The Closure of Beeston Boilers

From the collection of

MACE is the strategic lead organisation for screen heritage for the East and West Midlands regions. An independent charity based at University of Lincoln, MACE preserves and makes accessible a collection of more than 100,000 historic moving images representative of the diverse cultures and histories of communities throughout the heart of England from the Lincolnshire coast to the Welsh border.

The Closure of Beeston Boilers

Media Archive for Central England
Beeston
1985-12-20
Sound

The end of a Nottinghamshire firm that once employed 3,000 people.

Anna Soubry reports on the closure of Beeston Boilers, a once familiar name in the Nottinghamshire town. The firm's cast iron products had once been exported around the world, but no more would the crash of the foundry ring out across Beeston. It was one of many closures in an era known for the end of many once profitable industrial giants and, as had happened so many times before, the final closure came just before Christmas. As an aside, the interviewees in this news report could never have forecast that 25 years later the young reporter talking to them would be their local MP.

The final shift leaves Beeston Boilers as the firm shuts the doors for the last time.

The Final Hooter: A Farewell to Midlands Industry

A reminder that the Midlands was once a global industrial force that was brought to its knees by recession and government policies in the 1980s.

The 1980s saw the industrial landscape of the UK change forever. A deep economic recession, combined with a drive to develop the country’s financial sector meant the end-of-the-line for many famous firms across the country, a fair proportion of them based in the Midlands. Nationally, there were upwards of 3 million people unemployed between 1982 and 1986 – 12.5% of the population. In the Midlands the gates closed on pits, mills and foundries - big employers that had provided work for generations of families. Smaller enterprises fared no better, with working men’s clubs and bingo halls finding themselves out of step with a younger generation that wasn’t interested in their parents’ and grandparents’ idea of a night out. This collection is an often poignant look at the final days of Victorian industrial giants and small family run businesses. It includes interviews with people about to, or having just lost their jobs, their anger and sadness palpable. In spite of this, there are some bright patches against the grey – as doors close we see the Midlanders’ innate capacity for change come to the fore, looking into the future, not the past.