I’ve been reading a lot about the London riots, and as a Preservationist I have to say I’m concerned not only for the social implications but also for the repercussions of the rioting on the UK’s built heritage, and so I got to thinking….
Once upon a time, I went to England to participate in a British National Trust working holiday. On this working holiday, I worked on an island off the coast of Devon (Lundy Island to be exact) rebuilding dry-laid stone walls and digging ditches (seriously) and various other maintenance tasks that needed to be done on Lundy. During this week long holiday, I met some great people and got an interesting prospective on how Preservation works in a country that has what many would consider “ancient” heritage. For example, part of our job was “Rhodie” Bashing (and no I don’t mean making fun of the state of Rhode Island), a task that consisted of eradicating century-old rhododendron bushes that were as big as trees and would be considered historic treasures in this country, but there, all the Rhodies managed to do was choke out an endemic species of plant that was the only food source for a species of beetle, and therefore, they had to go. Plus, there’s a 13th century castle and the remains of an Iron Age settlement on the island. Ancient heritage.
Below is a photo from my trip. It’s a view of the local pub and the church can be seen behind it. This is “down-town” Lundy.
I realize I’ve digressed a little, but the point is, I got to know a bit about the British National Trust and some of the great work they do, and that got me thinking… I wonder what the British National Trust is doing in light of the rioting. Then it dawned on me that they could provide a unique solution to part of the problem over there, which, as I understand it, is young people rioting because they are poor. Well, wouldn’t it be great if some of these poor kids could get some skills and then they could work to better their situation? Since they’ve caused all this damage to businesses and homes all over London and other cities, shouldn’t it stand to reason that they should be responsible for cleaning it up and fixing what they’ve damaged? I think so… so here is my big idea. The arrested “hoodies” or “ASBOs” or whatever you want to call them, could be given some sort of probation arrangement, provided that they attend trade classes for technical Preservation and Restoration (put on by the Trust… or an entity similar to the Trust) and then they use those skills to restore and rebuild the damage they caused. Then, after it’s all done, they have a marketable skill to use to earn some money and improve their place in society.
I know that there are myriad of niggling little details that would need to be worked out for this plan to succeed, but it’s an interesting premise anyway. So, to my reading audience across the pond… What do you think? You’re in my thoughts.
-Etta
Hi Etta,
Your idea is something of a poetic justice with a real solution of helping some of these youths. Sadly all it is, is a nice idea, mainly because these kids don’t want to work, they want to do as their parents have done and live off the system. These riots were not politically motivated or at all related to the oppression of youth by an authoritarian state. An opportunity arose for them to get some expensive items that they otherwise would not able to afford and they took it, whilst breaking into a sport shop for a new pair of trainers on the way home. Many arguments spring from this for example is it the product of a consumerist society or have the government failed them, have their parents failed them etc. In my opinion they are a product of the environment they grew up in, and as an architecture student the state of social housing in britain is one that deeply worries me. It has been shown many times that when people from these estates that are moved to better social housing in more affluent areas tend to look after the area better and also form a closer community which rejuvenates residents. Once these people are out of social poverty then we can start attempting to integrate them back into a functioning society.
Just my two cents 🙂
Thank you for your comment. It’s nice to get the perspective of someone who really has personal experience with the situation. Rather than from just listening to coverage over an ocean away, like I am.
As an American the coverage we get on the riots doesn’t really cover the cause or give us a real idea of the social dynamics behind them. Still, many of the things you have mentioned about the people living in the poorer estates (what we would call here section 8, or slums) could also apply to many of the people living off welfare in our country as well. Although the cynic in me would point out that people living off the system in our country often have more expensive TV’s and trainers (or sneakers as we call them in New England) than I can afford working in my professional, white collar job.
Thanks again for your comment!
-Etta