England's bread hangs from - American(?) thread...

[John Parry]

I've mentioned before how badly the Lancashire cotton towns were affected by the American Civil War. Here's an article about how it changed the face of Lancashire itself.

news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8352000/8352601.stm

Regards - John

[PeterW]

Thanks for posting that link, John.

As you know, social history, particularly Victorian social history, is one of my varied interests. The story carries on of course into the early 1930s, but that's another story.

From the site you posted I followed a link to a programme about the closure of the British Leyland Triumph plant at Speke. A sad but hard hitting feature that gives some of the main causes of the decline and fall of the British car industry.

PeterW

[John Parry]

Thanks Peter

One interesting thing - Manchester had a large influx of Irish people as a result of the potato famine. But a number of them thought the cotton famine was worse - they got less help from the government. And in general, the Irish in Manchester assimilated well with the mainly Lancastrian population (in contrast to Liverpool and Glasgow). So maybe there are a few preconceptions that could be shot down in flames by studying that particular period of history...

Regards - John

[casualcollector]

I read both articles and found them interesting. The Beeb on the web seems to be an informative service. American braodcasters on the web seem more geared to ad revenue.

At a car show several weeks ago I was surprised to see a TR-8. The 7s and 8s disappeared from the road at a very young age. An automobile that was ten years older, sold in fewer numbers and never benefitted from a television ad campaign was represented by three examples. The Sunbeam Tiger.