Maurice Ash
Encyclopedia
Maurice Anthony Ash was an environmentalist
, writer
, and planner
. He was chairman of the Town and Country Planning Association
and of the Dartington Trust.
, India
, Ash was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
, the London School of Economics
(where he read economics) and at Yale
. At LSE, he met Michael Young, later Lord Young of Dartington, who became a lifelong friend.
Ash's grandfather, Gilbert Ash, was a property developer who left him a large fortune.
in North Africa, Italy and Greece. In 1944, he was mentioned in dispatches. He later wrote a history of his regiment.
, near Totnes
in Devon
, had been bought by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst in the 1920s. With ideas from the philosopher Rabindranath Tagore
and money Dorothy Elmhirst inherited from her family (the American Whitneys
) the Elmhirsts rescued a medieval hall and developed the estate, creating craft workshops and founding a famous design school.
Ash met the Elmhirsts' daughter Ruth and in 1947 they were married. They had a son and two daughters.
After farming in Essex
, Ash was interested in the postwar plans for new towns such as Welwyn Garden City
and joined the Town and Country Planning Association
, becoming its chairman and later its vice-president. The TCPA published the influential magazine Bulletin of Environmental Education. Ash promoted enlightened development.
In 1962, the Ashes bought Sharpham House in Devon
, a large Palladian house designed by Robert Taylor
. A 100 acres (404,686 m²) farm there was run on Rudolf Steiner
principles, and also vineyards, a Buddhist community and college, and the Robert Owen Foundation, a charity which provided agricultural experience for people with mental disabilities.
Ash also became chairman of the Dartington Trust. While some Dartington activities were given up, others started. Dartington glass and the Schumacher College continued. Ash also backed a magazine called The Vole.
In writing about the great private estates which followed the dissolution of the English monasteries, Ash argued that they had been failures in any civilising sense. Monasteries had been centres of learning and innovation. He argued for re-establishing such communities.
Broadly, his philosophy followed Wittgenstein and rejected Descartes.
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and planner
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
. He was chairman of the Town and Country Planning Association
Town and Country Planning Association
The Town and Country Planning Association is England's oldest environmental charity. It was founded as the Garden Cities Association in 1899 by Ebenezer Howard, initially to promote the development of Garden Cities...
and of the Dartington Trust.
Education and early life
Born at HazaribaghHazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Ash was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(where he read economics) and at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. At LSE, he met Michael Young, later Lord Young of Dartington, who became a lifelong friend.
Ash's grandfather, Gilbert Ash, was a property developer who left him a large fortune.
War service
During the Second World War, Ash served in the British 23rd Armoured BrigadeBritish 23rd Armoured Brigade
The 23rd Armoured Brigade was originally formed as the 23rd Army Tank Brigade, a second-line Territorial Army unit of the British Army during Second World War...
in North Africa, Italy and Greece. In 1944, he was mentioned in dispatches. He later wrote a history of his regiment.
Career
After the war, his friend Young introduced him to the Dartington Hall Trust. The rundown 1,000 acre (4 km²) estate of DartingtonDartington
Dartington is a village in Devon, England. Its population is 1,917. It is located west of the River Dart, south of Dartington Hall and about two miles from Totnes...
, near Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in 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...
, had been bought by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst in the 1920s. With ideas from the philosopher Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
and money Dorothy Elmhirst inherited from her family (the American Whitneys
Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635.-Rise to prominence:...
) the Elmhirsts rescued a medieval hall and developed the estate, creating craft workshops and founding a famous design school.
Ash met the Elmhirsts' daughter Ruth and in 1947 they were married. They had a son and two daughters.
After farming in 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...
, Ash was interested in the postwar plans for new towns such as Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
and joined the Town and Country Planning Association
Town and Country Planning Association
The Town and Country Planning Association is England's oldest environmental charity. It was founded as the Garden Cities Association in 1899 by Ebenezer Howard, initially to promote the development of Garden Cities...
, becoming its chairman and later its vice-president. The TCPA published the influential magazine Bulletin of Environmental Education. Ash promoted enlightened development.
In 1962, the Ashes bought Sharpham House in 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...
, a large Palladian house designed by Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (architect)
Sir Robert Taylor was a notable English architect of the mid-late 18th century.Born at Woodford, Essex, Taylor followed in his father's footsteps and started working as a stonemason and sculptor, spending time as a pupil of Sir Henry Cheere...
. A 100 acres (404,686 m²) farm there was run on Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
principles, and also vineyards, a Buddhist community and college, and the Robert Owen Foundation, a charity which provided agricultural experience for people with mental disabilities.
Ash also became chairman of the Dartington Trust. While some Dartington activities were given up, others started. Dartington glass and the Schumacher College continued. Ash also backed a magazine called The Vole.
In writing about the great private estates which followed the dissolution of the English monasteries, Ash argued that they had been failures in any civilising sense. Monasteries had been centres of learning and innovation. He argued for re-establishing such communities.
Broadly, his philosophy followed Wittgenstein and rejected Descartes.
Books by Maurice Ash
His published books include -- Regions of Tomorrow: Towards the Open City (1969) ISBN 0-238-78935-7
- A Guide To The Structure of London (1972)
- New Renaissance: Essays in Search of Wholeness (Green Books, 1986) ISBN 1-870098-00-5
- Journey Into the Eye of a Needle (1991) ISBN 1-870098-35-8
- The Fabric of the World: Towards a Philosophy of Environment (Green Books, 1992) ISBN 1-870098-42-0
- Sharpham Miscellany: Essays in Spirituality and Ecology by John Crook, Maurice Ash, and Stephen Batchelor (1992) ISBN 0-9518298-0-7
- Beyond the Age of Metaphysics: and the Restoration of Local Life (Green Books, 1998)
- Where Division Ends: On Feeling at Home in Chaos (Green Books, Totnes, 2001) ISBN 1-903998-06-9
Other appointments
- Chairman of the Town and Country Planning AssociationTown and Country Planning AssociationThe Town and Country Planning Association is England's oldest environmental charity. It was founded as the Garden Cities Association in 1899 by Ebenezer Howard, initially to promote the development of Garden Cities...
Executive 1969 to 1983 - Chairman of the Dartington Trust 1972 to 1984
- Chairman of the Green Alliance (an all-party environmental lobby group) 1978 to 1983
Sources
- Obituary at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...