Place explored through a personal selection of the lives, novels, art, architecture, poetry and history inspired by England's industrial era.​

Reasons to be hopeful part one: Chris Killip at the Laing – his Tyneside photos from the 70’s, when there was pride in making ships. Peter Robson’s anti war painting of the Ship of Fools on exhibition at Newbiggin-By-The-Sea

Reasons to be hopeful part two: Children giggle and play inside on the staircase of the Laing, while outside the sun shines, the air is fresh under a blue sky as nature conspires to tease us on an awful day. 

Chris Killip photos of the Tyne at the Laing

Beryl Bainbridge Bradford Castleford CLR James Comedian Ian Smith Cultural Geography Ellen Wilkinson England is Rich Featherstone George Orwell Gerard Benson Get Carter Goole Halifax Harry Hopkins Huddersfield Iain Nairn Isle of Axholme Jack Common JB Priestley Kellingley Kevin Boniface Killingworth Manuscript in a Red Box Minty Alley Morning in the City Nelson Newbiggin-By-The-Sea Newcastle Normanton Pontefract Pre-Raphaelite Psychogeography Robert Westall Rotherham Sean O'Brien Selby Social History Southwold Stuart Maconie Ted Lewis The Division Bell Mystery The Rocket Tom Puddings Vermuyden