The Local Historian Volume 35, Number 2 May 2005

By Christopher Taylor

The Making of the English Landscape, published in 1955, was one of the most influential books of the second half of the twentieth century. It was initially received with scepticism by academic historians, if they noted its existence at all, but it became, unexpectedly, a best-seller with an enduring popular appeal. No less significant was its eventual acceptance by the academic community, as a result of which it played an instrumental role in the development of the sub-discipline of landscape history, and provided a model for the preparation of works on individual counties and regions. In the longer term, it was a major contributory factor in the emergence, during the 1960s, of the modern forms of the conservation movement, with its emphasis on the notion of landscape as a historical record of exceptional richness and variety. In this article Christopher Taylor, himself a landscape historian of great eminence, considers the changing perceptions of the book and identifies its impact and continuing influence, noting how it stimulated a wealth of research and analysis which, while it may have in many cases altered and rewritten Hoskins' own assumptions and interpretations about the evolution of the English landscape, reinforces many of his beliefs and perceptions. Nothing, he argues, can diminish the seminal role of this fascinating and eminently readable work.

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By Philip S. Brown and Dorothy N. Brown

In 1866 the Weston-super-Mare dispensary was expanded into a small hospital to treat predominantly local patients. It was controlled by prominent local individuals, much like any non-medical charity, and supported by charitable subscribers who recommended patients for admission. Accumulation of funds was slow but was stimulated by enthusiastic support from working men who organised their own collections. Their contribution was acknowledged but they were not represented among those controlling the newly established hospital and a provident element which they had advocated was not adopted. In 1868, a convalescent home, the West of England Sanatorium, was established close to Weston. By contrast, this charity catered not for local patients but specifically for ones from outside Weston. Some local residents supported both hospital and sanatorium but considerable local opposition was expressed initially to the convalescent home. Doctors feared that the charity would deprive them of potential patients, and others feared that an influx of impoverished convalescents would introduce infection, lower social tone and depress property values. Convalescent homes were commonly at seaside resorts and others may be found to have faced similar opposition. Sometimes the strong religious affiliations of their founders may have made them locally unwelcome: many were established by high-church Anglican Sisterhoods when vigorous polarisation existed within the church. At Clevedon for example, the first was set up by a Sisterhood but was followed by a second established by Evangelicals.

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By Ruth Serjeant

This detailed case-study of a particular local venture, the foundation and operation of the School of Industrial Art in the small Suffolk seaside town of Southwold, is used to illustrate some of the more general themes in the 'craft' culture of late Victorian and early twentieth century England. Using as her evidence not only local records, but also a range of contemporary national journals and the records of institutions, Ruth Serjeant demonstrates the importance of upper middle class patrons in sponsoring, financing and managing schools which sought to teach true craftsmanship, in what was perceived as the time-honoured English fashion, to young people, artisans and 'ordinary' folk. She emphasises the way that this was a reaction to the perceived evils of mass production and industrialisation, and places the Southwold example in the context of other such projects and the 'arts and crafts' movement. In an appendix she cross-references all the identifiable individual students with the evidence of the 1891 and 1901 census returns, to reveal the social, employment and family backgrounds of those who were taught in the school, and also lists the type of work and pieces which they created.