There are no Roman emperors in Kentucky, even if we must endure
politicians who act like ancient despots (or just idiots). We can, however, claim miles of
beautiful drylaid stone fences and walls. Scots-Irish stone masons immigrating to
the Americas brought their craft for drylaid masonry to Kentucky, constructing
fences from quarried limestone, and shaping the cultural landscape in a way
that is celebrated now some 200 years later. The Bluegrass has the most
quarried stone fences in the country; as you move out from the Inner Bluegrass,
fences made from field rock are just as common as quarried stone.
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| A drylaid stone fence in the Outer Bluegrass |
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| Fence along a roadway in Franklin County, Kentucky |
Emperors and stone walls were not at the top of my agenda
when my sleep fogged brain registered the
NPR story on the radio this morning,
about Hadrian’s Wall and the loss of funding that has shut down the Hadrian’s
Wall Trust, which maintains this incredible feature of northern England. I
realize this story also plays heavily on the upcoming Scottish vote for independence,
but my thoughts instead focused on the ramifications for this UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
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| Hadrian's Wall, between Housesteads and Once-Brewed (or between my sweaty exertions and a pint) |
When I look back on the adventures of my holiday in 2013, my
most memorable time – and I saw
many incredible buildings and gardens – was spent
hiking along Hadrian’s Wall. It was one of those experiences you drink in like
air, and are barely able to register the meaning and beauty of it in words. I
posted about it last year, but mainly through a series of
photographs - I didn't feel equipped to assign words to how the walk made me feel, what I saw, and what I thought.
As a professional in the field of historic preservation, I
consider myself slightly inured to the lack of concern and funding for our
historic sites. Our land fares a little better, with organizations like the
Bluegrass Conservancy and
Fayette Alliance helping to save thousands of acres
of valuable Bluegrass – but a land ethic, alas, is not widespread across our
Commonwealth. As you move away from the few urban centers in Kentucky, property
rights are scared, and many farmers and rural residents depend on the sale of
their land – for development – as their only reliable retirement option.
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| Detail shot of Hadrian's Wall |
Do I expect better things in England? I suppose I do. The relative
youth of our country often seems to be both our greatest strength and weakness.
Our history is too recent, our monuments still evolving, and contentious. But
to be able to follow the line of wall that the Roman empire constructed to
defend their territory – to gaze out on a landscape both magnificent and
forbidding – to sink into the evocative mood of the surroundings, which is
surely enhanced by the very air you are breathing – it defies the petty issues
that cloud our lives and blind us to the fabric of the world to which we belong.
I remember when the National Trust for Historic Preservation
(NTHP) lost federal funding. The NTHP did not fold, though the growing pains of
becoming self-funding were difficult. It can be a good thing to not have all of
your eggs in one basket, and diversification behooves all organizations, not
just businesses. Can the various councils that will now share the
responsibility of caring for Hadrian’s Wall (see story
here) work together to
protect and promote this very special landscape?
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| Drylaid stone walls line a road in Central Kentucky |
The real issue, of course,
goes beyond the meandering curves of Hadrian’s Wall. The challenges facing
English Heritage and its re-focus (and lack of government funding) will impact
all of England, and the consequences will shape the tourist experience of the
future. I’m not too worried about seeing residential subdivisions cropping up
along the route of Hadrian’s Wall – (indeed, many of the houses and buildings
one sees and admires along the wall were constructed with robbed stone) but I
am uneasy about what this signals for the next generation of heritage
protection, management and interpretation in England.
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| Hmmmm...I wonder where they got that building material? | | |
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Labels: Bluegrass drylaid stone fences, English Heritage, Hadrian's Wall