Thanks for the lovely bit of writing, and also the pointer to the Paul Barker book. Hebden Bridge was the subject of my doctorate in the late 1970s when at Manchester Poly, and I recall staying with Paul in London as he was a friend of my supervisor. At the heart of my thesis was the argument that it was Hebden’s failure to modernise in the 1950s and 60s that sowed the seeds of its success in 1980s and beyond as its cohesive Victorian townscape and very, very cheap property attract the first waves of industrial tourism and its colonisation by escapees from Leeds and Manchester.
Sounds like an interesting piece of research. It's funny how when we think of post-industrialisation we tend to think of big cities - Manchester, Liverpool etc. But Hebden was even more all about industry than those places with universities, banking, and other big businesses. In some ways your thesis mirrors the way empty buildings were colonised in the late 1970s, early 80s by the Mcr music scene etc.
Lots to think about there. Thank you.
Thanks for the lovely bit of writing, and also the pointer to the Paul Barker book. Hebden Bridge was the subject of my doctorate in the late 1970s when at Manchester Poly, and I recall staying with Paul in London as he was a friend of my supervisor. At the heart of my thesis was the argument that it was Hebden’s failure to modernise in the 1950s and 60s that sowed the seeds of its success in 1980s and beyond as its cohesive Victorian townscape and very, very cheap property attract the first waves of industrial tourism and its colonisation by escapees from Leeds and Manchester.
Sounds like an interesting piece of research. It's funny how when we think of post-industrialisation we tend to think of big cities - Manchester, Liverpool etc. But Hebden was even more all about industry than those places with universities, banking, and other big businesses. In some ways your thesis mirrors the way empty buildings were colonised in the late 1970s, early 80s by the Mcr music scene etc.
Loved it Dave! 😃
Thank you