Sidney William Wooldridge facts for kids

Professor Sidney William Wooldridge (born November 16, 1900 – died April 25, 1963) was a very important geographer and geologist. He was one of the first people to study how the land in south-east England was formed. He also became the first professor of geography at King's College London. He worked with other famous geographers like Laurence Dudley Stamp and David Leslie Linton.

Early Life and Learning

Sidney Wooldridge was born in Hornsey, North London, in 1900. His father worked at a bank. Sidney spent his early years in Cheam, Surrey. Later, he went to school in Wood Green, north London. There, he also took evening classes to learn about geology.

He studied geology at King's College London from 1918 to 1921. He did very well and earned a top degree. He then continued his studies, focusing on rocks (this is called petrology). He earned more degrees in 1923 and 1927. His research looked at old rock layers and deposits in places like the North Downs and Chiltern Hills. This work made him very interested in geomorphology, which is the study of how landforms are created.

His Career as a Professor

In the 1920s and 1930s, Professor Wooldridge taught at King's College. He taught a special course that combined geography and geology. This course was shared with the London School of Economics (LSE). At King's, he taught about landforms (geomorphology), weather (meteorology), and how plants and animals are spread out (biogeography). The LSE taught about different regions and how people use the land.

During World War II, things changed. King's College had to move to Bristol for safety. This meant Professor Wooldridge had to teach about how people live and interact with their environment (human geography). After the war, he became a full professor of geography. First, he taught at Birkbeck College in 1944. Then, in 1947, he returned to King's College. He became their first-ever professor of geography and stayed there until he passed away in 1963.

Professor Wooldridge also helped start the Institute of British Geographers in 1933. This group was for university professors who felt that the Royal Geographical Society focused too much on amateur explorers. He later became the president of this new institute. He also served on the council of the Royal Geographical Society and led the geography section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

How He Studied the Land

Professor Wooldridge mainly studied the London Basin and the Weald area in south-east England. His first paper in 1921 was about how the land in the London Basin had folded over time. He also studied different types of ancient rock deposits.

He was inspired by ideas from another scientist, W.M. Davis, about how landscapes change over long periods. Professor Wooldridge went out into the field to carefully study the land. He looked for features like river terraces (flat areas along rivers) and erosion surfaces (old, flat areas created by erosion). For example, he found a flat area about 200 feet above today's sea level.

In the late 1930s, he worked closely with his colleague David Leslie Linton. Their work led to a famous book in 1939 called Structure, Surface and Drainage of South-East England. This book explained their "Wooldridge and Linton Model" of how the landscape developed. They believed that the land had been mostly stable, except for two short periods of change. They used their model to explain how rivers flowed and how the land looked in the Weald.

Professor Wooldridge also worked with Laurence Dudley Stamp. They wrote a paper together about rocks in Wales in 1923. Like Stamp, Wooldridge became more interested in how people used the land. He wanted to understand how early human settlements were connected to the physical landscape. In 1951, Stamp and Wooldridge edited a book together called London Essays in Geography.

His Life Outside Work

Sidney Wooldridge married Edith Stephens, who was also a geography student at King's College. He loved playing golf and cricket. He was also a lay preacher for his church and enjoyed amateur operetta (a type of musical play). Even after having a stroke in 1954, he kept working until he died in 1963.

What He Left Behind

Professor Wooldridge's work, especially his book Structure, Surface and Drainage in South-East England, was very important. In 1980, a new book called The Shaping of Southern England was published. It showed how important his work was, but also how some of his ideas had become outdated.

For example, Wooldridge and Linton thought that south-east England had been mostly stable. However, later research showed that the area had changed much more over time. Also, some people criticized Wooldridge for focusing too much on what the land looked like, rather than how it was formed.

Despite these points, Professor Wooldridge is still remembered as a pioneer in studying landforms. His focus on history and specific regions remained very important in geography.

Awards and Honors

Professor Wooldridge received many awards to help him with his fieldwork. In 1942, he and David Leslie Linton received the Murchison Award from the Royal Geographical Society. He was also given the CBE award in 1954 for his work on sand and gravel. In 1957, he received the Victoria Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. In 1959, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very special honor for scientists.

Selected Books and Papers

• Stamp, L.D. & Wooldridge, S.W. (1923), The Igneous and Associated Rocks of Llanwrtyd (Brecon)
• Wooldridge, S.W. & Morgan, R.S. (1937), The Physical Basis of Geography. An Outline of Geomorphology
• Wooldridge, S.W. & Linton, D.L. (1939), Structure, Surface and Drainage in South-east England
• Wooldridge, S.W. & Beaver, S.H. (1950) The working of sand and gravel in Britain: a problem in land use
• Stamp, L.D. & Wooldridge S.W., eds (1951) London Essays in Geography
• Wooldridge, S.W. & East, W.G. (1951), The Spirit & Purpose of Geography
• Wooldridge, S.W. & Goldring, F. (1953), The Weald
• Wooldridge, S.W. (1956). The Geographer as Scientist: Essays on the Scope and Nature of Geography