TES piece on GCSE Natural History

This TES piece includes some elements of the responses to the  consultation on the proposed subject content of the new GCSE Natural History from the RGS and the GA.

Steve Brace of the GA is quoted in the piece on some of the elements of the GA's response to the consultation.

These include concerns over the shortage of teachers who might teach the new specification, and the fieldwork elements of the course. The fieldwork may be difficult for some schools due to their location, but may also adversely affect the habitats that students are being asked to investigate.

Centenary Royal patronage in 1993 - the Centenary year

In 1993, Princess Anne visited the GA's Centenary conference as a result of an invitation, which I came across when looking in the GA Archives earlier in the week. 

She was asked to be Patron of the GA's Centenary celebrations. I came across a number of original letters relating to this visit.

Here's the invitation to her, written by Simon Catling from the GA Archive - copyright with the GA as with all archive images, newspaper and journal extracts etc.

I also found the original version of the image below, which has been reproduced elsewhere.... I recognised Simon Catling on the right but not the other two gentlemen. 

It turns out that the person on the left in this image is Paul May, who was teaching at Wickersley Comprehensive School at the time. This was the school I went to (and left in 1982 to start my degree).

Here's the caption that I came across:

She is seen holding a copy of the GA's 'Teaching Geography' journal, and also a copy of W G V Balchin's Centenary volume, which has been a major source of information for many of the entries on this blog.

There was a report on the visit in the GA News. I came across a complete bound copy of all early issues of GA News.

Princess Anne spoke for 25 minutes, and pointed out the value of Geography in several different ways. 

Source:

Boardman, David, and Michael McPartland. “A Hundred Years of Geography Teaching Towards Centralisation: 1983—1993.” Teaching Geography, vol. 18, no. 4, 1993, pp. 159–63. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23754550. Accessed 19 Aug. 2022.

10 000 members

Yesterday, a piece that I had written went up on the GA website to celebrate the fact that we had broken through the 10 000 member mark for the first time in quite some time after decades of slow decline in GA membership. 

This is really encouraging and also a challenge for the Association to continue to provide the quality of support and services that members expect and deserve, and also to retain members. It's important for the work that the GA does that we are speaking on behalf of so many people when it comes to consultations and policy work. Thanks to everyone who has joined us and continues to support the Geographical Association.

David Gardner

The blog has shared stories of numerous individuals who have been involved with the GA over the years. The latest to be mentioned here is David Gardner. Here he is presenting at an event at the GA HQ in Sheffield in the Patrick Bailey Room.

He has worked on a number of projects and publications, drawing on his experience of working with QCA and also as an experienced and prolific author of textbooks and other resources. 

From David's LINKEDIN biography:

For 6 years he led and managed major curriculum and research projects as part of his work at the QCDA. Before that he was the author of various textbooks, teacher guides, and websites for a range of publishers and subjects including geography, history and ICT. David has 28 years experience as a teacher of geography, history, and ICT. 

From 2011 to 2014 David led PGCE Geography at Goldsmiths University, and was Senior Lecturer in PGCE Geography at UCL Institute of Education, from 2014 until August 2018. From July 2012 to February 2013 he was also subject leader for PGCE Geography at the Open University. David is a freelance educational consultant.

As senior advisor at QCA/QCDA he led for the subject two national curriculum reviews - primary and secondary, the development of new GCSE and GCE qualifications.

David has also extensive experience of working with teachers to develop curriculum around the world leading workshops in a range of countries including Kazakhstan, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait, UAE and Singapore.

His most recent substantial project is the KS3 Hodder book 'Progress in Geography' with associated support materials. I also have a copy of his pack produced by Heinemann many years ago called 'ICT Activities in Geography'. If you see a map of Scarborough in a book it's probably been written by David.

David also wrote the accompanying 'Skills' book for the Hodder series which won a GA Award this year.

OFSTED Research Review - GA Presidential connections

I mentioned the OFSTED Research Review a week or so ago, and the heavy involvement of former GA Presidents in its content.

This reminds people perhaps of the ongoing work that the GA does in the area of policy and also the link with research that many Presidents have been involved in over the decades.

