Open Spaces

Octavia Hill (1838–1912) was an English social reformer who concentrated on the welfare of city dwellers. Hill was a co-founder of the National Trust, as well as the Charity Organisation Society (now known as Family Action), which pioneered the home-visiting service that provided the basis for modern social work in the U. K. One of her main beliefs was that urban workers should have ample open spaces to enjoy and relax in, and she campaigned vehemently against destroying urban woodlands. In her 1877 essay “Open Spaces”, Hill argues for the protection of green spaces and against the destroying of existing green, open spaces in London, including Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields—spots that remain open spaces to this day thanks to her efforts. Read & Co. Great Essays is republishing this classic essay now complete with the excerpt “The Open Space Movement” by Charles Edmund Maurice.