When Danny Boyle unveils his spectacular interpretation of our “green and pleasant land” at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday, I assume it will be accompanied by a stirring rendition of Blake’s “Jerusalem”, the poem that first described England in this way.
As the nation sings along, some of us will also be reminded that another line from the same song inspired the title of the quintessential Olympic movie, Chariots of Fire. This was the story of two British sprinters, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, who won gold in the 100m and 400m respectively at the Paris Olympics of 1924.
But there is a more surprising link between Chariots of Fire and our green and pleasant land than just the lyrics of “Jerusalem”. And that link relates to Harold Abrahams himself, who – as well as being a Olympic champion – was the driving force behind the establishment of Britain’s National Parks.
Abrahams’ achievements off the track were no less remarkable than his athletic accomplishments. He was a practising barrister, re-wrote the rules of athletics and was President of the Amateur Athletic Association, as well as being a published author, BBC commentator and Sunday Times journalist.
Somehow he also found time to be a civil servant, beginning with work at the Ministry of Economic Warfare from 1939-44. He then moved to the new Ministry of Town and Country Planning, where he stayed until 1963. It was during this period that he was appointed Secretary of the National Parks Commission, a role he held from 1950-1963.
Abrahams was responsible for designating the majority of our National Parks during his tenure, the first of which was the Peak District in 1951 (where I was on Friday with the Deputy Prime Minister - more on that tomorrow). The Peak District was followed during the same decade by the Lake District, Snowdonia, Dartmoor, Pembrokeshire Coast, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland and Brecon Beacons.
If you scour some good second-hand bookshops, you can probably still find a copy of a book edited by Abrahams called “Britain’s National Parks”, published in 1959.
As well as being the institution that recognised the importance of some of our most iconic landscapes, the National Parks Commission was the forerunner of the various bodies that have, over the years, been responsible for safeguarding our wildlife and countryside, such as the Countryside Commission and, eventually, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales.
Abrahams won another medal – the CBE – for his work on the National Parks. Though no-one has yet made a film about this one.
The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed in 1949, having been conceived in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. This was an age of austerity but the Government of the time recognised the importance of the countryside to our national morale and well-being. Of course, they had recognised the importance of sport in this respect too, having agreed to host the so-called "Austerity Olympics" in London in 1948.
Let's move on 60 years or so and ask ourselves what's changed. Another London Olympics, staged in a time of severe economic austerity, but which the Government agrees will have a positive effect on national morale. Not much change there, at least.
But what about our countryside? Is it valued as highly as it was in the 1940s? Does the Government of today recognise its importance to our future growth, protecting and investing in it accordingly?
You decide.
Finally, in a further twist, the bronze medallist in that 1924 100m race was one Arthur Porritt from New Zealand, father of another prominent environmentalist, Jonathon Porritt, in what must have been the greenest Olympic 100m final ever.
Who would be in your fantasy green 100m final?
You have until 5 August (when messrs Blake and Bolt battle for gold) to come up with a suggestion to beat the line up of 1924.
Very interesting blog.
Peter Plover