Presidents referenced in the report include the following, with the number of references added:

- Professor Simon Catling - 9

- John Halocha - 2

- Fran Martin - 9

- Steve Rawlinson - 2

- John Hopkin - 2

- Norman Graves

- Gill Miller

- Patrick Bailey

- Halford MacKinder

- Eleanor Rawling - 2

- Mary Biddulph - 6

- Margaret Roberts

Some other GA stalwarts, and those with GA connections mentioned include:

- Rachel Bowles

- Tessa Willy

- Clare Brooks

- David Lambert

- Liz Taylor

- Steve Pickering

- Doreen Massey

- Simon Renshaw

- Phil Wood

- Alan Kinder

- Lauren Hammond

- David Balderstone

- Paula Owens

- Nicola Walshe

- Grace Healy

- Trevor Bennetts

- Charles Rawding

- John Morgan

- Bill Marsden

- Simon Oakes

- Charlotte Milner

- Steve Puttick

- Alastair Bonnett

- Richard Bustin

- Jane Ferretti

- David Hicks

- Paul Weeden

- Jane Whittle

- Jennifer Hill

- Mark Jones

- Anthony Barlow

- Linda Thompson

Commons Select Committee Evidence

The Geographical Association has often been called on to present evidence to official consultations and documents, and at times to Parliamentary Select Committees: particularly where that involves curriculum change or related educational issues. This work continues to the present day, with Alan Kinder being involved in such consultations and policy work regularly, along with other GA volunteers and staff. When I worked at Solly Street we were often called on to comment - I usually deferred such work to John Lyon as he has a good face for radio. :)

Here's an example provided by Richard Daugherty.

Parliamentary proceedings are all reported in Hansard.

This took place in April 1981 when there were discussions over curriculum content and what students should be learning in geography. It's interesting to see the way that subjects were viewed and also some of the preconcieved notions that members of the Education Select Committee had on the value of geography (and other subjects).

1998: Mr. Roger C Carter

Updated August 2022

When I first started writing this blog entry, I couldn't find much about Roger C Carter, and he remained a bit of a mystery, but I have assembled more with thanks to the Presidents who served near to him, particularly Jeremy Krause.

Roger was the editor of the first Primary Geography Handbook in the year of his Presidency and was working as Geography advisor and school inspector at the time.

Jeremy Krause told me:

"Roger was born in 1938 in Hove and attended Hove County Grammar School. His childhood was spent camping on the South Downs, reading maps, earning badges and proudly becoming a Queen’s Scout before studying at Nottingham University. A grounding for his love of geography, life and Brighton and Hove Albion!"

He was the youngest of four children.

After University he embarked on a career in education, first as a teacher and then as an Inspector. He was one of those teachers who would regularly have ex-pupils approaching them to say hello, often

years after the said pupils had left school. He mixed professionalism and competence with humour, approachability and a passion for his subject: Geography. This mix would be the hallmark of his whole

professional career."

From the family eulogy, via Jeremy Krause:

"He taught at Coalbrookdale School and at Abraham Darby School, and although his professional life then moved to Staffordshire, he continued to live in Shropshire. He fell in love with this county and

lived for the majority of his life there. He loved the beauty of the countryside and the view of Wenlock Edge from the house, not to mention the interesting oxbow lakes on the Severn near Buildwas."

Roger was also involved in an intiative called TVEI, which for a while was very significant in education. In my own school, in the late 1980s we had a colleague who was actually geography trained, but worked on the TVEI initiative. TVEI stands for Technical and Vocational Education Initiative. 

Roger wrote about the TVEI and Geography as well.

Professor Simon Catling told me that he was a LEA Inspector in Staffordshire which gave me something to go on, and do some more research.

He was an advisory teacher and Inspector in Staffordshire for over 20 years, according to items submitted to 'Teaching Geography', so he must have predated Chris Durbin in the role (more on Chris in a future post as we approach the founding of SLN close to this time)

I also found him featured on the front cover of the GA News in 1998. This also mentions the appointment of the GA's first new Chief Executive Martin Curry, who will have a post on the blog later. Roger was helpful in supporting Jeremy Krause, who will also have a post on the blog in due course, in organising the running of the Association for a while around this time. There was also significant work to respond to consultations:

Carter, Roger. “A Modular Approach to a Relevant Curriculum.” Teaching Geography, vol. 13, no. 2, 1988, pp. 57–60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23754721. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

Carter, Roger. “The GA Responds to the Draft Proposals for Geography.” Teaching Geography, vol. 19, no. 4, 1994, pp. 158–159. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23756163. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

Details of Roger's Presidential Address were published in GA News in July 1999, and in Geography in October 1999. It was delievered at UMIST, and was on the theme of 'Connecting Geography'.



