From the 1960s the perception of what conservation in the countryside meant gradually changed. Sometimes described as the ‘democratisation of the countryside’, this has been to a great extent the result of an increasing awareness among the population in general, rather than just a minority of the professional and leisured classes, of the huge value of the natural and cultural heritage and of the varied landscape in which we live. increased leisure time, along with the availability of transport, has all been part of this process. Gradually the word ‘preservation’, suggesting a static situation of ring-fenced specific historic sites or ecologically sensitive areas, was replaced by ‘conservation’, allowing for wider landscapes to be recognised and a realisation that by sensitive management different uses could co-exist.

While the early naturalists were concerned with the protection of particular species rather than their habitat, and the antiquarians with the finds from their excavations rather than the sites themselves, by the end of the nineteenth century these attitudes were beginning to change. Wildlife could only flourish if the environment was right, and the monuments as well as their contents were of value. From the 1950s these ideas were also expanded by an understanding that wildlife could often not survive within the tight boundaries of reserves: wider corridors linking these protected areas were also needed. in the same way, the setting of ancient monuments needed protecting if they were to be fully understood within their landscape.

Not only have our ideas of what conservation really means shifted over this period, but we can distinguish four elements in the development of the conservation movement, all of which are well illustrated by the conflicts and compromises in the Norfolk countryside. These four strands include nature and wildlife, rural landscape, archaeological remains and historic buildings. While these themes often overlap, the experience of Norfolk reveals differences in the level of public and political interest, in financial support from government, in the role of the voluntary sector, in the relevant institutional frameworks and in legislative powers.