Page:The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty, 1907.djvu/19

 in Ireland, the future of many ecclesiastical buildings which had fallen out of use, but were interesting historically or architecturally, came in question. Parliament was in a liberal mood, and a maintenance fund of some £50,000 was handed over to the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, to whom the buildings, 134 in number, were transferred. In 1882 the Commissioners were constituted the authority to take charge of megalithic monuments under the Act of that year; and seven monuments passed into their hands. In 1892 the powers given in 1882 were extended to all ancient and mediæval structures which the Commissioners might think to be of public interest; and 48 monuments, amongst them some of the famous Round Towers, have been placed in their care under the Act. The total number of monuments in their charge thus approaches 200; and for their safe keeping, they have an annual income of about £1,000.

When we turn from historic monuments—Places of Interest—to natural monuments—Places of Beauty, and endeavour to chronicle what has been done in the United Kingdom to preserve natural scenery, we find a certain overlapping with the movement for preserving open spaces. It would be out of my province to describe, in any detail, what has been done to provide open spaces for the public enjoyment during the last forty years,—a movement with which the Vice-Chancellor of this University has been closely associated. But it may be said, broadly, that while, on the one hand, the enclosure of commons has been arrested throughout the country, on the other, there is scarcely a town of any repute which has not taken action to supply Parks and Recreation Grounds for the use of its inhabitants. Many of the Places so provided are, in the strictest sense, Places of Natural Beauty. I may instance such places as