Ex-Industrial Community Loss: Altered Landscapes

Carpetmakers, a textile mill in Carpetvillage, West Yorkshire, operated as a thriving manufacturer of fine woven carpets (Axminster and Wilton) from the late 1880s until its closure and demolition in 2002. The mill was deeply embedded in the community, described as a 'company village' where residents' lives were intertwined with its operations. From the mid-1980s onwards, however, the company experienced a gradual decline, with dwindling sales and a shrinking workforce documented in local press archives. By the late 1990s, it went into receivership, leaving behind a significant void in the village's landscape and social fabric. The mill's physical presence at the crossroads of the village further emphasized its importance and the resulting sense of loss following its demise. The closure exemplifies the broader process of deindustrialization impacting numerous communities across Britain, the USA, and Russia.

Before its closure, Carpetmakers fostered a strong sense of 'communal being-ness,' as described by Walkerdine (2010, 2012). The shared experience of working at the mill and residing in Carpetvillage created close-knit social bonds. The company's paternalistic management style further contributed to this, providing workers with various social and leisure activities, such as sports clubs, trips, and dances. This created a 'company village' atmosphere where work and community life were closely intertwined. The self-sufficiency of the village, with its shops, school, pub, and housing all located within close proximity to the mill, further reinforced its social cohesion. Personal anecdotes, such as workers meeting through company events, emphasize the mill's role in shaping romantic relationships and family life, strengthening the overall communal fabric.

The demolition of Carpetmakers profoundly affected the community. Respondents described emotional trauma associated with witnessing the destruction of the mill, feeling the loss of a 'handsome Victorian building' that was more than just a factory. The physical changes in the landscape mirrored a decline in social structure and communal ties. The erasure of the mill's architectural past contributed to a sense of place that no longer existed for many residents. The study highlights the difficulty older residents faced in forging connections with newcomers, emphasizing a rupture in social capital. The research observes the shift in social interaction, with face-to-face encounters replaced by the less satisfying interactions through social media, demonstrating the irreplaceable nature of the physical spaces previously shared by community members.

The study examines how residents responded to the physical and emotional consequences of the mill's demolition. Some consciously chose to witness specific moments of the demolition, sharing their collective grief and recognizing the symbolic end of an era. The silence during these observations highlighted the emotional weight of the event. The loss of the mill is not simply a loss of jobs but a severance of strong affective ties bound up in the physical spaces of the mill and village. This study shows how fragments of buildings and photographs become stand-ins for the lost affective ties and the broader sense of community, highlighting the role of memory in coping with loss and the ways in which place and memory are deeply intertwined. The study also shows how the respondents' emotional responses inhibit them from forging relationships with new community members.

The research utilized a qualitative methodology, drawing on embodied and multi-sited methods to understand the experiences of the Carpetvillage community. Twenty-five white participants (14 men, 11 women, aged 56-100), predominantly working-class former Carpetmakers employees, were interviewed. Data was collected using walk-and-talk tours, focus groups, and photographs. These methods were chosen to access the sensory and emotional memories associated with the mill and village. The researchers used these methods to elicit responses and capture a detailed understanding of how the physical and social changes brought about by deindustrialization impacted the respondents' lived experiences and sense of community. This analysis provides an intimate understanding of the emotional responses to a loss of both physical and social spaces within the community.

Before the closure of Carpetmakers, the community of Carpetvillage exhibited strong social cohesion and a sense of 'communal being-ness,' drawing on Walkerdine's (2010; 2012) concept. This was fostered by the shared experiences of working at the mill and living in the close-knit village setting. The mill's paternalistic management style, providing numerous social and leisure opportunities, played a crucial role in building and maintaining these strong affective ties. The village's self-sufficiency, with amenities conveniently located near the mill, further contributed to its strong sense of community and fostered a culture of shared activities and emotional bonds. The intimate connections and collective experiences within the workplace and village are described through personal anecdotes, illustrating the depth and breadth of these communal relationships before the factory's closure and subsequent demolition.

