Solsbury Hill - Chronicle of a Road Protest

September 23, 2009 19:00

Published: September 14, 2009 14:48 by Housmans Bookshop |

Published by group: Housmans Bookshop
Tagged as:

Places: king's_cross

Solsbury Hill

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Housmans – radical booksellers since 1945
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‘Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a Road Protest’
with Adrian Arbib
Wednesday 23rd September – 7pm till 9pm
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Adrian Arbib discusses the history and legacy of the road protest movement and will be illustrating his talk with a slideshow presentation of photographs from his book, ‘Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a Road Protest’.

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In 1994 eco-warriors took to the tree-tops and set up camps in the Solsbury Hill protest, as they launched a bid to halt construction of the Batheaston to Swainswick bypass at Bath.

Their hard-fought campaign failed to stop the road through a Bronze Age beauty spot and ancient monument being built, but is credited with boosting other campaigns against road- building projects across the country, which eventually led to 300 road schemes being axed by the Government.

Armed with little more than rope harnesses and mobile phones the size of bricks, the protesters were faced with often violent private security forces in muddy fields, high in the trees and even underground.

Adrian Arbib lived on site photographing the events. In so doing he captured all aspects of life on the protest. His work is a unique record of an important moment in British political history when a political movement changed government transport policy.

The photographs Adrian took over this period are at the heart of the book ‘Solsbury Hill: Chronicle of a Road Protest’, and we are delighted to welcome Adrian to Housmans to discuss the history and legacy of the road protest movement. Adrian will be illustrating his talk with a slideshow presentation of his photographs from the period.

“This is our history. It is appalling and inspiring at the same time. These pictures of brave people should not be forgotten.” John Vidal, Environment editor, the Guardian

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Event information

Wednesday 23rd September – 7pm till 9pm
Housmans Bookshop
5 Caledonian Road
King's Cross
London N1 9DX
Tel: 020 7837 4473

Free entry
Nearest tube: King's Cross

www.housmans.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7837 4473
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