The Hat Industry of Luton and its Buildings
The Hat Industry of Luton and its Buildings

Author: Katie Carmichael

Publisher: Historic England

Published: 2015-04-01

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 184802326X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Although perhaps best known today as the home of Vauxhall Motors, Luton's industrial roots run much deeper. Long before it became associated with motor cars, Luton was the centre of ladies' hat production in this country - a success founded upon the earlier regional industry of straw-plaiting. Many surrounding towns and villages fed into the industry and helped to make the region globally renowned. At its peak in the 1930s, the region was producing as many as 70 million hats in a single year; however, it entered a rapid decline following the Second World War from which it never recovered. This has left Luton, Dunstable and a number of other local towns with a challenging inheritance of neglected and decaying fragments of a once vital industry. This book is intended to be an introduction and guide to the area's historical depth and to its distinctive and varied character, seeking to explain the development of the region as the centre of the hatting industry in the south and exploring the lives of the people working there during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The historic links between the surviving building stock and the hatting industry are assessed and the book highlights the significance of the surviving fabric and the potential of the historic environment within future conservation and regeneration plans.

Victorian and Edwardian British Industrial Architecture
Victorian and Edwardian British Industrial Architecture

Author: Lynn Pearson

Publisher: The Crowood Press

Published: 2016-08-31

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1785001906

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, factories had become an inescapable part of the townscape, their chimneys dominating urban views while their labourers filled the streets, coming and going between work and home. This book is concerned with the architecture, planning and design of those factories that were part of the second wave of the industrial revolution. The book's geographical range encompasses the whole of the British Isles while its time span covers the Victorian and Edwardian eras, 1837- 1910, and the period leading up to the First World War. It also looks back to earlier buildings and gives some consideration to the interwar years and beyond, including the fate of our factory heritage in the twenty-first century. Factories, not surprisingly given their early working conditions, have had a bad press. It is sometimes forgotten that they were often the centres of thriving local communities, while their physical presence and wonderfully varied buildings enlivened our towns and cities. It is time for a new look at factory architecture. Well illustrated with 150 colour and black & white photographs.

Hats
Hats

Author: Clair Hughes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-06-01

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0857851608

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Although a hat may be designed for the purpose of practicality or aesthetics, it is part of a complex interplay of wider cultural meanings. Throughout history hats have played a significant role in expressing and revealing notions of class, gender, authority, fashion and etiquette. By examining the consumption and production of hats from the 18th century to the present day, this book explores their significance as markers of social and cultural change. Taking a thematic approach, Clair Hughes charts how headgear during the modern era has been shaped by status, gender and necessity. Using case studies such as the bowler hat, which has moved up and down classes and professions, Hughes reveals that although a hat might seem bound to its status and context, it is as susceptible to subversion and reinvention as the society which creates it. From the transition of pilots' helmets from practical headgear to fashion items, to the Slouch hat and the baseball cap, hats have responded to cultural or political movements, often becoming conscious displays of identity and social allegiance. Drawing from material and historical research as well as depictions in art, literature and film, Hughes provides a fascinating insight into hats as a visible performance of social values and culture.

Characterising Neighbourhoods
Characterising Neighbourhoods

Author: Richard Guise

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-10-12

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1317590996

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It is increasingly important to define what constitutes the unique character of our neighbourhoods, in order to identify what we value and should protect, to pinpoint areas for improvement and places which could be enhanced through sensitive change. But how do we define ‘character’ or a ‘sense of place’? How do we appraise the setting and site of a development area, in order that the essential character is retained and reflected in the design of new development? How can these qualities be communicated to decision makers and involve communities? Characterising Neighbourhoods provides an accessible and richly illustrated guide to the practical methods of appraising neighbourhoods which are precise, well informed and engaging. It demonstrates how characterisation is used as an evidence base for the planning and management of neighbourhoods and urban areas. The core focus is on a proven characterisation method developed and used by the authors and used by community groups, schools, planning and urban design students and professionals. It creates a common language used by these groups in evaluating places. This guide provides a wealth of supporting information, including; briefing on the recognition of local architectural styles, periods and materials, detecting the influence of historic street layouts and property boundaries, townscape concepts such as scale and enclosure, and topographical characteristics. Characterising Neighbourhoods is a valuable resource for practicing planners, urban designers and environmental professionals as well as students in these subjects.

