ABSTRACT
During the last three decades there has been a dramatic awakening of interest in Britain’s industrial past. It has been reflected in the growing number of industrial museums in both the public and independent sectors, and of industrial archaeology and preservation societies. Behind this phenomenon lies a remarkable change of attitude towards our industrial past from one of neglect and even distaste to one which recognizes the importance of the heritage of the world’s first industrial nation and the need to preserve it. The virtual disappearance of many old, familiar industries has been the spur and possibly the cause of such new concern, while in more recent years the industrial heritage itself has been viewed as a resource for regenerating declining or derelict industrial areas.
