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Britain's Industrial Heritage

By John Hannavy

Britain's Industrial Heritage

By John Hannavy

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Description
Britain’s Industrial Heritage draws us to historic sites every year. There seems to be no limit to our fascination with working cotton mills, preserved coal mines, steam railways, and the thousand-and-one other evocative reminders of the country’s industrial past. It was not always like this. As recently as the 1960s, at the same time as Dr Beeching was promising that steam trains would never again run on British railway lines, much of the country’s rich industrial heritage was simply rotting away. Canals had been all but abandoned, hundreds of textile mills across the country stood empty and crumbling, and abandoned ironworks, corn mills, pumping stations and airfields were all suffering similarly. Except for a few dedicated enthusiasts, visiting them was not yet really part of our culture. Fifty years on, many of these sites are abandoned no more. Many of them have been transformed into award-winning museums where we can connect with the working lives and the living conditions of our ancestors. Through these precious survivals, John Hannavy weaves the thread of the country’s industrial story. A century ago, the market for picture postcards of industrial sites was even greater than it is today. Every industrial town worth its salt would have dozens, if not hundreds of different postcards on sale, covering every aspect of the working lives of its community. Several of these colorful and fascinating postcards are used alongside the author’s own original photography to illustrate the story of working Britain over the last 300 years. The author focuses on the golden-age of British industry, from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Featuring canals, mining, iron and steel, railways, shipbuilding and shipping, manufacturing, and road transport, and with a comprehensive gazetteer of the principal sites open to the public, this handy-sized pocket guide is the ideal companion in exploring the rich heritage of Britain’s glorious industrial past.
Product details
Number of Pages:
144
Release Date:
2015-02-16
Publication Date:
2015-02-16
Publisher:
PiXZ Books
Languages:
Published: English, Original: English
ISBN10:
0857100939
Weight:
500 g
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