Florence: Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, 1865-71
Florence: Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, 1865-71

Author: Monika Poettinger

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-12-28

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 1350014028

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This edited collection provides the first comprehensive history of Florence as the mid-19th century capital of the fledgling Italian nation. Covering various aspects of politics, economics, culture and society, this book examines the impact that the short-lived experience of becoming the political and administrative centre of the Kingdom of Italy had on the Tuscan city, both immediately and in the years that followed. It reflects upon the urbanising changes that affected the appearance of the city and the introduction of various economic and cultural innovations. The volume also analyses the crisis caused by the eventual relocation of the capital to Rome and the subsequent bankruptcy of the communality which hampered Florence on the long road to modernity. Florence: Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, 1865-71 is a fascinating study for all students and scholars of modern Italian history.

"Why I Became an Occupational Physician" and Other Occupational Health Stories

Author: John Hobson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-07-16

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0192607669

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Why I Became an Occupational Physician" and Other Occupational Health Stories brings together an edited collection of the short articles published in the journal Occupational Medicine between 2002 and 2018. The articles originally appeared as 'fillers', commissioned to literally 'fill' the blank spaces at the end of the main scientific papers, but they soon became a feature in their own right. Written by doctors working in occupational medicine and health, the fillers began as a series of pieces exploring the varied and often surprising reasons why the individuals chose to pursue this unique speciality, whether it was a natural career move, triggered by a specific event, or stumbled upon by chance. Over time the articles became much broader in their scope and the journal began to attract pieces from some brilliant writers: Mike Gibson, John Challenor, Nerys Williams, and of course the superlative Anthony Seaton, amongst many others. Each article offers something different: a peek into history, a humorous adventure, a quiet musing, or a thought-provoking observation, but all are tied together under the umbrella of occupational medicine, a speciality that is often little known or understood in the wider world of medicine. This book brings together over 15 years' worth of fascinating and diverse articles into one volume for the first time, giving a rare insight into the world of the occupational physician.

Luton in 50 Buildings
Luton in 50 Buildings

Author: Paul Rabbitts

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2020-02-15

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13: 1445692821

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Discover the history and architectural treasures, past and present, of the Bedfordshire town of Luton.

A History of Livestock and Wildlife
A History of Livestock and Wildlife

Author: Eric Jones

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2023-08-01

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 1527525430

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The use of wildlife products, together with advances in livestock feeding, were essential in propelling Western economic growth. Extraordinarily, these early modern and early industrial features are side-lined relative to the role of manufacturing. This book restores the balance, detailing how many species were relocated around the world and how late natural products persisted into the age of synthetics. This text describes how animals were driven immense distances to market and harnessed for transportation and to power machines; even after industrialisation, animals were employed for innumerable purposes, besides being co-opted as pets. The recent rebound from a wholesale persecution of wild nature, and how the plundering of the animal kingdom and the development of livestock farming jointly created the Smithian Growth that ushered in the Industrial Revolution, are also described.

Building on the past
Building on the past

Author: Malpass, Peter

Publisher: Policy Press

Published: 2006-03-29

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1847421555

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Despite the improved supply and quality of housing in the UK and Europe over the last 60 years, the future of housing remains uncertain. Will the supply of new housing meet demand? Is decent, affordable housing an achievable goal? How far will governments seek to shape the market? How will they respond to demographic pressures in different parts of the country? Will housing wealth become a central issue in wider debates about the future of public services? This book looks at the big questions affecting the future of housing as a key indicator of social and economic well-being in the 21st century. It brings together specially commissioned contributions by leading housing experts who explore a wide range of themes and issues affecting the prospects for the coming 20 years or more. Drawing on the evidence of the past and present they analyse the implications of current trends to consider how markets and governments might respond to the challenges ahead. The book is not a work of prophecy or a manifesto for action. It is designed to stimulate and contribute to informed debate about possible futures and what can be done to influence what happens. Building on the past will be of interest to all those concerned about the future of housing, neighbourhoods and communities over the next 20 years.