Roger Deakin
Encyclopedia
Roger Stuart Deakin was an English
writer, documentary
-maker and environmentalist
.
Deakin was born in Watford
, Hertfordshire
. Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's
and Peterhouse, Cambridge
, where he read English, Deakin first worked in advertising as a copywriter
and creative director. He was responsible for the National Coal Board
slogan "Come home to a real fire". Following this, he taught English at Diss Grammar School for three years.
In 1968, he bought Walnut Tree Farm, a semi-ruined Elizabethan
moated farmhouse on the edge of Mellis Common
, near Diss
in Suffolk, which he rebuilt and developed over many years and where he lived until his death from a brain tumour. This had first been diagnosed only four months previously. The house and its surroundings were the subject of two BBC Radio 4
documentaries, The House and The Garden, that he produced. A further documentary, Cigarette on the Waveney, covered the subject of a canoe trip down the nearby River Waveney
. He also made several television documentary films covering subjects as diverse as rock music, Essex
, Hank Wangford
, allotment
s and the world of horse racing.
Deakin was a founder director of the arts and environmental charity Common Ground
in 1982.
In 1999, Deakin's acclaimed book Waterlog was published in the United Kingdom by Chatto and Windus
. Inspired in part by the short story The Swimmer
by John Cheever
, it describes his experiences of "wild swimming" in Britain's rivers and lakes and advocates open access to the countryside and waterways. Wildwood appeared posthumously in 2007 and describes a series of journeys across the globe Deakin made to meet people whose lives are intimately connected to trees and wood. In November 2008, Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, a collection of writing taken from his personal notebooks and largely focusing on the wildlife and ecology
of the area around his farmhouse, was published to high critical appraisal.
Deakin appears in The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
. The TV documentary The Wild Places Of Essex, also by Macfarlane, includes scenes shot at Walnut Tree Farm. Waterlog inspired a one-hour documentary, Wild Swimming, on BBC Four in August 2010 presented by Alice Roberts
. It is stated in it that he was the source for the voice of the swimmer in Alice Oswald
's 48-page poem; Dart, about the Devon
River Dart
.
Deakin married Jenny Hind in 1973 with whom he had a son, Rufus, before the marriage was dissolved in 1982. Deakin died in Mellis
, Suffolk
. He is survived by his partner Alison Hastie and his son.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
writer, documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
-maker and environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
.
Deakin was born in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Educated at Haberdashers' Aske's
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school for boys aged 4–19. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Haileybury Group....
and Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
, where he read English, Deakin first worked in advertising as a copywriter
Copywriting
Copywriting is the use of words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing , the term copywriter is generally limited to promotional situations, regardless of the medium...
and creative director. He was responsible for the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
slogan "Come home to a real fire". Following this, he taught English at Diss Grammar School for three years.
In 1968, he bought Walnut Tree Farm, a semi-ruined Elizabethan
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
moated farmhouse on the edge of Mellis Common
Mellis
Mellis is a small village in Suffolk, England. It has the largest area of unfenced common land in England. Oliver Cromwell exercised his troops in Mellis. It once had a railway station on the main line between London and Norwich, and a small branch line that ran to nearby Eye.In summer rare...
, near Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
in Suffolk, which he rebuilt and developed over many years and where he lived until his death from a brain tumour. This had first been diagnosed only four months previously. The house and its surroundings were the subject of two BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
documentaries, The House and The Garden, that he produced. A further documentary, Cigarette on the Waveney, covered the subject of a canoe trip down the nearby River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
. He also made several television documentary films covering subjects as diverse as rock music, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Hank Wangford
Hank Wangford
Hank Wangford is a distinguished English country and western songwriter. Hank Wangford is the stage name of Dr. Samuel Hutt, . His music is notable for its humour and cheerful irony, and occasional excursions into biting political undercurrent....
, allotment
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
s and the world of horse racing.
Deakin was a founder director of the arts and environmental charity Common Ground
Common Ground (charity)
Common Ground is a United Kingdom charity and lobby group. Founded in 1982 by Susan Clifford and Angela King , Common Ground aims to promote "local distinctiveness" .-Organisation and structure:...
in 1982.
In 1999, Deakin's acclaimed book Waterlog was published in the United Kingdom by Chatto and Windus
Chatto and Windus
Chatto & Windus has been, since 1987, an imprint of Random House, publishers. It was originally an important publisher of books in London, founded in the Victorian era....
. Inspired in part by the short story The Swimmer
The Swimmer
"The Swimmer" a short story by American author John Cheever, published in 1964 in the short story collection The Brigadier and the Golf Widow. Originally conceived as a novel and pared down from over 150 pages of notes, it is probably Cheever's most famous and frequently anthologized story...
by John Cheever
John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
, it describes his experiences of "wild swimming" in Britain's rivers and lakes and advocates open access to the countryside and waterways. Wildwood appeared posthumously in 2007 and describes a series of journeys across the globe Deakin made to meet people whose lives are intimately connected to trees and wood. In November 2008, Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, a collection of writing taken from his personal notebooks and largely focusing on the wildlife and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of the area around his farmhouse, was published to high critical appraisal.
Deakin appears in The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane, , is a British travel writer and literary critic. Educated at Nottingham High School, Pembroke College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford, he is currently a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and teaches in the Faculty of English at Cambridge.-Books:Macfarlane's first...
. The TV documentary The Wild Places Of Essex, also by Macfarlane, includes scenes shot at Walnut Tree Farm. Waterlog inspired a one-hour documentary, Wild Swimming, on BBC Four in August 2010 presented by Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts
Alice May Roberts is an English anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, and author.Best known for her TV appearances in the BBC series Coast, Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young, and The Incredible Human Journey, she has also appeared as an expert osteoarchaeologist on...
. It is stated in it that he was the source for the voice of the swimmer in Alice Oswald
Alice Oswald
-Career:Oswald read Classics at New College, Oxford, has worked as a gardener at Chelsea Physic Garden, and today lives with her husband, the playwright Peter Oswald , and her three children in Devon, in the South-West of England....
's 48-page poem; Dart, about the Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
River Dart
River Dart
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...
.
Deakin married Jenny Hind in 1973 with whom he had a son, Rufus, before the marriage was dissolved in 1982. Deakin died in Mellis
Mellis
Mellis is a small village in Suffolk, England. It has the largest area of unfenced common land in England. Oliver Cromwell exercised his troops in Mellis. It once had a railway station on the main line between London and Norwich, and a small branch line that ran to nearby Eye.In summer rare...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He is survived by his partner Alison Hastie and his son.
External links
- Obituary from The Guardian
- Roger Deakin Archive, University of East Anglia finding aid
- The Wild Places Of Essex, BBC 2 television programme featuring Roger Deakin
- Cigarette on the Waveney, BBC Radio 4 programme by Roger Deakin
- The House, BBC Radio 4 programme by Roger Deakin
- The Garden, BBC Radio 4 programme by Roger Deakin