 5000 territorials have been billeted on the inhabitants to the great excitement and considerable inconvenience of housewives ... the whole parish is in a ferment’. Denis, Theodora’s youngest brother, enlisted with the Territorial Army but, she said, he hoped to be able to avoid ‘being called on to kill … We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves, but killing is a different matter’. In 1927 Rivers Lodge was sold and Theodora and her sister Rhoda moved into a newly-built house in Topstreet Way, on the other side of the Common. Their new home was not without its problems: ‘November 1928: It is a wild night which tests the capacity of our new walls and windows. The Crittall windows hold firm ... but the walls have not been perfectly water-tight and the ceilings have caused us much inconvenience. The dining room ceiling has fallen twice’. Life in the 1930s was difficult for many people—even those who, like the Wilson sisters, were financially secure. Theodora concluded that ‘perhaps the outstanding event of 1931 was the great Financial Crisis in August and the general election and forming of the National Government under Ramsay MacDonald in September. It is all part of the world economic crisis brought about by the after-effects of the war ... no nation can now stand apart and live to themselves alone, not even the USA’. The diaries end rather sadly with a catalogue of change and loss ‘among our Harpenden friends’, and a review of ‘the tragic year’ of 1936. On the death of King George V, Theodora commented, ‘Our sympathies went out to the young fair-haired Prince who led the [funeral] procession on foot and his mother and the brothers and sister ... and little Princess Elizabeth ... Poor little lady, the shadow of the throne has come nearer to her’. Amy Coburn and Ruth Nason are to be commended not only for their skilled editing but also for the production of the book which, with its well-chosen type-face and appropriate design, is a pleasure to read.

MARGARET ASHBY

Margaret Ashby was for many years a tutor in local and oral history for the University Of Cambridge Institute Of Continuing Education. She has written a number of books on the history of Stevenage and Hertfordshire and is currently researching a volume for the Hertfordshire Record Society.

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By Wendy Appleton

Reviewed by Ralph Dickson
A LITTLE GIRL’S WAR Wendy Appleton (Amberley 2012 128pp ISBN 978 1 4456 0639 2) £9.99

This is an account of the Second World War as it affected a London family, seen through the eyes of a child but written when she was much older. On occasions she imagines, rather than remembers, what it felt like when the events actually happened. One must admire the author’s remarkable consistency of style. There are, as might be expected, some adult words and expressions, but they never seem to break the illusion that it is a child of five or six who is actually experiencing the events as they take place. It may be that a child is more resilient than an adult and perhaps does not fully appreciate the enormity of what is happening—loss of life, injury, bomb damage, disruption of normal existence … though, looking back, the author asks whether, being a wartime child, she actually had a normal existence. Through the suffering caused by the war we also glimpse ways of life which, even in peacetime, were very different from those of today. The family was poor but extremely resourceful and made a little go a long way. They kept chickens, the father repaired the children’s shoes, and the mother made use of every edible scrap when preparing meals for her large family. The second part of the book describes the evacuation of the author and one of her sisters to Burnley in Lancashire where, by happy chance, they stayed with two maiden ladies who were kindness itself. That is something which not only the author, but also the reader will remember. The book could be regarded as a record of local life in wartime but, because of the way it is written, it could also serve as an introductory book for young people who might go on to study local history. Parents might even read part of it to their children.

RALPH DICKSON

Ralph Dickson is a retired law lecturer.

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By Ivor Slocombe

Reviewed by Ralph Dickson
WILTSHIRE VILLAGE READING ROOMS Ivor Slocombe (Hob Nob Press 2012 104pp ISBN 978 0 946418 91 6) £8

This is an outstanding book. Not only is the subject instructive, but the arrangement and production are first class. Although specifically about a rural county at the end of the nineteenth century, it is also a study of an initiative to improve the life of the agricultural labourer, part of a nationwide movement resulting from a lecture by the Reverend Samuel Best and a speech by Lord Stanley. The aim of the village reading rooms movement was to keep the labourer out of the public house by providing comfortable warm premises with something to read, as well as recreational activities during the winter. Reading rooms were popular—some later developed into libraries and others held various activities which formed the basis for the social life of the village. The formation and survival of the village reading rooms in Wiltshire depended above all on the charity of local landowners. The community itself contributed to the raising of funds, and individuals were prepared to pay a small fee for the use of the amenities. It is interesting to see how the villages differed in regard to the positioning of the reading rooms and the ability to keep them going. The magnificent photographs show that some of the buildings were of a very high standard and indeed are used today as private residences, while others were of corrugated iron. The recreational activities also differed. Some had games such as bagatelle (a type of billiards), as well as billiards itself, and other games, and some provided refreshments. That there was a national movement for the provision of village reading rooms demonstrates that most agricultural labourers were acquiring or has acquired literacy, and this is confirmed by the choice of newspapers and books available. The committees which ran the reading rooms were concerned that there should be a wide range of opinion, but were against extremist views. They took The Times, The Telegraph and other national papers as well as local papers. The author estimates that there may have been as many as 170 village reading rooms in Wiltshire. They no longer exist as such, but some have become village halls. He discusses the reasons for their decline, and gives a list of all known reading rooms in the county, together with a short summary of their history.

RALPH DICKSON

Ralph Dickson is a retired law lecturer.