Wednesday, October 20, 2021

It became green everywhere in the first spring, after London ended, so that all the country looked alike

The opening chapter of After London is among the best things Richard Jefferies ever wrote. And as this video from South Downs Generations says, the book feels remarkably topical 136 years after it was published.

South Downs Generations is a living history project run as a partnership between the Friends of the South Downs and four West Sussex primary schools.

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2 comments:

  1. Laurence Cox20 October, 2021 14:59

    Non-Londoners may not think so, but London is the most forested urban area in the world:

    https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/did-you-know-that-london-is-the-worlds-largest-urban-forest

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  2. Phil Beesley21 October, 2021 19:06

    It depends on how you draw boundaries. Contemporary London is huge; Berlin is much smaller and almost entirely built-up, but if you extend the boundaries in most directions you go straight into woodland or countryside.

    If you look at the ancient city of Londinium in 21st century aerial photos, patiently, you could count all of the trees.

    Parklands are great but in our cities we have to love the accidental open spaces a bit more.

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