Thanks to Jill and family for giving us some time for a few words on Jonathan’s work for CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

I am honoured to represent the County Branch, CPRE Oxfordshire, here, with some of my colleagues. The nationally published notices have detailed Jonathan’s eminence in academic professional life. His work to help protect the Oxfordshire countryside in which he made his home has received less attention, although his love to discuss philosophical problems “on long walks in the countryside” has been mentioned. His academic career led him to live in many places but since 1957 and his election as Fellow of Queen’s College, Oxford, he and his family settled in West Oxfordshire. Jonathan’s wide interests included now concern over the pressures affecting life in the countryside, the landscape, the rural towns and the villages, especially in his part of Oxfordshire; and I would therefore like to talk briefly on CPRE Oxfordshire and on the greatly valued and important contribution made by Jonathan to the organisation which he so whole-heartedly supported.

CPRE Oxfordshire

The CPRE, ever since its foundation nationally in 1927 as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England, has relied on the varied expertise and active involvement of its individual members; the Oxfordshire Branch was founded 75 years ago, in 1931, and since the 1960s has monitored the effects of Development pressures and controlling Legislation concerning the Countryside environment, especially Planning, Listed Buildings, Fieldpath Rights of Way and Access to the Countryside. The increase in this work of Protection in the 1970s made the Oxfordshire Branch reorganise its structure of Executive and Area Committees to cope more efficiently and knowledgeably with these environmental threats, and to secure more members to help ‘on the ground’.

Jonathan and the countryside

Jonathan soon became involved in this work of the Witney Area in which he lived and enjoyed walking; and in 1973 when the historic centre of Witney was threatened with markedly inappropriate commercial redevelopment he was instrumental in forming the Witney Society. Later as Chairman of the Burford/Witney Area Committee he guided inspection of the effects of development proposals in this sensitive landscape of the Cotswold Gateway. He took the Chair of the Oxfordshire Branch Executive Committee from 1985 to 1987 and again as Co-Chairman with Alison Kemp (the two Branch Vice-Presidents) in 1990. Also in 1990, on the retirement of Basil Streat, Jonathan became Chairman of the CPRE Oxfordshire Buildings Preservation Trust, a separately Registered Charity concerned with the rescue, purchase and rehabilitation of dilapidated Listed Buildings. Jonathan was also involved in representing the Oxfordshire Branch at Regional Meetings of the South-East, and on the National Office Policy Committee. These were indeed vitally busy times, in which Jonathan played a large part determining the principles and format of an effective Amenity organisation.

Our tribute

Jonathan felt very strongly that the strength and power of CPRE lay in securing a good membership base throughout the County, and in particular attracting interest and membership among what he called (in 1988) ‘weekenders—the younger generation’. Others have already remarked on his gentle but authoritative manner when chairing meetings; he tended quietly to invite discussion on Agenda points and then seemed to sit back, listening intently, still and composed, while members sometimes became rather animated in expressing their views; when he felt the time had come, he would lean forward and in a suddenly stilled room, clearly and incisively resolve the argument to the agreement of all. In the 1980s, there was need both for thoughtful reflection on basic principles and issues and also for prominent public performance. Jonathan was quietly working ‘behind the scenes’—Alison Kemp described him as the ‘Quiet Man’ while she was the ‘Action Woman’. ‘I must consult Jon on this, he thinks so clearly’. It was Jonathan who effectively ‘modernised’ the County Branch; it was Jonathan who with his clear thinking and clarity of exposition, with tenacity, patience and humour, with his understanding of so many different points of view around the Committee Table, enthused us all in Campaigning for the Countryside.

And we remember him.

Thank you.
Alun Jones.
19 November 2006