The closure and demolition of Carpetmakers had a devastating impact on the community's social fabric. Respondents reported experiencing significant emotional trauma, describing feelings of loss and disorientation. The physical removal of the mill symbolized the erosion of their shared history and sense of place. The study emphasizes how the loss of the factory disrupted established affective patterns and made it difficult for older residents to connect with newcomers to the village. The physical absence of the mill created a void in the social landscape, leaving the community struggling to adapt. The loss is characterized not only as the loss of jobs but also the loss of these close physical connections and social interactions that once characterized the community. The shared spaces, both at work and in social gatherings, created a sense of belonging and emotional security.

The study reveals the limitations of digital technologies in replacing the close communal bonds lost with the closure of Carpetmakers. While some respondents observed others using social media and digital communication, they largely rejected these tools as adequate substitutes for the face-to-face interactions that previously characterized their lives. The intimate physical closeness and emotional sharing experienced in the mill and pub were not replicated in digital spaces, underlining the irreplaceable nature of physical interactions in fostering a strong sense of community. The respondents viewed digital technologies as lacking investment in genuine community building and emphasized their inability to provide the same warmth and emotional connection of in-person relationships. The qualitative nature of the study emphasizes the importance of physical interactions in the building and sustenance of communities.

The research draws upon Walkerdine's (2010) psychoanalytic concept of a 'containing skin' to explain the emotional impact of the mill's closure. This concept, which illustrates the importance of the physical and emotional connections that are fostered through shared spaces, explains how the loss of the mill represents a breakdown of this metaphorical 'skin,' leading to feelings of insecurity and loss. The shared work spaces and social activities at Carpetmakers had created strong affective practices, fostering a sense of collective being-ness. The destruction of the physical spaces also resulted in the dissipation of these affective ties. The study explores how the loss of the mill, as a physical and social entity, has significantly impacted the emotional well-being and social cohesion of the community, leaving a vacuum in the fabric of the community.

The demolition of Carpetmakers Mill was a deeply emotional experience for many residents. The study highlights instances where individuals actively chose to be present during the demolition process, often sharing the experience with others who felt a similar sense of loss. These shared moments of witnessing are characterized by silence, emphasizing the gravity of the event and the collective sadness experienced by the community. One respondent recounted standing and watching the wrecking ball, noting the shared silence and unspoken grief among those present. These observations highlight how the destruction of the physical mill was intensely symbolic of the loss of a way of life and a sense of shared identity. These shared moments of witnessing are crucial to understanding how collective memory is formed and preserved.

The research underscores the crucial role of memory and material objects in the community's response to the loss of Carpetmakers Mill. The act of remembering and preserving memories of the mill became a form of mourning, reflecting Strangleman's (2013) concept of 'creative tangibility' as a means of processing loss in the face of deindustrialization. The respondents' reliance on photographs and personal accounts highlight the importance of these tangible forms of memory in preserving a sense of the past. These objects and memories serve as reminders of the mill's significant role in their lives and the community's history. The ability to share and evoke these collective memories through narrative and visual representations becomes a crucial part of the mourning process and the construction of a collective identity in the face of loss.

The study highlights the importance of embodied memory in preserving and recalling the past. Walk-and-talk interviews elicited sensory memories of work and life in Carpetvillage, demonstrating the strong connection between physical spaces and emotional experiences. The recollection of specific smells, sounds, and atmospheres vividly transported respondents back to particular moments in time. The use of 'walk-and-talk' tours as a research methodology specifically targets the interplay of physical spaces and embodied memory, emphasizing the connection between location, memory, and emotion. These sensory recollections, often linked to specific locations within the village, showcase the power of the physical environment in shaping and preserving collective memory.

Photographs emerge as significant tools for preserving and sharing memories of Carpetmakers Mill and Carpetvillage. The study notes that respondents possessed more photographs of workers engaging in leisure activities than in their actual work, highlighting the importance of the mill's role in fostering a strong social community as well as its economic impact. These images captured not only a specific time and place but also a particular way of life that is now largely gone. The study makes use of photography as a methodology for understanding how the community documented its own history and experiences, drawing attention to photographs as a way of preserving and processing the loss of this collective heritage. The analysis demonstrates that these photographs function as more than just visual records; they are key elements in how the community processes grief and loss.

