The first ever Country Code was probably devised by The Ramblers Association in the 1930s. The Ramblers ran a campaign for greater access to the countryside at this time, in particular to the high moorland areas in the north of England used for grouse shooting, as these were often privately owned and "Off-limits". It was recognised that to have any chance of success a social contract between walkers and land-owners would be required, codifying an acceptable standard of behaviour whilst on this and other land in return for access. By the time of the establishment of Britain's National Parks in the 1950s, which finally gave access to the majority of these areas, The Country Code was already familiar to many with its various dos and donts beginning to be impressed on the national consciousness.
Increased car ownership and the spread of new towns throughout what were previously rural backwaters meant that by the 1960s the countryside was coming under more pressure than ever before. The code was re-emphasised through a series of animated Public Information Films for television and the cinema, starting with When In The Country (1963). This gem used the highly stylised animation popular at the time with an airy Jazz score by The Scottmen. It's very much a period piece, particularly with its representations of contemporary road transport - E-type Jaguars driven by bright young things tearing up country lanes, whilst conventional nuclear families tootle along in a once-ubiquitous BMC saloon.
When In The Country was one of at least three films on The Country Code produced around this time by Richard Taylor Cartoons, a company specialising in short animated films for the Central Office Of Information, advertising and corporate training. Richard Taylor would go on to produce childrens programmes such as Crystal Tipps and Alistair (1969) for the BBC, and ultimately gain brief notoriety with the controversial Protect And Survive films.Safeguard Water Supplies was another (quite possibly the third) of the Country films, produced in 1965. A black and white version (probably from a TV company archive) turned up on the original Charley Says… video, though it was undoubtedly made in colour like the first. It is very much in the mould of the first film but a lot shorter, focussing on the need to avoid polluting water sources such as streams, rivers and reservoirs- even as recently as the 1980s many rural areas often drew their water supply untreated from these. A harpsichord intro reminiscent of Bach’s Jesu flows into a flute-led Jazz score evoking a rural idyll.
The other film in the series - showing people throwing rubbish out of a camper van as it drives along a country lane - has yet to surface.
By the 1970s a more cynical era had arrived and it was down to Joe and Petunia, stars of several animated Public Information Films made between 1968 and 1973, to remind us to shut gates and take our litter home. Voiced by Peter Hawkins (aka Captain Pugwash) and Wendy Craig, the style was less informative and more shaming, asking the public if they recognised themselves in these two inconsiderate morons. Unlike the When In The Country series, which was probably not aired after the the late Sixties, Joe and Petunia proved to be far more durable. This 1971 PIF and at least one other in the series were being shown on the BBC channels (usually late at night by then) as recently as the mid-1990s.
No school trip in the late 1970s/early 1980s was complete without being handed a photocopied sheet entitled “Rugged Country Rules”. Drawn by Pippa Southwood, this was a Country Code campaign aimed at the young. As well as the usual code, this reinforced the need to go properly equipped into high country, with sections such as “What must the well-dressed Fell Walker wear?”. Much to my amazement I found a copy pinned to the notice board at a bunkhouse I stayed at recently. Though it does show its age in places – “NEVER USE A DUFFEL BAG” (that accessory no 1970s schoolboy was without), and you are left wondering “Do they still make Kagoul(e)s?” - most of it is still good sense today.
The latest campaign – now called The Countryside Code – dates from 2004 and is produced by Aaardman in the style of their Creature Comforts series. Given the popularity of this and the Wallace And Gromit series, it could eventually rival Joe And Petunia in the longevity stakes.
