"The title of this article was the headline in the Warminster & Westbury Journal, January 1910, for a report of a recent meeting of Corsley Parish Council. Most places would be delighted if anew book was published about them, but when in 1909 a young scholar produced a study of this parish on the edge of the Longleat estate, between Warminster and Frome, the council tried to suppress it and have it withdrawn". Jane Howells provides an insight into the controversy, and why the council attempted to keep it quiet.
Tag: twentieth century
A Shining Wedge of Water: The Battle for Bristol’s City Docks, 1969-1975
"One of the things that every civic-minded Bristolian ‘knows’ is that at some point in the 1960s or 70s the City Council planned to cover over or fill in the Floating Harbour". Eugene Byrne sheds light on the effort to save such an important part of the historical landscape in Bristol.
The Rise and Fall of ISC Chemicals at Avonmouth: The Impact of the Montreal Protocol on CFCs
In this article, Bingham looks at the implementation of the Montreal protocols, and its efforts to phase out chlorofluorocarbons, a key part of the economics of the chemicals part of the Avonmouth munitions plant site. It also explores the impact of one of the most important factors; the 1987 Montreal Protocol which led to the complete phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which had by then become an important part of the economics of the chemicals part of the site. Was it inevitable that the site would close, or did other factors contribute to its demise?
Builders of Victorian Bristol
"The phrase 'builders of Victorian Bristol' can be approached at different levels. It can refer to all those who contributed to the growth of the city in the widest sense, embracing its physical, economic, social, political and cultural development in the period 1837-1901". Peter Malpass investigates some important names and how they made a different to Bristol in the Victorian era.
“Our Zoo”: The Relationship between Bristol Zoo Gardens and its neighbours
"In 1835, a site of about twelve acres opposite the Durdham Downs was purchased with a view to opening zoological gardens... This article will look at how the situation of the Zoo in the affluent neighbourhood of Clifton has affected the development of its character over the years, how the Zoo has interacted with its neighbours, and the significance of the Zoo's walls in the delineating and enabling control over the space within them".
A History of the Cirencester Brewery, 1798-1949
'In March 1792, the Gloucester Journal advertised the forthcoming sale of 'one of the most complete breweries outside London'. Could this be the earliest known record of Cirencester's most important brewery - a business that would later become the biggest industrial complex in Cirencester and the largest employer in the town? The Brewery played a vital role in the regional economy until closure in 1949, but the date of its foundation is a little more difficult to place. With the Cirencester Brewery's own records dating rather uncertainly from 1798, Joyce Moss examines the evidence for its development'.
The ‘Bristol Riot’ and its ‘Other’: St Paul’s and Southmead in April 1980
The spring and summer of 1981 saw one of the most widespread and intense periods of 'widespread urban disturbance' in England in the 20th century. During the week of 6-13th July 1981 patterns of the disturbance diffusion emerge suggesting that major 'riots' in inner city areas of mixed ethnicity created numerous further incidents in other ethnically homogeneous districts, sometimes considerably distant from the original 'flash-point'. Ball investigates two examples two examples of Bristol-based unrest which shook the South-West.
Engineering Work, Politics and Industrial Relations
The research discussed in this article is about 'work, society, and politics with a focus on engineering from the mid-1920s to the mid-1970s. Its starting point is earlier research on the 'labour process' specifically the influence of Taylorism and 'scientific management' in Britain. The broader aim is now to connect what Burawoy called 'the politics of production' with the politics of the wider society. It also deals with some integral research questions and key themes'.
‘No time for cuddles?’ The Wartime residential nurseries at Dyrham Park
During the Second World War, children flocked to the country from cities across Britain as evacuees. Many of the large country houses became nurseries for children below school age; Dyrham Park Manor in Gloucestershire was one of these homes. In this article, Hyla Holden uncovers the story of the Dyram Park nursery for evacuees which was run by Lady Islington.
Scouting in Weston-Super-Mare and the War: a local study of the 24th Weston-Super-Mare boy scout troop during World War II 1942-45
War time Britain saw the decline of ‘Scouting’ on a national level, but the boy-scout group at Weston-Super-Mare thrived. In this local study, Duncan Biddulph explores the factors that contributed to the success of the Hill Road Scout Troop. A sense of comradeship between the boy-scouts and their leaders, most of whom had close ties with local churches and schools, seems to have been a key aspect. This article offers a window into life in Weston-Super-Mare during the war, highlighting its strong community spirit.