botton village, ‘the strangest village in britain’, is a camphill community located in danby dale near whitby in north yorkshire. inspired from the philosophy of rudolf steiner and managed according to christian ideals, camphill has built communities all over world since 1940 with people of all ages who have special needs. the first villagers moved into botton village in 1955 and there are currently around 320 people living and working in this unique community.

the botton community pursues an experimental and continually evolving way of life for people with special needs. all of the residents work, providing for each other’s needs and there is a common recognition of fundamental human equality. however, each individual has the freedom and opportunity to realise his own aspirations and potential.

i chose to spend my time at botton village with various different characters quietly observing and documenting their daily routines away from the rest of society. the villagers and co-workers live together in a truly caring and compassionate environment taking care of each other’s needs in an extraordinarily strong self-sufficient community.

// images