Gigafactories and dashed dreams: the parable of Blyth
What one port town says about the British economy
The little port town of Blyth in north-east England holds up a mirror to the British economy. For much of the 20th century it was a home to heavy industry. By the 1960s it was exporting more coal than anywhere else in Europe and had built the Royal Navy’s first aircraft-carrier. In the 1970s it was importing the raw materials needed by the smelting furnace a short train ride away. Then, as the collieries, shipyards and metalworks all closed, the town spent decades in decline. Its long search for a new act has made it a crucible for the policies of the previous Tory government and the new Labour one.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Blyth spirit”
Britain October 5th 2024
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