Tranquillity Base

The taste for chemical and artificial tranquilizers, be they alcohol, television, or any one of the smorgasbord of illegal narcotics available outside your local school are generally recognised to be crutches helping us to stand up in a world that’s forcing down.

A new survey by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) may have revealed visually more evidence of what we already feel instinctually. The map above shows England coloured to indicate varying degrees of perceived tranquillity by location.

It will come as no surprise that it is easy to find London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle on this map – they all rise as hives on the skin of the country. Nor will it astound that the less populated areas were rated more tranquil. What is more worrying is the direction that everywhere is clearly going. Look at any of the regional maps and the detail clearly indicates the stress of the city leaching out like a vigorous cancer along commuter routes and suburban sprawl.

Take the regional map of the South-West for example, the West Country has traditionally been seen as a place of escape and relaxation but this plan indicates it criss-crossed with rising unease. It only takes a moment to perceive that the yellows breaking from the green are shaped about the major roads, everywhere the car goes it chases tranquillity away.

The CPRE have provided an opportunity for you to hear tranquillity, with streamed excerpts from the CD Sounds of Tranquillity produced by the Wildlife Recording Society.