When I was a little more peripatetic in my work, travelling around the country, I spent several days working at the Waterton Hall Hotel on the edge of Wakefield. It also featured recently on one of the many programmes involving people buying and selling antiques on a road trip.
Charles Waterton was born in Wakefield in 1782.
He is described on his Wikipedia page here.
When David Attenborough opened an exhibit at Wakefield's museum he said of Waterton that he was:
"one of the first people anywhere to recognise, not only that the natural world was of great importance, but that it needed protection as humanity made more and more demands on it”Waterton Hall Hotel is in Wakefield, and is well worth a visit.
In March 2024, the Guardian reported that the estate was going to be receiving Grade II heritage listing status to protect it as it was regarded as "the world's first nature reserve".
The estate owner was known for climbing trees into his 80s, padding around his land barefoot, talking to visitors while standing on his head and, during dinner parties, pretending to be a dog who would bite the legs of guests.Yet his contemporaries often thought him eccentric for the way he managed his estate, such as his decisions to ban shooting on his land and to invite members of the public to visit it for free. Asylum patients were welcomed as part of their treatment.
“He isn’t that well know today, but when he was alive he was quite widely known for his explorations and scientific expeditions,” said Sarah Charlesworth, Historic England’s listing team leader in northern England.
“He was a fascinating man, ahead of his time. He created what is in effect the first nature reserve in the world to protect native wildlife. He deserves to be better known.”
Image of hotel: Alan Parkinson, shared under CC license
The estate was protected by a wall which Waterton built at great expense. He has family links with slavery, which are explored here - on the Friends of Waterton's Wall website.
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