The demolition of Carpetmakers Mill drastically altered the physical and perceived dimensions of Carpetvillage. Respondents described feeling a profound sense of unease and disorientation, noting that the absence of the mill changed the village's overall character. Familiar routes and landmarks were altered, and the open space left behind was seen as a jarring visual and spatial disruption. The change was not merely aesthetic but deeply impacted how residents experienced and understood their environment, emphasizing the profound link between physical spaces and a sense of place. This disruption, evident in the comments about altered perspectives and feelings of disorientation, illustrates how the removal of a significant landmark deeply impacted the residents' daily experience of their community.

The post-demolition landscape of Carpetvillage highlights the emergence of social divisions and the lack of bridging social capital, drawing on Putnam's (2000) work. The loss of the mill's social structures left a void that has not been filled, resulting in a decline in interactions between older, long-term residents and newcomers. The community's inability to bridge these divides, combined with a rejection of digital tools as a means to overcome this, underlines the significant role of physical spaces and shared experiences in community building. The study indicates that the absence of opportunities for bridging social capital and the persistent reliance on the physical village as a focal point for social interaction have created lasting social divisions within the community. This highlights the inability of the community to fully integrate new residents into their social structure.

Despite the physical absence of Carpetmakers Mill, the study demonstrates the enduring power of memory and the need for commemoration. Respondents' deeply held memories of working at the mill, participating in company-sponsored social activities, and experiencing a sense of communal 'being-ness' persist despite the mill's physical disappearance. This highlights the importance of engaging with material sites of memory and exploring how these memories are preserved and transmitted through oral histories and personal accounts. The research implicitly suggests that commemorative practices, including creative community projects focusing on the lost skills of carpet making, could play a crucial role in bridging social divides and acknowledging the mill's lasting legacy. This approach aims to revitalize the community and address the lasting impact of deindustrialization by utilizing the power of memory to foster a renewed sense of collective identity.

While acknowledging Mah's (2012) observation that aesthetic regeneration may mask deeper social issues, the study suggests that a creative community project could help heal the social divisions in Carpetvillage. This project, possibly focusing on the lost skills of carpet making through art, music, or performance, could serve as a means of commemoration and community building. It could bridge the gap between long-term residents and newcomers, fostering a sense of shared identity and purpose. This highlights a potential pathway for positive community regeneration, focusing on the creative utilization of the community's industrial heritage and shared memories to foster positive social change. The suggestion of a creative community project represents a proactive strategy to overcome the lingering negative impacts of deindustrialization within the community.

The study employed a qualitative approach, focusing on the lived experiences of former Carpetmakers employees and Carpetvillage residents. Twenty-five participants (14 men, 11 women, aged 56-100) were recruited, predominantly working-class individuals with long service histories at the mill. Data was collected using a combination of methods designed to capture both verbal and visual aspects of the community's experience. These included walk-and-talk interviews, focus groups, and photographic documentation, allowing for the collection of rich data from multiple sources and approaches. The walk-and-talk interviews, in particular, emphasized the importance of linking personal narratives to specific locations within the village, revealing the impact of place on memory and emotional response. The small-scale nature of the study is acknowledged, and no claims are made for generalizability beyond the specific community studied.

Data analysis involved examining transcripts from focus groups and walk-and-talk interviews, along with the researcher's field notes. Three key themes emerged from the data: work and community, witnessing the fall of the mill, and living with the legacies of demolition. While these themes provided a framework for understanding the community's experiences, the analysis also acknowledged instances where individual accounts did not neatly fit into these categories, showcasing the rich and varied lived realities of the research participants. The data analysis included an examination of the photographs, used to offer a visual sense of the life-world described by the respondents rather than subjected to detailed interpretation in themselves. The researcher's use of an auto-ethnographic approach adds another layer of contextual understanding to the analysis.

The study's key findings highlight the profound impact of Carpetmakers' closure and demolition on Carpetvillage. The research demonstrates the loss of industrial heritage, not only in terms of economic impact but also the erasure of community pride and identity associated with carpet manufacturing. Furthermore, the study reveals the severing of affective ties that the mill's physical structure had sustained, impacting emotional wellbeing and social connections within the community. The study underscores the importance of recording and preserving the embodied and oral testimonies of this community, especially given the age of the participants and the risk of these important narratives disappearing entirely. The findings highlight the need for sensitive interventions and further research to better understand and address the challenges of deindustrialization on local communities.