The Association for the Preservation of Rural Scotland (A.P.R.S.) 

ANNUAL REPORT 1952

TO BE PRESENTED 

AT 

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

TO BE HELD 

On THURSDAY, 3rd APRIL 1952 

AT 

15 RUTLAND SQUARE, EDINBURGH 1 

The Rt. Hon. THE EARL OF HOME 

will give an address 

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF RURAL SCOTLAND 

OFFICE-BEARERS 

Honorary President 

SIR JOHN STIRLING MAXWELL, BT., K.T. 

President 

THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF GALLOWAY 

Vice-President 

WILLIAM WALKER, A.R.E. 

Chairman of Council 

COMMANDER H. C. COURTNEY CLARKE, D.S.O., R.N.(Retd.) 

Hon. Secretary 

SIR FRANK MEARS, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. 

Vice-Chairman and Hon. Treasurer 

SIR MARK DALRYMPLE, BT. 

Organising Secretary 

KENNETH MACRAE, W.S. 

Office: 15 RUTLAND SQUARE, EDINBURGH 1 

Telephone FOU 7631 

THE COUNCIL 

Chairman  -Commander H. C. COURTNEY CLARKE, D.S.O., R.N.(Retd.) 

Mrs MACKENZIE ANDERSON, 69 Southpark Avenue, Glasgow, W.2. 

J. BARTHOLOMEW, Manor House, Inveresk. 

H. MORTIMER BATTEN, Harlington, Skipton, Yorks. 

E. S. BELL, Cranstonhill, Stirling. 

Mrs D. BROWNE, 5 Greenmount Avenue, Burntisland. 

Mrs COWAN, Eastfield, Bowden, Melrose. 

The Lady ANTONIA DALRYMPLE, Newhailes, Musselburgh, Midlothian. 

C. H. DODDS, C.A., 1 Albyn Place, Edinburgh 2. 

W. FERRIS, 159 West Nile Street, Glasgow, C.1. 

W. M. GLASS, 38 Drummond Place, Edinburgh. 

H. A. RENDEL GOVAN, A.R.I.B.A., 44 Queen Street, Edinburgh 2. 

A. GRAHAM, 1 Nelson Street, Edinburgh 3. 

L. GRAHAME-THOMSON, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., 6 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh 3. 

The Right Hon. THE EARL OF HADDINGTON, K.T., M.C., Mellerstain, Gordon, Berwickshire. 

Mrs HEDDERWICK, 44 Coates Gardens, Edinburgh 12. 

Major GORDON HOME, Lessudden House, St Boswells.

 W. H. JOHNSTON, 11 Randolph Place, Edinburgh 3. 

Captain J. H. F. MCEWEN of Marchmont, Greenlaw, Berwickshire. 

T. MACKINTOSH, W.S., 1 Heriot Row, Edinburgh 3. 

W. GLEN MUIR, 3 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh 12. 

B. N. H. ORPHOOT, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., Well House, Easter Belmont Road, Edinburgh 12. 

Major R. A. OSWALD, Cavens, by Dumfries. 

The Right Hon. LORD POLWARTH, 3 Albyn Place, Edinburgh 2. 

Mrs A. E. ROBERTSON, 17 Cluny Gardens, Edinburgh 10. 

Lieut.-Colonel I. ROSE, 89 Craiglockhart Road, Edinburgh 11. 

Sir SAMUEL S. STRANG STEEL, Bt., Philiphaugh, Selkirk. 

WM. WILSON, 11A Belford Mews, Edinburgh 4. 

And the Office-bearers ex officio. 

CONSTITUENT BODIES AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES 

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES 

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF RURAL SCOTLAND 

ANNUAL REPORT, 1952 

THE Council have pleasure in submitting the Annual Report of the Association, together with a Statement of Finances for the year ended 31st December 1951. 

Introduction.-

4th July 1952 will be the twenty-fifth anniversary of the formal constitution of the Association. The Council are confident that during these twenty-five years the Association has indeed done much to arouse and educate public opinion in Scotland to the vital importance of the preservation of rural scenery and amenities and the welfare of the countryside. 

It is impossible in the space available to give an adequate account of the activities of the Association during these past twenty-five years, but certain of them deserve special mention. 

It was the initiative of this Association which led to the formation in May 1931 of the National Trust for Scotland, which has now accomplished so much. The Association was also instrumental in the setting up of the Scottish Council for National Parks in 1942. 

