John Bainbridge (author)
Encyclopedia
John Bainbridge is an English
author and campaigner for countryside preservation and access. He read Literature and Social History
at the University of East Anglia
.
Born in West Bromwich
, Staffordshire
, Bainbridge spent his childhood at 15 Ray Hall Lane, Great Barr
, and was educated at Hamstead Primary School, Grove Vale School and Dartmouth Comprehensive. It was from there that he began exploring the British countryside, often taking walking tours that lasted for months at a time. He moved to Devon
as a teenager and became very knowledgeable about Dartmoor
.
Bainbridge served as chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association
from 1996–2005, and led the victorious campaign to save the archaeologically important Shaugh Moor from waste tipping by the china clay industry. He led the campaign for right to roam in Devon, which culminated in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. He has opposed the military presence on Dartmoor, for which he was praised by Anthony Steen
MP in the House of Commons in 2003.
An unapologetic trespasser Bainbridge remains a steadfast campaigner for countryside access.
As a writer he has contributed to most outdoor magazines and is the author of some thirty books about British topography, including Dorset Coast, South Devon Coast and Newton Abbot, Around Torbay, The Cotswolds, Worcestershire.
In 2009 Bainbridge created the Teignmouth and Dawlish Way long distance footpath, writing the guidebook of the same name.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author and campaigner for countryside preservation and access. He read Literature and Social History
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
.
Born in West Bromwich
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Bainbridge spent his childhood at 15 Ray Hall Lane, Great Barr
Great Barr
Great Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall , West Midlands, England...
, and was educated at Hamstead Primary School, Grove Vale School and Dartmouth Comprehensive. It was from there that he began exploring the British countryside, often taking walking tours that lasted for months at a time. He moved to 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...
as a teenager and became very knowledgeable about Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
.
Bainbridge served as chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Association
Dartmoor Preservation Association
The Dartmoor Preservation Association, or DPA, was founded in 1883. It is a charity, which provides an independent viewpoint on the current issues affecting Dartmoor and performs valuable conservation work on archaeological sites...
from 1996–2005, and led the victorious campaign to save the archaeologically important Shaugh Moor from waste tipping by the china clay industry. He led the campaign for right to roam in Devon, which culminated in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. He has opposed the military presence on Dartmoor, for which he was praised by Anthony Steen
Anthony Steen
Anthony David Steen is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1974 to 2010, and the chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation. Having represented Totnes in Devon since 1997, he was previously MP for South Hams from 1983, and had also been the MP for...
MP in the House of Commons in 2003.
An unapologetic trespasser Bainbridge remains a steadfast campaigner for countryside access.
As a writer he has contributed to most outdoor magazines and is the author of some thirty books about British topography, including Dorset Coast, South Devon Coast and Newton Abbot, Around Torbay, The Cotswolds, Worcestershire.
In 2009 Bainbridge created the Teignmouth and Dawlish Way long distance footpath, writing the guidebook of the same name.