Jarvis Cocker art trail marks Kinder Scout mass trespass
- Published
Jarvis Cocker has commemorated the famous Kinder Scout mass trespass with a new art trail along the route the protesters took.
The 1932 demonstration saw hundreds of ramblers walk on to private land on Kinder Scout in Derbyshire to assert their "right to roam".
Following the protest, five men were arrested and imprisoned.
The Sheffield singer's Be Kinder walk has artworks along the route and begins with a jukebox of protest songs.
Cocker, who had hits with Common People and Disco 2000 with the band Pulp, has been working with Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller on the project.
Cocker told BBC Radio Sheffield: "I remember coming out here [to Kinder Scout] on school trips being forced to walk in the countryside and complaining bitterly at the time. In later life I've been glad of that.
"People might not know the story of the mass trespassers. That's really what led to people being allowed to walk in this area [Kinder Scout], before that the land was very restricted access."
The mass trespass increased public rights to access the countryside and many argue it led to the National Parks legislation in 1949, external.
In April, George Haigh, the last surviving member of the Kinder mass trespass, was remembered at a rally marking the protest following his death aged 103.
Walkers will follow pink markers on the trail, which features black and white images of the protesters on tents along the route, and an art installation in Edale Chapel.
The National Trust said the Britpop star's art trail encouraged people to think about the importance of being kind to the natural habitat and honoured the individuals who fought for public rights of way.
It is part of the trust's People's Landscape programme which runs until September.
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- Published27 April 2019
- Published27 April 2012