Eric Robinson celebration at Watchet, Somerset, 2024
Eric Robinson (94), one of the most influential figures in British geology over the past 50 years, was complaining that he had started to lose touch with his geological colleagues when, this year, health issues forced him into a retirement home near his Watchet base. Little did he know! On March 22nd his daughter, Helen Chave, lured him to Watchet’s East Quay Arts Centre on the promise of a “day out and a coffee.” There, she sprang her surprise - a large and appreciative group of his friends, including a Zoom link with a dozen of his geological colleagues from all over the country.
Of course, given Eric’s advanced years, we were all slightly worried that he would be overwhelmed by this tribute. But far from it. After the initial surprise had worn off, Eric animatedly began talking about his eventful life, as it unfolded on the slide show rolling in the background. He was able to chat with all of the people on Zoom, which included the GA’s president Graham Hickman, past and present GA officers Jonathan Larwood, Diana Clements, Mick Oates and Susan Brown, long term collaborator Nina Morgan, and other colleagues he hadn’t seen for many years.
The meeting was hosted by Andy King of the Watchet geological and environmental consultancy Geckoella, and included a tour of their offices at East Quay. Like many of us, Andy has been inspired by Eric’s contribution to British geology, and by his work with the community in Watchet since he moved there in 2001. Andy presented Eric with a commemorative plaque inset with a disinctive local fossil – a beautiful, iridescent ammonite (Psiloceras planorbis). After the Zoom meeting, the local town crier David Milton led Eric to a further welcoming group from Watchet Council, Museum, Arts Group and Conservation Society.
According to his daughter Helen, the celebration did the trick! Eric was entranced and touched by the tribute, and has been talking about it ever since.
For any of you not aware of Eric’s contribution – well, where have you been? In addition to his senior lectureship at University College London (1954-2001), he’s been a stalwart of the GA for 50 years or more, including roles as Circular Editor, Librarian, Senior Vice-President and President (1991-1994). His distinctiveness, though, is that he has eschewed the traditional academic route in favour of popularizing geology – for example through his celebrated urban building stone walks, bringing geology to the street, to the graveyard, and to schools. While the conventional academic view might have been that Eric “didn’t publish enough,” he has in fact been a prolific writer. It’s just that he’s spread his largesse widely, being just as happy to write articles for historical and architectural magazines, local conservation societies and Country Life as for the more “recognized” scientific journals. He contributed widely to (and was an editor of) Geology Today, and is probably the Proceedings’ most published author.
I’m part of a generation of geologists inspired by Eric’s outlook on life, his love of his subject, and his mission to bring geology to the public spotlight. This feeling has only been intensified by my current “hobby” project – building an archive of material Eric has shared with his colleagues over the years (shorthand - the Erichive), including his beautiful hand-illustrated field guides and numerous unpublished essays. I’m pleased to say that this project is now nearing completion, and selections from Eric’s work will soon be available online for all to appreciate – watch this space. I hope and believe it will help cement Eric’s position as a major figure in British geology, and most of all that it will reinforce the message that comes through time and time again in Eric’s writing – “Geology is everywhere, and for everyone.”
