Local people making their corner of rural Britain unique
This week
Saturday 25 November 2006
In this week’s Open Country, Richard Uridge finds colour amid the monochrome greys in the Cumbrian countryside.
No sun - no moon! No morn - no noon - No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day. No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, No comfortable feel in any member - No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! - November! November - By Thomas Hood (1799-1845)
November is here with a vengeance and after the glories of autumn colour, we’re now facing months and months of monochrome grey in the British countryside. But there’s still colour to be found and Richard’s in Cumbria to eke the last rainbow shoots from the landscape.
He’s being driven round by Blue Badge Guide Tom McCafferty. Tom’s an ex-policeman who loves his native Cumbria so much he wants to show it off to visitors … and has a fund of fascinating tales to tell … such as the one about Wordsworth being a real “NIMBY”!
At Whinfell, Richard meets Kelley Sproston, who’s part of the SOS Scheme, that’s Save Our Squirrels, and the squirrels themselves are red. Kelley takes Richard on a “squirrel transect” to log squirrels in this last bastion for the iconic creatures and he discovers that yes, squirrels really do forget where they hide their nuts. They’re looking for volunteers to help, so if you’d like to join in please email Kelley via the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The next colour on Richard’s list is green … and his next stop is at the Honister Slate Mine which produces a distinctive green slate. Helicopter pilot and restaurateur Mark Weir bought and reopened the mine ten years ago, despite having absolutely no experience. But he was guided by his uncle, John Taylor, who’d been in the business all his life and they tell Richard how their difficult relationship blossomed into friendship.
And the last stop on Richard’s tour of Cumbria is in Grasmere. Here he meets artist Judith Dean, artist in residence at the Wordsworth Trust . Judith, like all artists, deals with colour – but she’s also interested in the use of monochrome, working with a variety of media – sculpture, installations, photographs – whichever is appropriate to the place and the ideas that spring up. In particular, she’s fascinated by the combination of inspiration of the new place and the ideas and experiences that she brings with her.
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