Keith Grimwade also has memories of him from his own time working on GA Committees, and also the Action Plan for Geography.

"I remember Roger Carter’s choice of hotels - he was always looking to save the GA money and we stayed at some interesting places, some of which seemed very busy in the early hours of the morning!"

In his Presidential Address, Roger talked about 'An Agenda for Action' and connecting up Key Stages and other geographies.

Roger says in his address that:

"I came across the details of the Staffordshire Geographical Exhibition of 1934. The Exhibition gave rise to an account, edited by Jasper H. Stembridge. Here is an extract from Stembridge's account:

 'The Staffordshire Geographical Exhibition proved that the popular press and the general public are deeply interested in education. On the second day the Exhibition was thronged. On the third and subsequent days it was so crowded in the afternoons and evenings that it was often difficult to make one's way round the rooms. Owing to requests received from all parts of the country it was decided to keep it open for a further three days' (Stembridge, 1934, p. 12). 

Sir Frances Goodenough, wrote, in a letter to The Times: 

A remarkable and valuable exhibition. An exhibition of modern methods of teaching geography as practised in every type of institution in the county, from the infant school to Birmingham University. The Exhibition is the product of unusually complete teamwork in which teachers, the LEA, the Board of Education and the employers have all co-operated' 

(Sir Frances Goodenough quoted in Stembridge, 1934)

The then President of the GA, Professor PM. Roxby, was equally enthusiastic about the event: 'Here was the new geography - pulsating with life - presented with a freshness of outlook, but with a deep conviction of the importance of the subject and its underlying principles' (Roxby quoted in Stembridge, 1934, p. 13).

The following came from Jeremy Krause:

At the start of his GA Presidential Address in 1999 Roger looked around the packed lecture theatre and said, ‘There’s a lot of you… I’m used to seeing you in small groups in pubs and meeting rooms.’ We were those in small groups and as individuals who gained so much from being with Roger. This wasn’t a random action, it was central to Roger’s being.

It’s best summed up by a quote from the ‘Geovisions’ project, in which he played such an important part, used in the conclusion of his Address.

‘We need: A renewed emphasis on the professionalism of teachers.

We need fewer voices telling us what to do and how to do it.

Equally, we must reassert our own professional responsibility.’

Roger was so generous of spirit, we were all blessed to know him, work with him, share a joke, but also be prepared to be challenged and expected to find a better way to teach and learn geography.

His employment over the years involved schools in Shropshire and Staffordshire; Madeley College; Staffordshire LA, the GA’s Geography Adviser Network; the Geography North-West Consortium, TIDE and Government Agencies.

In the late 1990s, when he chaired the Education Committee of the GA (a position which is now held by the acting President during their Presidential year, Roger started a discussion about the future of Geography in the National Curriculum.

https://www.tes.com/news/feet-back-firmer-ground - TES piece from 1994

Roger died in 2017. His obituary was written by Jeremy Krause, who also passed me further documents on his life.

This is the cover of the first Primary Geography handbook which Roger edited - some reading this may well have copies on their shelves. Roger was also instrumental in shaping the GA's CPD programme, which continues to this day, and which I had the privilege of being involved with for many years.

If anyone knows more about Roger Carter and his work for the GA, or has other memories please get in touch. Particular thanks to Jeremy Krause here.

References

Carter, R. (ed.) (1998), Handbook of Primary Geography, Sheffield: Geographical Association

Carter, Roger. “Millennium 2000 Geography.” Teaching Geography, vol. 22, no. 4, 1997, pp. 195–195. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23755757. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

Carter, Roger. “A Modular Approach to a Relevant Curriculum.” Teaching Geography, vol. 13, no. 2, 1988, pp. 57–60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23754721. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

LYNCH, KENNETH. “The Future of Geography: The Debate Continues.” Geography, vol. 87, no. 2, 2002, pp. 155–159. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40573671. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

CARTER, ROGER. “Connecting Geography: An Agenda for Action.” Geography, vol. 84, no. 4, 1999, pp. 289–297. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40573334. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

Ofsted Revisited

Campion, Kate, et al. “OFSTED Revisited: How to Make the Best Use of Prior Experience.” Teaching Geography, vol. 22, no. 4, 1997, pp. 170–172. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23755750. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

Written with Jeremy Krause.

