Bill Bryson - Icons of England

Edited by

Bill Bryson

BLACK SWAN

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ICONS OF ENGLAND
A BLACK SWAN BOOK: 9780552776356

First published in Great Britain
in 2008 by Think Books
Black Swan edition published 2010

Copyright Pan Macmillan Ltd, CPRE, Think Publishing 2008. This 2010 edition copyright CPRE and Transworld Publishers

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THE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND warmly thanks all those who have contributed to this book. We dedicate it to the many thousands of volunteers who have worked so hard and given so freely of their time since we were founded in 1926.

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T HIS COLLECTION OF PIECES celebrating rural England does not only focus on the rolling hillsides and spectacular landscapes that set England apart from the rest of the world. Many of the contributors bring their own special touch, with personal anecdotes and refreshingly original choices of icons representing what the English countryside really means to them.

First published as a lavishly illustrated hardback, this new paperback edition has double the number of new contributions from many well-known fi gures. The sale of every copy will support the campaigning work of CPRE, the organization which is dedicated to a beautiful and living countryside.

His Royal Highness
The Prince of Wales

CLARENCE HOUSE

There is perhaps a rich irony in the fact that it takes an American, albeit one who has lived in these islands for many years, to recognize, celebrate and fight to preserve so much of what is precious about our country. There can be no-one who more deserves the title of honorary Englishman than Bill Bryson. Through his books, films and his campaigning as President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England he has done so much to help us appreciate the wonders and charms which surround us and to which, too often, we seem utterly blind. We all owe him the greatest possible debt, and so I could not be more pleased to write a foreword to this remarkable book, Icons of England.

And what greater icon could we have than our countryside, which I have always believed helps to define our identity as a nation? England is blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The patchwork quilt of fields, moors, forests, villages, and market towns which spreads across this land is the product of a golden combination of Natures gift to us and the toil and care of generations of farmers and their families who have managed the land. To me, it embodies Englands very soul and is as precious as any Cathedral. The dry stone walls, the hedges, the thatched cottages, the village Churches, pubs, post offices and shops are at the heart of what it means to be English, as are the people whose skills and craftsmanship and commitment keep them alive.

For more than eighty years, the Campaign to Protect Rural England has been leading the fight to preserve the remaining delicate fabric of our countryside. The foresight of the founding fathers was extraordinary in 1926 Clough Williams-Ellis, whom I remember well and admire greatly, published England and the Octopus, an anti- sprawl polemic, and in the same year Sir Patrick Abercrombie wrote his paper, The Preservation of Rural England. The fight has continued since then and great successes have been won. Indeed, the recent creation of the South Downs National Park, sixty years after it was first proposed, shows the importance of perseverance and is a huge cause for optimism. When we do all come together to work towards a goal, so much can be achieved. It gives me hope that we will not allow our traditions and heritage to be swept away, and that we will look once more to the land for nourishment, healing, wisdom and inspiration.

When asked what, for them, encapsulates the English countryside, the contributors to this book came up with a wide variety of personal icons, from a favourite landscape to a treasured monument, from a particular species of wildlife to a familiar rustic emblem or rural tradition. Together they have created an eclectic and richly varied celebration of Englands countryside. I pray that this book will inspire us all to work tirelessly to preserve everything that is best in our magnificent countryside and to ensure that it remains at the very heart of our great island story.