British Summer Time

British Summer Time – 28th/29th of March

by Erica Green

Illustration by Tahra Morton

William Willett first put forward the idea of British Summer Time (BST), also known as Daylight Saving Time, in the early 1900s. He often rode his horse, (please note the reference to physical activity!) early morning, through the local woods in Chislehurst and Petts Wood, whilst people were still fast asleep in bed. He was irritated by the ‘waste’ of useful daylight first thing in the morning, especially during the summer months.

Now, William Willett sounds like my kind of man, up with the lark and exercising and I’m completely surprised he wasn’t immediately taken seriously or even sworn in as Prime Minister. He was probably sworn at quite a bit actually but for me, he represents an early Green Light hero as he galloped through the glades! Not “The Glades” (in Bromley) obviously, as I doubt he was much of a shopaholic! Now there’s a thought … have you ever compared the total time you devote to your weekly shopping sprees with that of exercising?

In 1907 Willett published a pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight, outlining plans to encourage people to spring out of bed earlier in the summer months by changing the time on the nation’s clocks which would elicit, “health and strength of body and mind” according to Willett himself. A wellness motto if ever I heard one.

He died in 1915 having spent many years battling to be heard and the Government still refusing to acknowledge his scheme. But the following year, Germany introduced the BST system. Britain followed in May 1916, and we have been losing and gaining hours ever since.

The main reasons given for the use of summer time are the saving in power given by the longer hours of daylight in the evenings and the increased useful daylight leisure time available to those who work. A reminder from a previous Dulwich On View article … “Take a brisk ½ hour walk after work before heading home.” Why not take a stroll, or even a leap or two, to welcome in British Summer Time – the weekend of March 28th/29th.

Walking the Willett Way
There is a lovely walk which has been devised by Royal Observatory curator David Rooney set around William Willett’s home ground of Petts Wood and Chislehurst in Kent.

The walk lasts approximately 3 hours and covers uneven terrain, stepped-access footbridges and several miles of wonderful walking. The walk starts at Petts Wood BR station and ends, rewardingly, in the Daylight Inn. “It’s all about balance.”

For information on Walking the Willett Way click here

Another DOV article by Erica: A Heart is for Life, Not Just for Valentine’s Day!