The passing of the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act, 1951, is a matter of special satisfaction to the Association. The formation in 1936 of the Standing Joint Committee representative of bodies interested in the subject of rivers pollution was mainly due to the initiative of this Association. This Committee, which was later renamed the Scottish Rivers Protection Council, undoubtedly laid the foundation for the 1951 Act. 

Since its inception the Association has always been interested in the question of the regulation of advertisements and has worked unceasingly to deal with the evil of uncontrolled roadside advertising. The passing of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947, and the making of regulations thereunder for the control of advertisements should do much to remedy this evil. 

Before the last war the Association strenuously opposed hydro-electric power schemes for large-scale industry in the Highlands, which would bring them no real benefit, notably the three Caledonian Power Bills, which were all rejected by the House of Commons. In the Annual Report for 1939 the Council stated the policy that all commercial exploitation of water power in the Highlands should be prevented and that the power should be used primarily as a means of promoting industries suitable to the area and increasing the amenities of life for the people. The Council still believe that the policy most likely to bear fruit is to continue not to oppose hydro-electric development but to suggest means whereby this may be carried out with the minimum spoliation of the countryside. 

Other activities of the Association have included general problems in connection with the design of housing, town and country planning, the preservation and reconditioning of ancient buildings, preservation of woodlands, roads and bridges, &c. 

It is fitting to record here the generous and active support the Association received from its office-bearers and members. Special mention should be made of Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Bt., K.T., our Honorary President and one of the founders of the Association; The Right Hon. The Earl of Haddington, K.T., M.C., also a founder, and President until 1947; the late Sir Iain Colquhoun, Bt., K.T., D.S.O., Chairman of Council from 1929 to 1934 and Vice-President from 1935 to 1947, succeeded by the Hon. W. T. H. Scott, Master of Polwarth, as Chairman of Council until his death in 1942; Sir Frank Mears, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., who has been Honorary Secretary since the Association was constituted; and Professor F. G. Baily, M.A., M.I.E.E., also a founder-member, and Honorary Treasurer for fourteen years until his death in 1944. 

The Council. 

The death of the following member of Council is recorded with deep regret:- 

Dr J. R. Adam, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H. 

During the year the following changes in the Council took place:- 

• The Chairman, Mr W. Ferris, resigned on 5th September 1951, and was succeeded by the Vice-Chairman, Commander H. C. Courtney Clarke, D.S.O., R.N.(Retd.). 
• Sir Mark Dalrymple, Bt., was elected Vice-Chairman at the meeting of Council held on 5th December 1951. 
• At the same meeting of Council intimation was received of the resignation of Sir J. D. Ramsay, Bt., from the Council. 

The Council have minuted their appreciation of the services to the Association of both Mr Ferris and Sir J. D. Ramsay. 

The Council have met regularly each month (July and August excepted). By courtesy of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland the monthly meetings of the Council have been held as for many years past at 15 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, and they desire to express again their cordial thanks to the Royal Incorporation for this facility. 

Committees.-

A new Committee, called the Chairman’s Advisory Committee, consisting of the Office-bearers and the Chairmen of Sub-Committees has been instituted, its function being to assist the Chairman when decisions have to be taken at short notice, and to meet as necessary before Council meetings. It will also act as Finance and Publicity Sub-Committee. 

Other Sub-Committees are:- 

• JOINT HYDRO-ELECTRIC, RIVERS POLLUTION AND ANGLING: 

Chairman-Commander Courtney Clarke. 

Vice-Chairman-Mr B. N. H. Orphoot, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. 

• RURAL AMENITIES: 

Chairman-Mrs Mackenzie Anderson. 

• BUILDINGS OF ARCHITECTURAL MERIT OR HISTORIC INTEREST: 

Chairman-Mr William Walker, A.R.E. 

Constitution.-

The Council decided that a reprint of the Constitution was desirable so that every member could be issued with a copy. In this connection the Council considered the Constitution and are putting forward some minor alterations for the approval of the Annual General Meeting. 

Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act, 1951. 

The Council gave careful consideration to this Act, which became law on the 10th May 1951, during its various stages. Apart from the better protection now given to Salmon, the improvement given to the protection of Brown Trout against illegal methods of destruction should in time add to the amenities of our Scottish rivers. 

Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) (Scotland) Act, 1951.-

This Act, which the Association has been pressing for since 1927, became law on the 1st August 1951. The Council followed the Bill through all its stages and made a number of representations both by letter and deputation during the drafting period. 

The Council were specially gratified when, at their suggestion, powers were added to the Bill during its passage through Parliament relating to the control and siting of Sheep-dippers, and an amendment which the Right Hon. Walter Elliot, M.P., moved at the request of the Association designed to prevent litter and rubbish being put into rivers was accepted. 

Although the Act is on the Statute Book it will not come into force as regards each new River Purification Area until various dates to be appointed by the Secretary of State depending on when each Board is ready to function. It is understood that work is in progress on the preparation of draft orders constituting the River Purification Boards and defining the areas of the Boards. The Secretary of State is required as one of the preliminaries to the making of an order to consult with the Councils of every County and Large Burgh concerned. The Association has been informed that these consultations will start at an early date. Meantime all the pre-Act powers, whether down for repeal or not of Local Authorities, District Fishery Boards, &c., remain and they will not be repealed until the various appointed dates. 

Rivers Pollution.-

The Council have continued their endeavours to persuade Local Authorities to take action to remedy this evil. 

As regards the Tweed watershed, steady progress seems to have been made in the Landward Area of the County of Roxburgh, but as regards the Burghs the position is much the same. While the new Hawick Sewage Purification Works have greatly improved the condition of the Upper Teviot, the lower part of the river is still polluted from Jedburgh. In the case of the Tweed itself, it is understood that plans have been drawn up by Melrose for Purification Works, which are under consideration, but as far as information is available Kelso has made no progress in this matter. 

Hydro-Electric Development. 

During the period under review the following Schemes were examined:- 

1. No. 32 Loch Shin Project. 
2. No. 61 Kilmelfort Project. 
3. No. 25 Breadalbane Project. 

In the case of the Breadalbane Scheme an objection was lodged pending the raising of two points with the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board; these points having been dealt with, the objection has been withdrawn. 

Recently it was felt that correspondence could be saved and misunderstandings avoided if there was a closer personal contact between the Board and the Association, and with that end in view the Chairman and Organising Secretary had an informal and cordial meeting with the General Manager and Secretary to the Board. 

The discussion was very informative, and a number of technical points were clarified, and it was arranged that greater use of the telephone would be made. 

The proposed power line through the Corrieyairack Pass, which had already been the subject of correspondence, was discussed briefly, and the points raised will be carefully considered. This proposal has raised a number of questions which are now under consideration in conjunction with other Associations and Societies. 

In dealing with minor suggestions as regards the Glen Affric Scheme, reports were received from Inverness concerning this Scheme which indicate that the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board are to be congratulated on the way they have endeavoured to preserve the amenities of the Glen. Consistent with obtaining the necessary electric power, it is felt that under the circumstances the work has been carried out remarkably well. 

Preservation of Woodlands.-

The passing of the Forestry Act, 1951, has given greatly increased powers to the Forestry Commissioners in regard to the maintenance of reserves of growing trees in Great Britain and for regulating their felling. The Commissioners may, if it appears expedient to them in the interest of good forestry, either refuse a licence to fell or grant it, and can make it a condition that the applicant replants the land on which the trees are felled with young trees. 

The question of preserving mature trees for their amenity value by Preservation Orders, which can be made either by the Forestry Commission or a County Council, introduces the difficult question of compensation. 

The Association has used its influence in regard to the preservation of woodlands in the following cases:- 

1. The Tobermory Woods. 

Attention having been drawn to the fact that the beautiful fir and oak woods in the policies of Aros Castle were to be cut down, the Association in conjunction with the Tree Lovers’ Society took the matter up, and it is now understood that the deciduous woods near the Waterfall and Heronry at the Dorlinn will be excluded from the felling. 

2. Ancrum Trees. 

It was reported to the Council that lime trees, a pleasing feature of the village of Ancrum, near Melrose, were in danger of being cut down. Now the trees have, at least for the time, been left standing. 

3. Dunnottar Woods. 

The Council noted with interest the outcome of the seven-year struggle for the preservation of these woods near Stonehaven, in the form of an agreement concluded between the County Council of Kincardineshire, the owners, and the Forestry Commission to schedule these woods as a permanent woodland. Over a period of years different areas will be clear felled in the autumn and replanted at the earliest possible date in the spring by the Forestry Commission, the trees in the area nearest the burgh being left until 1954, and the area surrounding Dunnottar Gardens only to be thinned and not clear felled at all. The Dunnottar Woods Sub-Committee is to be kept in existence to deal with any points that may arise. 

