Bainbridge, 18 November 2024
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the national youth charity, YHA (England & Wales), today hosted a celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.
Around 50 guests gathered at Malham youth hostel, close to the village of Kirkby Malham where the legislation was conceived, to witness the unveiling of a Yorkshire Society blue plaque to John Dower.
Chief guests were the children and grandchildren of John Dower. Born in Ilkley, Dower was a civil servant and architect who, while living in Malhamdale in the 1940s, wrote the seminal report which led to the creation of National Parks in the UK. It was a parliamentary paper setting out the purposes of National Parks and identifying the areas within England and Wales which could be considered for National Park status. The report, “National Parks in England and Wales”, was published in 1945 and led to the development and passing of the Act four years later.
John Dower died at the age of 47 just before the passing of the Act, which became part of the re-build of Britain following the trauma of the Second World War, providing a level of protection for the nation’s finest landscapes and an opening up of the countryside.
Also present at the event was Baroness Hayman, the minister responsible for access at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), as well as representatives of Natural England, the National Association for National Landscapes, Campaign for National Parks, Field Studies Council and the Open Spaces Society.
The celebration happened just two days after the 70th anniversary of the date on which the Yorkshire Dales National Park was established in 1954.
Robin Dower, the youngest of John and Pauline Dower’s three children, was a boy in shorts when a photograph was taken in 1948 at the entrance of YHA Malham (below). At the event he posed for a photograph in the same place, beside the blue plaque (feature image above).
In a short speech he said his parents, fearing the outbreak of war, came to Kirkby Malham in 1939, and that his father, invalided out of the war, was appointed by Sir John Reith, minister of town and country planning, to draft a report on National Parks.
Robin Dower said: “As my father died in 1947 when I was eight I cannot really remember much about his work on the National Parks Report, except through the lens of my mother’s work to fulfil his vision after her appointment in 1949 as a member, and later Deputy Chair, of the National Parks Commission. The friends and colleagues with whom my father had campaigned before the war for the creation of National Parks and the establishment of wider access to the countryside remained a huge and loyal circle of friends for my mother, greatly encouraging her and offering her hospitality both in London where the Commission’s office was her base, and out in or near the National Parks on her frequent field visits to determine boundaries or the impact of proposed quarrying, road development or forestry planting. She was meticulous in presenting evidence at public inquiries and was glad to be able to stay with friends within easy reach of a site.”
Defra Minister Baroness Sue Hayman said: “These landmark laws were instrumental in improving access to nature, enshrining the rights of people in post-war Britain to be able to experience the many benefits of spending time in green spaces.
“Today’s event on the 75th anniversary of National Parks and National Landscapes is an opportunity to celebrate these special places, the people that made it happen and look ahead to their future.
“This Government will make our Protected Landscapes greener and wilder, so they are enjoyed for years to come.”
David Butterworth, Chief Executive Officer of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “It is humbling to recognise and celebrate the life and work of one of your heroes, and, because of John Dower, to proudly claim that National Parks in England and Wales were made here in the Yorkshire Dales.
“John came up with a vision for National Parks inspired by the environs of Malhamdale. He knew there was a popular desire for National Parks in a post-war nation longing for access to the countryside, and his wife, Pauline – a great conservationist in her own right – worked tenaciously for decades after his death to see the vision become a reality. The story of the Dowers deserves this recognition, in this 75th anniversary year of the National Parks Act, and 70th anniversary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.”
James Blake, Chief Executive of YHA (England & Wales) said: “I am delighted that we were able to recognise such a significant anniversary in history at Malham youth hostel. It was not only designed by John Dower but it was the first purpose-built youth hostel in Yorkshire. Today we have five youth hostels in the Yorkshire Dales which are much loved by the thousands of schools and young people and their families that visit them each year.
“YHA was one of the organisations that commissioned the landmark Dower Report that led to the Access to the Countryside Act and subsequent establishment of the National Parks. Half of our hostels are in National Parks and their foundation has been critical in enabling us to help millions of young people access these beautiful spaces.
“Through innovative initiatives like Generation Green, giving thousands of young people opportunities to connect to nature, the unique relationship between YHA and National Parks is thriving as much today as it was 75 years ago.”
Jayne Butler, Executive Director at National Parks England, said: “Seventy-five years ago Britain’s National Parks were intended to play a huge role in ensuring access to nature and improved health and wellbeing. They are still serving this purpose today.
“We need to address the physical and mental health of people, grow our economy and shift our way of life to address the challenges of the decline in nature and the climate emergency. National Parks were part of the answer in 1949 and they are still part of the answer today to the crises in health, nature and climate.”
The event included an opportunity to see the work of young people, tomorrow’s conservationists, in action, through the Generation Green initiative. There was also a walk led by Malham farmer Neil Heseltine, a former Chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and National Parks England. He shared insights into his work to increase biodiversity and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
This was a marvelous event to celebrate the history of the establishment of the National Parks by the Labour government in 1949, and a gathering of the ’49ers’ (the campaign groups). A bonus to talk to John Dower’s family. CPRE, the countryside charity also attended, paying homage to the campaigners who had the foresight to protect the natural environment for everyone’s benefit in the future. The walk and talk with the farmer from Hill Top Farm, Malham was interesting. Good to learn that environmentally responsible land management was good for nature and for farm yields. Looking forward CPRE hopes to engage with as many groups as possible to ensure National Parks are enjoyed by all, particularly those who are under-represented in the countryside to date. YHA ‘green shoots’ programme seems like a fantastic opportunity for children and young adults to experience nature and farming in National Parks. Education and health and well-being benefits a plenty.
BTW the man holding the pipe was H Warwick