Transforming the countryside : the electrification of rural Britain / edited by Paul Brassley, Jeremy Burchardt and Karen Sayer.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Brassley, Paul, 1946- editor.

Burchardt, Jeremy, 1969- editor.

Sayer, Karen, 1967- editor.

Series:

Rural worlds

Rural worlds: economic, social and cultural histories of agricultures and rural societies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rural electrification--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Rural electrification.

Rural development--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Rural development.

History.

Great Britain--Rural conditions.

Great Britain.

Rural conditions.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 251 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017.

Summary:

It is now almost impossible to conceive of life in western Europe, either in the towns or the countryside, without a reliable mains electricity supply. By 1938, two-thirds of rural dwellings had been connected to a centrally generated supply, but the majority of farms in Britain were not linked to the mains until sometime between 1950 and 1970. Given the significance of electricity for modern life, the difficulties of supplying it to isolated communities, and the parallels with current discussions over the provision of high-speed broadband connections, it is surprising that until now there has been little academic discussion of this vast and protracted undertaking. This book fills that gap. It is divided into three parts. The first, on the progress of electrification, explores the timing and extent of electrification in rural England, Wales and Scotland; the second examines the effects of electrification on rural life and the rural landscape; and the third makes comparisons over space and time, looking at electrification in Canada and Sweden and comparing electrification with the current problems of rural broadband. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction / Paul Brassley Brassley, Paul, Jeremy Burchardt Burchardt, Jeremy, Karen Sayer Sayer, Karen 1

Part I The progress of electrification 13

2 The electrification of the countryside: the interests of electrical enterprises and the rural population in England, 1888-1939 / Karl Ditt Ditt, Karl 15

3 Power to the people: power stations and the national grid / John Sheail Sheail, John 38

4 Lighting the landscape: rural electrification in Wales / Richard Moore-Colyer Moore-Colyer, Richard 51

5 The electrification of Highland Scotland / David Fleetwood Fleetwood, David 69

6 Electrifying farms in England / Paul Brassley Brassley, Paul 83

Part II The effects of electrification 115

7 Electrification and its alternatives in the farmer's and labourer's home / Karen Sayer Sayer, Karen 117

8 Pylons and frozen peas: the Women's Institute goes electric / Rosemary Shirley Shirley, Rosemary 135

Part III Comparisons over space and time 155

9 Rural electrification in Sweden: a comparison / Carin Martiin Martiin, Carin 157

10 People, place and power: rural electrification in Canada, 1890-1950 / Ruth W. Sandwell Sandwell, Ruth W. 178

11 Rural broadband: a twenty-first-century comparison with electrification / Martyn Warren Warren, Martyn 205

12 Conclusion: electricity, rurality and modernity / Paul Brassley Brassley, Paul, Jeremy Burchardt Burchardt, Jeremy, Karen Sayer Sayer, Karen 221.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Transforming the countryside

ISBN:

9781472441270

1472441273

OCLC:

962749985

Publisher Number:

99970426888