4. Ben Lawers and Loch Tay Woods. 

At two representative meetings convened in June and July at the Ben Lawers Hotel by the Tree Lovers’ Society, in answer to requests from residents for help and advice, the Association was represented by two of its members. The meetings were attended by representatives from the Forestry Commission, the National Trust for Scotland, the Department of Health for Scotland, the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, the Nature Conservancy, and the Tree Lovers’ Society, and by the County Planning Officer and local residents. The meetings showed a spirit of co-operation and a willingness to preserve beauty wherever possible that was most encouraging. 

Control of Advertisements.-

The present law may be summarised as follows: Under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947, and Regulations made thereunder, in general and subject to certain specified exceptions no one can lawfully display any new advertisements without the consent of the local planning authority and existing advertisements can be challenged by them. The period of grace allowed for advertisements which were being displayed when the Regulations came into force in 1948 expired in August 1951. 

Areas which appear to the Secretary of State to require special protection on grounds of amenity may be defined by order as “areas of special control.” In these areas no advertisements except for certain limited classes and certain others of a temporary nature are permitted. 

Further inquiries have been made since the last Annual Report as to what further steps have been taken to put into operation the powers conferred on County Councils as local planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning Control of Advertisements Regulations. The present position may be summarised as follows:- 

• In three Counties – Dumfries, Perth and Kinross, and Inverness – Orders are in force making the whole County, with the exception of small burghs and certain villages, an Area of Special Control. 

• In eleven Counties – Stirling, Clackmannan, Aberdeen, East Lothian, Argyll, Renfrew, Angus, Selkirk, Bute, Kincardine, and Midlothian – proposals for the creation of Areas of Special Control are under consideration. · 

• In thirteen Counties – Peebles, Berwick, Roxburgh, Ayr, Lanark, Moray and Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, Fife, Wigtown, Banff, West Lothian, Caithness, and Sutherland – no steps are being taken to define Areas of Special Control as these Counties are satisfied that adequate control of advertisements can be exercised without an Order being made. 

The County Council of the County of Renfrew invited the Association to submit observations on a proposed Area of Special Control between Gourock and Wemyss Bay and certain suggestions were forwarded. 

The Council for the Preservation of Rural England asked the Association to co-operate in an endeavour to secure the removal of certain advertisements on roads crossing the border between Scotland and England, and this matter is still engaging the attention of the Council. 

Service Land Requirements.-

During the period of this Report the Association has continued to be consulted by the Department of Health for Scotland upon the various requirements of the Services. In making any suggestions or comments, the Council have had to bear in mind that with the rearmament programme and the improvement in modern weapons greater training facilities are essential if efficiency is to be maintained in these crucial years. 

Transport in Rural Areas.-

Now that so many branch railway lines are being closed down the importance of bus services to the more remote rural areas is becoming of increasing importance, and it is one of the factors which tends to depopulate these areas if a reasonable service is not provided. The war, followed by peace-time National Service, allows so many young people to get used to the amenities of town and community life and they are getting less and less inclined to return to isolation in the country. The Council is keeping this question in view and intend keeping in touch with the S.W.R.I. over the matter. 

Organising Secretary.-

The Council regret to record the great loss sustained through the sudden death on 4th November 1951 of Mr J. T. Middleton, W.S., who had been Organising Secretary since 1946. 

Mr Kenneth Macrae, W.S., has been appointed his successor. The Association Office remains at 15 Rutland Square. 

Finance. – 

There is appended hereto an Abstract of the Accounts for the year to 31st December 1951, showing a deficit of £98, 4s. 8d. on the year’s working. 

The Council record their appreciation of the bequest to the Association by the late Mr John Alexander Black McGhie of one-fourth of the residue of his estate amounting to £3241, 16s. 4d. 

The question of the finances of the Association is having the careful consideration of the Finance Sub-Committee, but the recent change in Organising Secretary has delayed any proposals being made. The steady reduction of the Life Membership Account is one of the adverse factors, but the interest on recent legacies will help to counteract this. 

H. C. COURTNEY CLARKE, Chairman of Council. 

[see PDF for Statement of Accounts]