The CPRE

As new roads and housing estates were built, large parts of the countryside started to change. As well as land being used for housing, petrol stations started to appear, and enamel signs sprung up on village shops advertising the latest products. England's fair and pleasant land was starting to look shabby.

Towns and cities like Leicester started to compete for tourists who were looking for places to go in their new cars. The Shell Guides to England's counties were started in 1934 and were another encouragement for people to get into their cars. In Leicester, the new Publicity & Development Committee created guides to the City for visitors, and brass information plaques (some of which you can still see today) were placed on sites of historic interest.

In response to the spoiling of the countryside, the Council for the Preservation of Rural England was formed in 1926 (now known as CPRE, The Countryside Charity). The CPRE's story is told very well on the history pages of their website. In 1938 they produced a film as part of a campaign for national parks. 'Rural England: the Case for the Defence' was shown in cinemas across the country:

In Leicester, the principal of University College, Frederick Attenborough, who was a keen photographer of the Leicestershire countryside, gave talks on the preservation of the countryside, and there was enough local interest for the CPRE to write a book highlighting examples of good and bad planning in Leicestershire. This was not published until after WW2, but 'Save Leicestershire's Countryside' was 'an attempt at constructive criticism to prevent further spoilation of the natural beauty of the county and to encourage intelligent development'.

The book contains many photo's of the County taken in the 1930s, some of which are reproduced below. While the concerns about enamel signs seem a little dated, especially as these are now quite expensive to buy in antiques shops, the highlighting of good design and planning has not dated at all.