The Rolt Memorial Lecture 2008 'Dan Dare's Lair' — The Industrial Archaeology of Britain's Post-War Technological Renaissance

Author: Cocroft, Wayne

Source: Industrial Archaeology Review, Volume 31, Number 1, May 2009 , pp. 5-19(15)

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Abstract:

The theme of the 2008 Association for Industrial Archaeology conference seminar was 'Modern military matters'. Modern military sites have much in common with large industrial sites. They are places of employment for many hundreds of people, incorporate complex technologies, and are also creators of new landscapes and communities. This paper explores the places created and used to develop and manufacture many of the products that were portrayed as representing the rebirth of post-war Britain as a major industrial power. Many of the new industries were based on technologies developed in the Second World War, including radar, jet and rocket engines, and military and civil atomic power. Politically, the World Wars had left a legacy of heavy government involvement in scientific research establishments and the state as the main customer for their products. In the post-war decades, this relationship was strengthened as the development of high-tech weaponry was seen as one means of countering the growing threat from the Soviet Union and her allies.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174581909X424745

Affiliations: Senior Archaeological Investigator with English Heritage, English Heritage, Brooklands, 24 Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge CB2 8BU, UK;, Email: wayne.cocroft@english-heritage.or.uk

Publication date: 2009-05-01

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