Updated February 2021

A really interesting article that Roger wrote for Primary Geography.

Thanks to Simon Catling for the image from his archive.

The photo at the top of the blog post is courtesy of Kate Russell, via Jeremy Krause, and was taken at Roger's retirement do from his Staffordshire Advisory service job.

Updated March 2021

While doing some preparation for some CPD for Primary colleagues, I noticed that Tessa Willy's 

Primary Handbook published by the GA called 'Leading Primary Geography' is dedicated to Roger.

A memory from Jeremy Krause

At the start of his GA Presidential Address in 1999, Roger Carter looked around the packed lecture theatre and said, ‘There’s a lot of you… I’m used to seeing you in small groups in pubs and meeting rooms.’ We were those in small groups and as individuals who gained so much from being with Roger. This wasn’t a random action, it was central to Roger’s being. It’s best summed up by a quote from the ‘Geovisions’ project, in which he played such an important part, used in the conclusion of his Address.

‘We need: A renewed emphasis on the professionalism of teachers. We need fewer voices telling us what to do and how to do it. Equally, we must reassert our own professional responsibility.’ 

Roger’s impact on us as individuals was best expressed in his son Alan’s eulogy where he referred to messages from former colleagues, ’ Dad was an inspiration to them, or gave them the start which defined their subsequent career, or helped them at a difficult time. ‘ I am proud to say I was one of those who Roger valued and supported. 

1996: GA News

1996 saw consultation on GCSEs and 'A' levels. An important time for many teachers as this would determine topics and approaches for some years to come. This important policy work, and responses to consultations has been a feature of the GA's work as well, with generations of GA Presidents being involved in collating responses to educational change. This is another reason to be a member of the GA: so that your voice can be heard, and viewpoints taken into account.

1989-90: National Curriculum Working Group

The National Curriculum Working Group has been mentioned elsewhere on the blog. It included several former GA Presidents.

Graham Butt: a name who has been linked with the Assocation for many years, studied this for his doctoral thesis, which can be downloaded and read as a PDF.
This fed into the Dearing Review, and resulted in an excellent book edited by Graham on Futures in Geography Education. 

Another reminder of how involved in curriculum change the GA has been over the decades.

1987: Progress on many fronts

1987 saw a period of plenty of activity, with the Case for Geography, ongoing discussions over a National Curriculum, the 5-16 document from DES and responses and other activity. The GA was now on a sound financial footing.

There was also reference to the Education Standing Committee (ESC), now known as Education Group, and the work of the other committees. Members of GA committees work away, often in the background, providing valuable support for this sort of work.

References

Humphrys, Graham, et al. “Annual Report of The Geographical Association 1987.” Geography, vol. 73, no. 2, 1988, pp. 162–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40571395. Accessed 14 Nov. 2020.

The GA's responses to curriculum debates in the 1970s and early 80's - 2 of 2

This is the second part of an article written for me by Richard Daugherty, GA President in 1989. See Part 1 yesterday for the context: a move towards a National Curriculum framework.

During that time, the GA was also one of the leading members of the Council of Subject Teaching Associations (COSTA). When the House of Commons Select Committee invited a COSTA delegation to submit evidence to it about the school curriculum in April 1981, the GA sent me, as Honorary Secretary (Education) as its representative.

An extract (page 174) from the Hansard minute of that meeting offers some insights into two of the main issues that were raised by Select Committee members.

Hansard - GA Response to Framework Curriculum Proposals (1) by Alan Parkinson on Scribd

A Conservative MP, Patrick Cormack, clearly believed that knowledge of place names was being undervalued in the GA's leaflet (see previous post). Referring to the capitals of European countries, he says "I went to one school recently and none of them (the pupils) knew any of them."

Which hindsight,  could acknowledgement that place knowledge had a role, if not a major role in the teaching of geography have helped the GA be better prepared for the National Curriculum arguments later in the 1980s? 

On the same page of the Hansard report (above) is my attempt to respond to a question from the Committee Chair: Christopher Price by welcoming on behalf of the GA, a potential "common system of examination" for 16 year olds. 

