Content area
Full Text
Communes Britannica: A History of Communal living in Britain 1939-2000 (The Second Volume of Utopia Britannica, 2000) By Chris Coates Diggers and Dreamers Publications, 2012, £25 www.utopia-britannica.org.uk, www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk
This big book, over 500 pages, is fascinating, intriguing, fun, and well-written. Some of the stories I know from my years of communal living and networking in the UK (1972-1991). Others were a complete surprise for me. I am grateful to Chris for preserving so much of the history of our movement.
The last hundred pages comprise a directory of communal groups 1939-2000, including those that have folded, and two pages of fictional ones invented for literary or spoofing purposes. I remember our surprise at Lifespan community when monthly articles about "The Lodge" started to appear in the national Guardian newspaper, clearly written by an "insider," later identified as Bob Fromer from Birchwood Hall.
The author, Chris Coates, is a long-time friend of mine and we collaborated (with others) in editing and publishing the first two Diggers and Dreamers directories of communal living in the UK. I know he knows his stuff! Chris lived communally for 20 years at People in Common in Burnley, Lancashire. He is now a member of Forgebank Cohousing in Lancaster.
The book is easy-to-read. For instance, the first chapter, about pacifist groups during the Second World War, includes the story of the Bruderhof moving to the UK in 1936 to escape the National Socialist regime in Germany. All went well until 1940, when British forces suffered under the German army in France. Some British people were no longer happy with German nationals owning land in Britain, suspicion grew, and under duress, the community decided to emigrate to the Americas (across the U-boat patrolled Atlantic). The continuing story of the Bruderhof is found in the second chapter, with a note telling readers this, so those wanting to follow the story know where to find it.
I was unaware of the rich history of pacifist communities and conscientious objectors banding together to provide agricultural and forestry services during WWII (1939-45). In 1945, Leonard Cheshire set up Cheshire Homes for disabled ex-servicemen, where the "patients" were expected to join in the chores. The shared sense of purpose helped many rebuild their lives. In the '40s...