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Smithsonian magazine offers a summary of the topic: “Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England’s Must-Have Garden Accessory.” Includes many illustrations and a short video of Gordon Campbell’s comments.
Smithsonian on ornamental hermits
“Life As a Hermit” –for kids
This fall, University of Oxford’s Social Sciences departments presented a series of educational programs for “family-friendly audiences,” that included a program titled “Life as a Hermit,” presented by faculty of the Schoool of Archaeology.
From the website: “Hermits are people living in solitude. How does your life differ to theirs?In this activity, inspired by findings from Byzantine hermitages in Cyprus, enter our ‘cave’ to experience life as a hermit! You will ‘meet’ a male and a female hermit, handle objects used by hermits, explore why people chose to live as hermits, and challenge some stereotypes.”
Richard Dawson’s song “The Hermit”
British musician Richard Dawson is described as composing and performing “prog folk” or progressive folk. His music treats and exhausts the traditional English folk devices, melodies, and textures, adding touches of more familiar “prog rock” or progressive rock elements overlapped with psychedelia. His recent (2022) The Ruby Cord includes a 40-minute section titled “The Hermit.”
“Only Resident of Écréhous” – UK
Aeon presents a 1987 BBC video production from the series “Nationwide: Remote Britain.” The video is titled “The Only Resident of Écréhous.” Byline: “Why one man spent 15 years in ‘self-imposed’ island exile.” Here is a summary from Aeon“:
“Born on Jersey in the Channel Islands (part of the British Crown Dependency), Alphonse Le Gastelois (1914-2012) moved to the small, only seasonally inhabited Écréhous island chain roughly six miles away in 1961, after being wrongly suspected of a series of heinous sexual assaults. Relocating for his own safety and peace of mind, he remained there, living mostly in isolation, until 1975, even after he was proven innocent when the string of attacks continued in his absence and the real culprit was finally caught in 1971. First broadcast in 1978, this clip from the BBC series Nationwide: Remote Britain tells Le Gastelois’s incredible story of ‘self-imposed exile’, including his formal attempt to become ‘King of the Écréhous’ – a request that would ultimately go unfulfilled in law, if not in legend. Depicting the power of unfounded rumour and gossip to derail a life, his story is one that echoes with amplified intensity in the internet age.”
URL (Aeon): https://aeon.co/videos/why-one-man-spent-15-years-in-self-imposed-island-exile; (YouTube): https://youtu.be/5AFNq8G_K3Y?si=H22zlaY0oWjOP
Simon Parker, Welsh hermit
BBC News carries this item on the Welsh hermit Simon Parker in an article titled “Flat Holm: The man who lives alone on an island. ” Flat Holm is the name of the island just four miles from Cardiff. From the BBC article:
“Simon has learnt a lot about the island and its wildlife and, perhaps more importantly, something about himself too.
“Being able to walk out my front door and be met with all this noise from the birds gives me boost.
“I know for my own personal wellbeing I need time in nature.
“I’ve always loved being in remote places, although I’m only four miles from Cardiff, sometimes it can seem like a million.”
He said the island was “all or nothing” and urged others to make the jump as well.
“Life is short so I put out to anyone thinking of doing something like this – just to do it,” he said.
“Feed your inner child and you might end up a place like this.”