This would within a short period become the GCSE that was introduced in 1986.

Thanks again to Richard Daugherty for both of these posts.

The GA's responses to curriculum debates in the 1970s and early 80s - 1 of 2

I am grateful to Richard Daugherty for taking the time to send me a number of contributions to the blog. Richard was the GA President in 1989, and his own entry on the blog will appear in a month or so.

In the 1980s, Richard was heavily involved in the GA's response to the proposals for a National Curriculum. This sort of advisory work has gone on for decades and often happens in the background, with many GA members being unaware of the effort that goes into shaping curriculum and assessment. I have been involved in a little bit of this myself, going back about 15 years.

GA Council, which used to make decisions on GA Policy and other work were aware of the emerging National framework for Geography following an earlier speech by James Callagham which I have blogged about recently.

The following text and documents were provided by Richard. The documents themselves were uploaded for Scribd for ease of access and reading.

Throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the GA was responding to emerging ideas from Government and from the Inspectorate that would eventually result in a statutory National Curriculum for schools in England and Wales. The first section of a discussion paper for a meeting of GA Council in March 1980 summarises developments up to that point.

GA Council Paper March 1980 by Alan Parkinson

Shortly after that meeting, I co-wrote an article with Rex Walford for the Times Educational Supplement (TES), published on 18th April 1980, commenting on the curriculum proposals.

It was titled "Overlooked in the Secret Garden".

Here's Part 1 of the article.

TES Article Page 1 18th Apr... by Alan Parkinson

Here's Part 2 of the article

TES Article Page 2 18 April... by Alan Parkinson

The GA then decided to prepare and circulate a leaflet to summarise the main features of what we believed to be the subject's contribution to the education of young people'.

'Geography in the School Curriculum 5-16' was published in January 1981.

It can be seen below:

GA Pamphlet Re School Curri... by Alan Parkinson

The GA leaflet 'Geography in the School Curriculum 5-16' was distilled from lengthy discussions in GA committees into a summary of what was then agreed as the Association's view on geography's contribution to the curriculum.

Part 2 to come tomorrow.

1986-7: Kenneth Baker

An interesting debate carried on from 1985 and Keith Joseph's speech at a special one-day conference in King's College, London in June 1985.

The GA had responded to 7 questions posed by Keith Joseph, but he was then replaced by Kenneth Baker. The letter defined elements of the GA's emerging policy towards a National Curriculum.

This had 4 key bullet points:

1. Understanding geography should be a fundamental part of every child's education

2. Geography had powerful integrating qualities in itself 'with strong links in both the sciences and the arts' and should not be seen as just a humanities subject

3. Direct observation and investigation of the environment was an important part of geographical work and should be undertaken by every pupil

4. Geography could be a vehicle for the study and discussion of controversial social and environmental issues and therefore should be studied by all up to the age of 16.

The GA tried to arrange a meeting with Mr. Baker unsuccessfully, so worked on 'A Case for Geography', edited by Patrick Bailey and Tony Binns.

This arrived on Ken Baker's desk in 1987. Baker had studied History at Oxford and he wanted to change that.

According to Rex Walford, when the GA's delegation finally arrived at his office in June 1987, he told them that Geography would find a distinctive place in the National Curriculum he was about to announce. 

This didn't turn out to be as clear cut as he had suggested. Baker had to defend his plans against Margaret Thatcher who wanted to change them.

I was broadly aware of the changes in the offing as I was completing my PGCE at this time.

The next stage was to put together a Geography Working Group to advise DES officials. This met for the first time in May 1989.

References

Rex Walford's book on UK School Geography - it is well worth reading the section on this period in this book if you can, as Rex talks about the various threats that geography safely navigated at this time, some of which were beyond the influence of the GA....

1985 - Keith Joseph on geography in schools

Updated October 2020

In 1985, the Secretary of State for Education addressed the GA's Conference and talked about some proposed changes to the school curriculum.

This resulted in a response from the GA, which was concerned at the implications for Geography's position on the school curriculum. I have blogged that previously, slightly out of sequence perhaps.

In his book on UK School geography, Rex Walford talks about his involvement in the response, and also the work of Patrick Bailey and Tony Binns (who are coming up on the blog shortly) in writing 'A Case for Geography'.

Keith Joseph asked 7 questions and Patrick Bailey responded, sort of calling his bluff according to Rex Walford.

