A walk in the long grass: agriculture, aesthetics, and wildness on Hampstead Heath

Abstract

This article traces a battle over grass mowing and scrub clearance between local campaigners and land managers on London’s Hampstead Heath during the late 1970s. I discuss one of the key arguments in favour of maintaining long grass: its look of ‘naturalness’, which effaced centuries of grazing by sheep and cattle, as well as the extensive land management that went into maintaining this ‘wild’ aesthetic. The 1978 conflict over scrub clearance resulted in a widely reported claim that 20 dead bodies were dumped on the Heath annually. Here, I consider the reality of the claim and the ways in which frictions between local actors point towards a fluid and constantly changing understanding of what is properly ‘wild’ and ‘natural’ on Hampstead Heath. The debate highlights the degree to which both management and historical narratives of public open spaces are the product of complex negotiation.