Following the Second World War, with a depressed farming industry and the workforce leaving for better paid jobs in the towns and cities, it was no longer viable to maintain hedges, especially for the purpose of enclosing livestock, and the use of wire fencing topped with barbed wire rapidly appeared all over the countryside.
Today, with an increase in the use of conservation grazing to manage the countryside, there has been an increase in the amount of permanent fencing that has been erected across acres and acres of what were once open grassy fields, and an integral part of that fencing has been barbed wire. In the words of Dr Peter Brandon, landscape historian and champion of the South Downs, ‘Now we’ve got fences and barbed wire all over the place, confining people to footpaths and bridleways, whereas before the war they had the de facto right to walk almost anywhere on the Downs.’
It is a concern that I share, as I cannot find acceptable the erection of permanent wire fencing to enclose a space that is only going to be grazed for a few weeks a year (and often by just a few animals) – permanent fencing should have a permanent purpose. The rest of the time the fields are empty and walkers are severely restricted on what is, after all, mostly public land. In fact nothing says, “Keep Out of the Countryside,” better than wire fencing. The use of barbed wire just adds a brutish element to our countryside and adds the line, “You Are Not Welcome.”
Meanwhile, strands of discarded rusty wire from broken fencing also lie in wait, hidden beneath vegetation for an unwary foot or hand. On many occasions working in the countryside along fence lines I have come across the rusty remains of the previous fence, the barbs of which can easily rip through protective gloves, let alone exposed flesh.
It would be interesting to know what the comparative costs of the different options are, because the erection and maintenance of permanent fencing is not cheap and the wooden posts have a limited lifespan before they need to be replaced.