Civic Voice Publications

A Brief History of the Civic Society Movement by Lucy E. Hewitt

In this book Lucy Hewitt traces the development of “civic virtue” in England. We might note that such a thing is not new. Pompei himself built circuses. Augustus clad Rome in marble. But if the notion of a community looking at its surroundings and wanting to control or effect it may be as old as mankind itself what is not so straightforward is the motivation behind such a desire. It changes. We read here of groups fighting against disease and poverty, driven by simple Christian Charity, of others worried about security, some that simply wanted to avoid danger and promote a feeling of well-being, or to get rid of slums, or even to promote Godliness. But from the start many wanted the place they lived in to look good and reflect its historic past.