There was also a response from Denys Brunsden, who was Senior Vice President of the GA at the time, on behalf of the BGRG.

This was all part of an ongoing process starting with a James Callaghan speech in the 1970s which opened up the 'secret garden' of curriculum. It became known as the 'Great Debate'.

Geography was a popular option under a 'free market', but the emergence of the TVEI (I used to have a TVEI tie back in the day) was an element in cutting down choice. It also led to the founding of COBRIG in 1988 and closer working with the RGS-IBG.

This was about getting "a place in the sun".

References

"A Case for Geography" - published by the GA, edited by Patrick Bailey and Tony Binns

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40571306.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23751212.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A6ebe5211589a8ba858eec7824db86441 - responses to Keith Joseph from Patrick Bailey

Bailey, Patrick. “A Reply to Sir Keith Joseph's Seven Questions, from the President of the Geographical Association.” Teaching Geography, vol. 11, no. 2, 1986, pp. 64–67. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23751212. Accessed 31 Oct. 2020.

1982: Curriculum Change

Rex Walford was involved in coordinating the GA's response to a period of curriculum change in the early 80s.
He wrote about the GA's involvement in 1982 in the 'Geography' journal.
The GA was involved in these consultations through a group called COSTA: the Council of Subject Teaching Associations. This no longer exists, although there is still a Council for Subject Associations of which the GA is a member.


This work is an important part of what the GA does to guide the development of the subject and the way it is assessed, and the content which forms part of any national curriculum, as well as advising on more local curriculum projects as well.

Reference
“Recent Involvement of the Geographical Association in the Curriculum Debate.” Geography, vol. 67, no. 1, 1982, pp. 71–75. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40570476. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

1980: GA thoughts on the school curriculum

A report by Richard Daugherty and Rex Walford in response to Government proposals for the School Curriculum, published in 1980. Another of the many policy documents the GA has created over the years.


Reference
Daugherty, R., & Walford, R. (1980). GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS FOR THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN ENGLAND AND WALES. Geography, 65(3), 232-235. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40569279

1977: Green Paper on Education

Some interesting things to consider here: the instrumental aims of schools according to the 1977 Green Paper.... One of many such documents the GA has responded to over the years as part of its policy work.


From Norman Graves paper...

Reference
GRAVES, N. (1979). Contrasts and Contradictions in Geographical Education. Geography, 64(4), 259-267. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40569981

GA and RGS-IBG

This post makes a start at exploring some of the many connections between the GA and the RGS-IBG over the years.

At the AGM of the GA held in 1904, at the London School of Economics, there was a

Following the war, the RGS offered its premises to the GA for their use for meetings, as they had remained undamaged. These weren't the current premises on Exhibition Road, and Lowther Lodge, which is the iconic current 'home of Geography'.

Many GA Presidents were also President of the Royal Geographical Society (either before or after holding the GA Presidency), or held other posts such as Secretary or Librarian, or worked on the RGS Council.
Numerous GA Presidents were also Fellows of the RGS and remain so today.

The IBG also had strong connections, with GA Presidents, who were founder members of the IBG

I am sure in thefuture that the bonds between the Association and the Royal Society for geographers will remain strong. The changing world ahead of us demands no less.

References
“THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION.” The Geographical Teacher, vol. 2, no. 4, 1904, pp. 146–152. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40556219.

1937: Professor Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (later Sir)

Last updated June 2024

Patrick Abercrombie was a major person in the development of town planning, and was another of the Presidents who were chosen because of their public profile, rather than a connection with geography teaching per se.
I remember learning about his work in a module on planning which formed part of my degree in the early 1980s.

His name has since cropped up with respect to BAAS Section E and links with Sir Peter Hall, who is referenced quite a bit on the blog.  

He was born in Cheshire, and studied at Liverpool School of Architecture.

His work's legacy persists today and is still influential in discussions around town planning.

When he became GA President, the Second World War was approaching, but there was still a lot of change occurring in the British landscape.

Following the Second World War, Abercrombie became a leading person in the rebuilding of London and other places. This was also a time when planning was a big focus of the BAAS Section E.

His work led to the New Towns Act which has left a legacy of cities across the UK, and work on other cities which have been influenced by the movement, spreading worldwide.

