Friends of the Lake District - The Early Years
On the occasion of a book-launch, Keswick, June 2009.
Although the Friends of the Lake District, founded in 1934, appears to be a younger body than the Northumberland and Newcastle Society founded ten years earlier, the origins of FLD go much further back and it might justifiably claim to be the most venerable of all environmental campaigning societies.
Rydal Water. Photo by Nigel Jenkins
The effect of the extraordinary enthusiasm for railway construction in the mid 19th century left the Lake District virtually boxed in on all sides, enabling wealthy industrialists from Lancashire and Yorkshire to build villas in this beautiful area, increasing the demand for services and ever better transport. So when the railway network was pushed into the heart of the Lake District to Windermere critics, including John Ruskin, moved a protest against further extension to Ambleside and Grasmere and even over Dunmail Raise to Keswick.
The scheme probably died for economic reasons but other threats were more persistent. Manchester Corporation presented a Bill in Parliament to enable them to dam Thirlmere in 1877. A Thirlmere Defence Association was formed but failed to stop construction. A more general alarm at the pressure of development in the Lakes led to the formation of the Lake District Defence Society and then of the National Trust who operated by direct acquisition or by gifts acquired by others.
In the Lake District there was sufficient strength of feeling amongst wealthy highminded people to take the initiative in buying land in order to present it to the National Trust. Even after FLD was set up this continued as a long-stop against encroaching afforestation.
Forestry Commission planting was of course supported by the 1919 Forestry Act to create a strategic reserve of timber. As farms were astonishingly cheap in the Lake District along with other upland areas this was where the Commission sought to consolidate its forest estate. It was only a tremendous public reaction that prevented the loss of much of the open terrain in the heart of the Lake District as we know it today
Slaters Bridge, Little Langdale. Photo © Nigel Slater
FLD and CPRE (founded in 1926) secured an agreement with the Forestry Commission in 1936 with a carefully recorded map of the areas they agreed not to plant. Not content with that FLD then also bought land outside the core area which it then transferred to the National Trust relying on the 1927 National Trust Act which introduced the concept of “inalienability”: the Trust could not sell land it had been given in this way. It would therefore require an Act of Parliament for the Forestry Commission to acquire such land by compulsory purchase for planting. On the issue of road improvement and development FLD fought a largely losing battle; the motorbus, car and lorry were regarded as essential for the local economy. They were more successful in some of the schemes to bring electricity into the heads of valleys. Many lines were put underground to avoid intrusion on the appearance of the heartland dales such as Borrowdale to Seatoller.
The FLD’s greatest campaign was always to be the fight for the creation of National Parks as a means of protecting the finest large tracts of relatively wild countryside in Britain. With about 2500 members at the beginning of the Second World War (larger than CPRE with 1500 at that time) FLD certainly had numerical clout, but much more they had experience and connections with Ministers, Civil Servants and leading public figures to influence attitudes and policies. Sometimes in dispute with CPRE and others over the means to the end FLD was nevertheless recognised as the crucible in which ideas were forged about what British National Parks should be, how they were to be planned, implemented and financed, and above all how they were to be enjoyed.
Friends of the Lake District – the early years. John Cousins; published June 2009 by the Centre for North West Regional Studies, Lancaster University: ISBN978-1- 86220-223-8: £12.95. Paperback, with many illustrations.
City and County
November 2009
