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Gilwell Park: Difference between revisions
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The estate's condition declined even more during the 1910s. William F. de Bois Maclaren was a publisher and [[Scout Commissioner]] from [[Rosneath]], [[Dumbartonshire]], Scotland. During a business trip to London, Maclaren was saddened to see that Scouts in the [[East End]] had no suitable outdoor area to conduct their Scouting activities. He contacted [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Lord Robert Baden-Powell]] about this, who appointed [[P.B. Nevill]] to handle the matter. Nevill was the Scout Commissioner of the East End at the time. On [[November 20]], [[1918]] over dinner at Roland House, the Scout Hostel in [[Stepney]], Maclaren agreed to donate £7,000 to the project. Part of the agreement included narrowing the areas to look for suitable land to Hainault Forest and Epping Forest. [[Rover Scouts]] searched both areas without success, but then John Gayfer, a young Assistant Scoutmaster, suggested Gilwell Hall, a place he went [[bird-watching]]. Nevill visited the estate and was impressed, though the buildings were by then in poor condition. The estate was for sale for £7,000, the exact price Maclaren had donated.<ref name="historyofficial"/> The estate totaled 21 hectare (53 acres) at the time. | The estate's condition declined even more during the 1910s. William F. de Bois Maclaren was a publisher and [[Scout Commissioner]] from [[Rosneath]], [[Dumbartonshire]], Scotland. During a business trip to London, Maclaren was saddened to see that Scouts in the [[East End]] had no suitable outdoor area to conduct their Scouting activities. He contacted [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Lord Robert Baden-Powell]] about this, who appointed [[P.B. Nevill]] to handle the matter. Nevill was the Scout Commissioner of the East End at the time. On [[November 20]], [[1918]] over dinner at Roland House, the Scout Hostel in [[Stepney]], Maclaren agreed to donate £7,000 to the project. Part of the agreement included narrowing the areas to look for suitable land to Hainault Forest and Epping Forest. [[Rover Scouts]] searched both areas without success, but then John Gayfer, a young Assistant Scoutmaster, suggested Gilwell Hall, a place he went [[bird-watching]]. Nevill visited the estate and was impressed, though the buildings were by then in poor condition. The estate was for sale for £7,000, the exact price Maclaren had donated.<ref name="historyofficial"/> The estate totaled 21 hectare (53 acres) at the time. | ||
The estate was purchased in early 1919 by Maclaren for the Boy Scout Association. Nevill first took his Rover Scouts to begin repairing the run-down estate on [[Maundy Thursday]], [[April 17]], [[1919]]. On this visit, the Rovers slept in the gardener's shed in the orchard because the ground was so wet they could not pitch tents. They called this shed "The Pigsty" and though dilapidated, it still stands, as it is the site of the first Scout campsite at Gilwell Park. Maclaren was a frequent visitor to Gilwell Park and helped repair the buildings. His dedication was so great that he donated another £3,000. Maclaren's interest had been in providing a campground, but Baden-Powell envisioned a training centre for Scouters. An official opening was planned for [[June 19]], [[1919]] but it was delayed until Saturday, [[June 26]], [[1919]] so that Scouts could participate in the Official Peace Festival commemorating the end of World War I. Invitations were changed by hand to save money.<ref name="historyofficial"/> Significant remodeling and construction was done in the 1920s. Because of limited finances, few improvements were made during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Baden-Powell never lived at Gilwell Park but he often camped, lectured, taught courses, and attended meetings on-site. He emphasized the importance of Scouter's training at Gilwell Park for Scouting by taking it as the territorial designation in his | The estate was purchased in early 1919 by Maclaren for the Boy Scout Association. Nevill first took his Rover Scouts to begin repairing the run-down estate on [[Maundy Thursday]], [[April 17]], [[1919]]. On this visit, the Rovers slept in the gardener's shed in the orchard because the ground was so wet they could not pitch tents. They called this shed "The Pigsty" and though dilapidated, it still stands, as it is the site of the first Scout campsite at Gilwell Park. Maclaren was a frequent visitor to Gilwell Park and helped repair the buildings. His dedication was so great that he donated another £3,000. Maclaren's interest had been in providing a campground, but Baden-Powell envisioned a training centre for Scouters. An official opening was planned for [[June 19]], [[1919]] but it was delayed until Saturday, [[June 26]], [[1919]] so that Scouts could participate in the Official Peace Festival commemorating the end of World War I. Invitations were changed by hand to save money.<ref name="historyofficial"/> Significant remodeling and construction was done in the 1920s. Because of limited finances, few improvements were made during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Baden-Powell never lived at Gilwell Park but he often camped, lectured, taught courses, and attended meetings on-site. He emphasized the importance of Scouter's training at Gilwell Park for Scouting by taking it as the territorial designation in his peerage title of ''1st Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell'' in 1929 when the [[baron]]y was conferred upon him by the king.<ref name='thurman-1951'>{{cite book | first = John | last = Thurman | series = The Patrol Books | number = 13 | title = The Scout's Book of Gilwell | publisher = The Boy Scouts Association | location = London | year = 1951}}</ref> | ||
=== Wartime and later development === | === Wartime and later development === | ||