From his Wikipedia page (shared under CC license)

Sir Patrick trained as an architect before becoming the Professor of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool School of Architecture in 1915, and later Professor of Town Planning at University College London. 

Afterwards, he made award-winning designs for Dublin city centre and was involved in the replanning of several other cities, including Hull.

He was also closely involved in the founding of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE). After its formation in December 1926, he served as its Honorary Secretary. This is yet another important institution with a link to a GA President.

When Abercrombie became GA President, he had not yet completed his most famous work, which was yet to come after the Second World War.

His Presidential Address was entitled 'Geography, the basis of Planning'.

ABERCROMBIE, PATRICK. “GEOGRAPHY, THE BASIS OF PLANNING.” Geography, vol. 23, no. 1, 1938, pp. 1–8. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40560522. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.

Duncan Hawley (and other geologists) need to look away from this extract.



He championed the idea of a Green Belt around London, and contributed to the Royal Commission on the Distribution of the Industrial Population, the report of which (Barlow Report) appeared in 1940. Green Belts are very much in the news in the summer of 2023 in terms of their suggested impact on new housing which is needed.

He is perhaps best known for the post-Second World War replanning of London. He created the County of London Plan (1943) and the Greater London Plan (1944) which are commonly referred to as the Abercrombie Plan. 

I've seen the plan / map referred to as the potato map.

He appears in the film The Proud City presenting his plan to the public - a rare film of a GA President talking:

The Proud City. Patrick Abercrombie from Planum. The Journal of Urbanism on Vimeo.


In 1945 he published A Plan for the City & County of Kingston upon Hull, with the assistance of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens had died the year before publication whilst much of the plan was being finalised, and the plan was ultimately rejected by the Councillors of Hull.

From the Abercrombie Plan came the New Towns movement which included the building of Harlow and Crawley. He produced the Clyde Valley Regional Plan in 1946 with Robert H Matthews that proposed the new towns of East Kilbride and Cumbernauld.

During the postwar years, Sir Patrick was commissioned by the British government to redesign Hong Kong.
In 1956 he was also commissioned by Haile Selassie to draw up plans for the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

Patrick Abercrombie was Knighted in 1945.  In 1948 he became the first president of the newly formed group the International Union of Architects, or the UIA (Union Internationale des Architectes). The group now annually awards the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize, for excellence in town planning. In 1950 he received the AIA Gold Medal. The University of Liverpool's Department of Civic Design also continues to award an Abercrombie Prize annually to its top-performing student.

He died in 1957.

A Blue Plaque has been erected at a house formerly occupied by Patrick Abercrombie (lived there 1915-1935), in Oxton, Merseyside. 

References
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Abercrombie

Source of image - Creative Commons

I amended the entry to add his GA Presidency - something I have done for each GA President who has a Wikipedia page.

Presidential Address: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40560522?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

David Matless piece: Matless, David. “Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World.” Journal of Design History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1993, pp. 167–178. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1316006.

https://www.ft.com/content/97afa1b2-44a3-11e4-ab0c-00144feabdc0

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2014/mar/22/london-county-plan-abercrombie-forshaw

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095343737

Update (late September 2019)
Thoughts on Abercrombie's legacy from Brendan Conway

Every time we drive on the M25 or London's Circular roads, it's a reminder of the significant long-term impact of decisions taken by Abercrombie and his team 75+ years ago. His influence on life in the UK, especially in SE England, was profound. pic.twitter.com/YvNW3GX9h1

— BC (@mildthing99) September 25, 2019

Update (October 2019)
Abercrombie's legacy is also discussed in the new Short History of London by Simon Jenkins - a current read of mine.
The author is not a fan of the period where a lot of the historical streets of London were replaced, buildings removed, and threats to other buildings such as St. Pancras, in the period after the Second World War.
Abercrombie talked about London's past as a time of 'obsolescence, bad and unsuitable housing, uncorrelated road systems and inequality in the distribution of open spaces'.

I have a copy of a book which features the plan. A green belt was proposed to stop the expansion of the city, and there would be up to five 'ringways' to take traffic around the city centre.
People would be moved out of the city to new towns to take the pressure of the centre. The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act gave Abercrombie the power to change the lives of the 7 million inhabitants of the city, but it met opposition from the realities of a city which had survived the Blitz and needed to be rebuilt and given a new energy.

Jenkins' books is well worth reading.

