Class Encounters: John Harland, ballad collector

In the fourth of our series on meetings with figures from labour history, Jennifer Reid encounters the collector of Lancashire dialect poets, John Harland John Harland 1806–1868 was a renowned journalist and ballad collector. Although originally from Kingston-upon-Hull, as chief reporter for the Manchester Guardian he was aware of all the Lancashire dialect poets and worked hard to immerse himself in people’s lives in Manchester. … Continue reading Class Encounters: John Harland, ballad collector

Remembering the Preston Lockout 170 years on

Mike Sanders reports from a conference and exhibition marking a nine-months long industrial dispute that shaped the work of Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell. 2023 sees the 170th anniversary of the start of the Preston Lockout which began as a series of isolated strikes in August/September 1853 and became a general lockout in October 1853 before reverting to a strike in February 1854 which lasted … Continue reading Remembering the Preston Lockout 170 years on

Mills Transformed: new uses for buildings that shaped the North of England

Neil Horsley introduces a project documenting the repurposing of derelict textile mills across the North of England. Over the past three years I have visited, photographed and interviewed mill renovators at thirty-three mill conversions across the North of England for a project titled Mills Transformed. The focus of the project was initially on the physical aspects of building regeneration schemes but what became apparent to … Continue reading Mills Transformed: new uses for buildings that shaped the North of England

Marking the Great Preston Lockout 170 years on

The Great Preston Strike and Lockout was a momentous national event. It began as a series of isolated strikes at a small number of mills in August/September 1853, and became a general lockout involving most textile operatives that October. It once again became a strike in February 1854, though this time on a much larger scale, and continued until May 1854. The dispute was immortalized … Continue reading Marking the Great Preston Lockout 170 years on

Workers’ Playtime: culture and community in industrial Lancashire

Nineteenth century industrial Lancashire was a land of smoke and tall chimneys, fortunes for the Cotton Lords and misery for their workers, the ‘hands’. But that’s only part of the story.   Workers’ Playtime: culture and community in industrial Lancashire is an exhibition that goes beyond the factories to explore the cultures and communities created by the workers in pursuit of a better, fuller life … Continue reading Workers’ Playtime: culture and community in industrial Lancashire