THE LOVE OF NATURE

Much of the land is used for human habitation. Partly because of their habitual concern for privacy and their love of the countryside, the English and the Welsh don’t like living in blocks of flats in city centres and the proportion of people who do so is lower than in continental European countries. As a result, cities in England and Wales have, wherever possible, been built outwards rather than upwards.

Most of the British live in towns and cities. But they have an idealized vision of the countryside. To the British, the countryside has almost none of the negative associations which it has in some countries, such as poor facilities, lack of educational opportunities, unemployment and poverty. To them, the countryside means peace and quiet, beauty, health, and no crime. Having a house ‘in the country’ carries prestige. Most of them would live in a country village if they thought they could find a way of earning a living there. Ideally, this village would consist of thatched cottages built around an area known as the ‘village green’. Nearby there would be a pond with ducks on it. Nowadays, such a village is not actually very common, but it is a stereotypical picture that is well-known to the British.

Britain was the first country in the world to appoint a government-sponsored conservation body (the Nature Conservancy, in 1949) and it was in Britain that the first large green pressure group was founded (the World Wildlife Fund in 1961, now the Worldwide Fund for Nature).

Large areas of the country are official ‘national parks’ where almost no building is allowed. There is an organization called the Ramblers’ Association to which more than a hundred thousand enthusiastic country walkers belong. Maps can be bought which mark the routes of all public footpaths in the country.

A notable indication of the British reverence for both the countryside and the past is the strength of the National Trust. This is an officially recognized charity whose aim is to preserve as much of Britain’s countryside and as many of its historic buildings as possible by acquiring them ‘for the nation’. With more than three million member, it is the largest landowner in Britain (after the crown and the Forestry Commission). Included in its property is more than 600 miles of the coastline. The importance of its work has been supported by several laws, among which is one which does not allow even the government to take over any of its land without the approval of Parliament.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1237