In G. R. Crone's chronology of Geography in the 20th Century, there is a brief mention of Abercrombie's Presidential address.




Reference
Crone, G. R. “British Geography in the Twentieth Century.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 130, no. 2, 1964, pp. 197–220. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1794582.

Update
A video describing the plan.

 

 And a dramatised film describing the rebuilding of Plymouth based on Abercrombie's planning after the war.

Updated November 2020

In November 2019, Abercrombie got an English Heritage blue plaque unveiled at his house in his honour. Here's the ceremony...

Updated August 2021

A plan for a future Dublin - from 1922

Updated July 2022

I'm adding in additional perspectives on the work of Presidents and the people themselves as I find them, particularly where they may be problematic and relate to the current need to decolonise the subject itself but also revisit what are accepted narratives.

This thread is an interesting one with respect to the reasoning behind some of Abercrombie's planning decisions - this is of course a great responsibility.

Delighted to have a forthcoming paper in Town Planning Review on Hong Kong, colonial planning, & Patrick Abercrombie. Started many years ago in the @UkNatArchives reading complaints about Hong Kong's hotels & UK Gov's poor consultancy fees pic.twitter.com/AxkCwGQUIn

— Dr Yasminah Beebeejaun (@yasminah_b) May 10, 2022

Researching planning history & empire. Unfortunately Patrick Abercrombie was not one of life's great record keepers whereas Gerald Dix even kept his Cathay Pacific flight menu cards. Here's a picture of Abercrombie in Ethiopia on the invitation of Haile Selassie pic.twitter.com/FA4PJ1Fw57

— Dr Yasminah Beebeejaun (@yasminah_b) September 13, 2021

Updated August 2023

Abercrombie met Patrick Geddes... another person linked with the GA...

Abercrombie was apparently influenced by Feng Shui

Matless, David. “Appropriate Geography: Patrick Abercrombie and the Energy of the World.” Journal of Design History, vol. 6, no. 3, 1993, pp. 167–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1316006. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.

A piece in Nature from 1938 by S H Beaver (another former GA President to be...)

THE Geographical Association's annual conference usually has a theme corresponding to the interests of its president for the time being, and since in its choice of presidents the Association does not confine itself to academic geographers, considerable service to the subject is often done by this importation of a new viewpoint. This year the keynote of the Conference held at the London School of Economics on January 4–6 was the part that geography can play in planning. The presidential address, delivered by Prof. Patrick Abercrombie, professor of town planning at University College, London, was entitled “Geography, the Basis of Planning” ; and a symposium on town and rural planning was the principal individual item in the programme. To a certain extent these items in the Conference may be considered as corollary to the important discussion on “Planning the Land of Britain”, which was held at the Nottingham meeting of the British Association, as reported in NATURE of November 6, 1937, p. 791.

https://www.onlondon.co.uk/guest-article-london-can-still-learn-from-the-abercrombie-plan/

On his work on the Green Belt

https://www.londonsociety.org.uk/storage/app/media/uploaded-files/thelondonsociety-greensprawl-2014.pdf

Updated June 2024

Plenty of Tweets shared by the @createstreets account....

..."The architect and town planner Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s 1944 Greater London Plan followed the spirit of Le Corbusier’s dirigiste revolution in planning theory and put it into practice. The men in Westminster, Whitehall and County Hall were mesmerised. Here surely was the… pic.twitter.com/yNSwSnkHXA

— createstreets (@createstreets) June 16, 2024

This post talks about the Green Belt as being 'The curse of Patrick Abercrombie' 

Also a comment on his plans for Hong Kong.

The tensions of colonialism for planner Patrick Abercrombie working for post-WWII Hong Kong.

He recommends a density of 504 people/acre for HK while 5 years earlier he recommended 200/acre for London.

Chinese people became "used to" higher densities, according to him. pic.twitter.com/0VCvIrIb2r

— Huell Howser Democrat (@TribTowerViews) April 17, 2024

Central to Patrick Abercrombie’s vision for urban growth was fine, liveable cities and protection of the countryside against mass, ugly and ill-thought through development. He also helped found @CPRE Read more about Patrick Abercrombie here https://t.co/oAYDDvmfMn pic.twitter.com/ZpsWYNm9Hj

— Jim Dixon FRSA (@jimdixonwriter) March 20, 2024