The type of housing at Runnymede varies greatly.
Take a wrong turn on Twitter, and the idea of parting ways with modern technology for good becomes all the more appealing. While living off the grid is a passing thought for many, it’s actually a reality for some living just outside of London, England.
In some disused woodland 20 miles west of the city (and quite close to the place where the Magna Carta was signed) is an area known as Runnymeade, which also features an eco village that has been under the care of squatters since 2012. That is, until this past spring, when they were served an eviction notice.
No one likes to do dishes, but they do get done.
Gatherings around the fire are common.
Source: Photoshelter
Approximately 40 Runnymeade residents are being evicted at the behest of the Runnymeade property developer and the Magna Carta celebration committee. To the Diggers (what the eco village residents call themselves), such a scenario is ironic, as they are being pushed out by a group who celebrates the very document that over time became associated with protecting individual liberties from the wills of the more powerful.
Angela. Source: Photoshelter
Said Digger Peter Phoenix, “[the area] is one of the most iconic, historic sites” in the country, and in court proceedings cited articles from the Human Right Act as his defense. Phoenix continued, “If a protest can’t be made by the Magna Carta land, where can it be made? Forty people walked out of London with the aim of creating off-grid dwellings or homes. They are all low-impact, all built from recycled materials. The removal of the defendants and others would breach human rights, it’s not lawful.”
Arun. Source: Photoshelter
Their turn for cooking duty. Source: Photoshelter
A garden is one of the first steps to sustainability.
This isn’t the first time that eco village residents have been smacked with an eviction notice. In the first instance, the Diggers maintained that they had made a verbal agreement with a site security guard which permitted them to stay on the land so long as they stayed in the woods and did not move onto the development site.
Making furniture from wood.
Source: Photoshelter
The authority of that agreement–if it was even made–has since been squashed in court. In April 2015, a district judge granted an adjournment after landowner representatives asked for an order for possession of the land, on the grounds of trespassing. Later, the Diggers were denied an appeal at a county court.
Even with a great garden, some supplementing from grocery bins is often necessary.
Source: Photoshelter
Keleigh looks at a map of another community that has been threatened with eviction. Source: Photoshelter
Angela, Shanti, and Rosie.
Said Myriam Stacey, who acted for the property owners, “This site is significant because it’s so close to the Magna Carta. It doesn’t need to be this piece of land [where they live]. We know that there are a lot of human rights issues being raised. In this case the land is owned by private owners. The land is owned by the claimant.”
Lillie, a frequent camp visitor works on homework.
Lisa hones her hula hoop skills.
Ian. Source: Photoshelter
While the eco village’s days do seem to be numbered, what they’ve managed to build within the space–both physically and socially–is rather impressive.
Residents share meals and tools; use solar energy; keep animals, and grow most of their own food. Each member contributes when it comes to chores: members clean up debris from others’ illegal dumping in the surrounding forest; cook; tend the garden, and scout for recyclable materials to help construct the shelters.
Lillie. Source: Photoshelter
By the Magna Carta Memorial.
This particular group also makes trips to visit other eco-communities in order to learn new skills and share their own. For a smattering of people who believe that modern society is fundamentally broken, they certainly seem to be capable of making their own society prosper.
Andrea. Source: Photoshelter
Clare.
Phil. Source: Photoshelter
A policeman stops by to chat. Source: Photoshelter
Rosie. Source: Photoshelter
Source: A cozy end to the day. Photoshelter
All photos were taken by Daniella Zalcman (@dzalcman).
For more on commune life, check out our post on life in 1970s hippie communes and a history of the hippie movement. To delve into the darker side, check out these infamous cults.
