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On Sunday 21st January of this year, I was truly privileged, together with several other OFC members, alongside hundreds of others whose lives had been in any way touched by him, to attend the special Centenary Service of Thanksgiving for Alfred Wainwright in Blackburn Cathedral. How many readers of this reflection will even be remembered outside their families a century after their birth? That beautiful service in itself bore true testimony to a very special person, known affectionately to us as 'AW'. There were contributions from people representing bodies connected with all aspects of his lifesuch as local council, Wainwright Society, Cathedral Rambling Club, Blackburn Rovers FC to name but a few. It was the inimitable Eric Robson who, in his splendid address, spoke on behalf of folks like us when he painted a vivid and honest picture of 'AW'. It was made manifestly clear to us, as reflected both in his interview on BBC Radio Lancashire and his introductory comments to Julia Bradbury in the recent BBC television series, that the books of 'AW' were precious documents totally unmatched by anything else since. Nobody has interpreted mountain landscapes better...he devised, in a unique way, of turning a three-dimensional image into a two-dimensional image that was still understandable...his books are works of philosophy and poetry...he was fascinated by the relationship between man and landscape...he brought the mountains to life.
I tend to totally agree with Eric Robson, especially when one considers - as Mark Richards pointed out at the centenary dinner - just how much 'AW' spent producing his wonderful books by hand, and even confining several pages of original manuscript to the bin, simply because he didn't like the ‘justification'! Not to mention those amazing pen and ink drawings associated with every page. All this on top of a busy day's work in the office. Indeed, of his own admission, his first marriage suffered terminally. All this has been described as obsessive behaviour. What do you think? You may wish to write, or simply ponder. Whatever our views, no-one can dispute the words of Mike Harding from the 'Mail on Sunday' as written on the sleeve notes of the publication 'Wainwright's Lakeland'. There can be few men who have made such an impact on people's relationship with a landscape as Alfred Wainwright.
These short articles will simply 'reflect on 'AW'' and I hope you will find them interesting and thought-provoking. |
