The prevailing wisdom seems to be that we don’t make anything in the UK anymore, and that all our goods are imported from foreign factories paying their grateful slaves tuppence ha’penny. It’s not like in the halcyon days of British manufacturing, when whole cities flourished on the back of domestic industry in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Times may have changed, but it’s not quite as bleak as all that for the country’s former powerhouses, and while areas such as the Black Country are still battling to overcome a changing economic landscape, it’s a battle they are winning, according to the Black Country Echoes group.
While the region innovates its way forward, Black Country Echoes celebrates the impressive industrial heritage developed since the turn of last century. This exhibition of photography delves into the archives to remember the factories’ children’s Christmas parties in the post-World War Two period. The larger factories employed welfare officers who organised social events, and one of the year’s favourites was the day at Christmas when the employee’s kids would come and meet Santa, as well as enjoy a rare feast in a time of food shortages. A treat for local historians and nostalgia fans in general – as well as providing a timely reminder of the spirit of the season, When Santa Came to the Factory is on display at Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton, until 17 January.
