111 I ,argest Manufacturing Concerns
I '| Distribution and Location of Industries
[1] Largest Manufacturing Concerns
Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. In fact, Britain was the first country in the world to become highly industrialized. It is one of the most important workshops in the world. Today 28 people or so work in manufacturing, construction and the services for one person engaged in agriculture. Only about 2% of the British workforce is engaged in agriculture, a lower proportion than in any other leading industrialized country.
Britain's economy is based primarily on private enterprise, which accounts for 75% of output and nearly 70% of employment.
The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, elected in 1979, embarked on a policy of "privatization", transferring many state-owned industries to private enterprise. Margaret Thatcher was strongly in favour of this and during the 1980s her Conservative government sold many state-run companies into private ownership. Some 50 major businesses, including British Telecom (ВТ, 1984) and British Steel (BSC, 1984), British Aerospace (BAe, 1985), British Gas (1986), British Technology Group (BTG), the electricity supply industry in Northern Ireland were privatized. There have beenplans to privatize British Coal (called the NCB until 1987) and to enable the private sector to operate rail services.
The remaining major nationalized industries are British Coal, British Rail (BR), the Post Office and London Transport (LT). In 1996 and 1997, parts of the BR were sold to private companies such as Railtrack and Virgin. The idea to privatize the Post Office is very unpopular with most people. LT is responsible for London's underground railway system, for most of its buses, and for the Docklands Light Railway.
The remaining major nationalized industries are expected to act as commercial enterprises and achieve a required rate of return on new investment.
In some sectors of the economy (e.g., the vehicle aerospace and transport equipment industries) a small number of large companies account for a sizeable percentage of total production.
The 10 largest manufacturing concerns in Britain are BAT Industries (British American Tobacco: tobacco products, food, cosmetics, etc.), ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries; pharmaceuticals, paints, plastics, chemicals and petrochemicals), Diageo (the international company dealing especially in alcoholic drinks was formed in 1997 when Guinness joined with Grand Metropolitan), BAe (British Aerospace: military and civil aircraft, space systems, missiles), Unilever (chemicals, detergents), Hanson plc (various, including building materials and equipment), Ford (cars, lorries, tractors), GEC (General Electric Company: electrical equipment electronic and telecommunications products), British Steel, and SmithKline Beecham (pharmaceuticals).
Of these, the largest chemical concern ICI was formed in 1926 from 4 other chemical companies. Among the group's principal products are pharmaceuticals, paints, plastics, chemicals for farming, petrochemicals and other products. It is known as a company that does a lot of scientific research. British Aerospace was formed as a nationalized
corporation in 1978 from various aircraft manufacturing
companies, but in 1981 became a public limited company.
The British government sold its remaining 48% share in
the company in 1985. BAe is known as a company producing
aecraft for both passenger and military use.
Unilever is a joint English-Dutch concern founded in 1894. It produces detergents (soap for washing clothes or dishes), milk products, food products, etc.
Ford Motors produces cars like Cortina, Zephyr, Zodiac, lorries and tractors.
The General Electric Company, founded in 1886, merged with English Electric in 1968. The company makes electric, electronic, and telecommunications products.
[2] Distribution and Location of Industries
The main areas of industrial concentration are still those which saw the beginning of Britain's industrial greatness. These are areas on or near coalfields. During the rapid industrialization of the 19th century, one of the factors inlluencing the location of industry was proximity of coal to the lea. Coal was the major source of power. Coal-mining was the original basis of British industry. The early factories grew up not very far from the main mining areas. But the pull exercised by coal has been progressively weakened in the course of the past hundred years.
During the interwar period in the 20l century there was a tendency for the new industries such as manufacturing cars, electric goods and rubber products to develop rapidly in the South and the Midlands. At the same time it was the period of acute depression and mass unemployment for the older industrial areas which specialized in coal mining, ship-building,
marine engineering and cotton manufacture. The areas that suffered most were Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Wales, Northern England, North-Western England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
As in many countries, heavy industry has declined over \ time, but other sectors have evolved. The most importanl industrial developments in the past 35-40 years in Britain have been the growth of the off shore oil and gas industries, and the rapid progress of the microelectronic technologies and their wide application in industry and commerce. At the same time, service industries have been assuming ever-increasing importance. Services contribute a growing proportion of production, 65%, while manufacturing accounts for 21%. The number of hotel and catering employees (300,000 in 1998) long ago overtook that of coal miners (13,000). In fact, coal mining has become virtually non-existent.
By successfully exploiting oil and natural gas from the North Sea, Britain has become self-sufficient in energy (and expects to remain so for some years). ^BP Amoco (British Petroleum Amoco) is one of the largest industrial companies in the world producing oil and natural gas. It was formed in 1998, when British Petroleum (BP) joined with the US oil company Amoco. Britain is among the world's top 10 oil producers and is a world leader in the development of offshore technology.
Heavy industry is Britain's most important industry. Britain is an important steel-producing nation but the situation in steel-making is critical. British Steel employed 150,000 people in 1980 and only 48,000 in 1998. The major areas of steel production and processing are in Wales, in the North of England and in the Midlands. British Steel, Britain's leading steel company, is the 4th biggest steel company in the world. It produces about 80% of Britain's crude steel. Britain's greatest metal-working centre is Birmingham. Various articles are produced there from engines to nails, pens and pins. Another big town famous for its manufacture of steel goods is Sheffield. Important steel-making centres are Scunthrorpe in Humberside, Middlesbrough in NE England, Motherwell in Scotland and other.
Britain's well-developed modern machine-tool industry Is situated mainly in the Midlands, South-East, Yorkshire and North and North-West areas.
As to motor industry, car output is dominated by 5 manufacturers - Rover, Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot-Talbot and Nissan - although there are still specialist producers like Rolls-Royce whose cars are renowned for their quality and durability. Two other Japanese manufacturers - Honda and Toyota - have also established themselves in Britain.
Rover, one of the main motor manufacturing companies in Britain, was formerly the British Leyland Motor ( orporation (nationalized in 1975) and then known as BL to 1986. In 1986 it was bought by British Aerospace, but the company is now owned by BMW. Rover makes cars of all types, from the very small 'Metro' to very large cars and produces Jaguar, Daimler, Triumph and Rover cars as well as lorries, buses and military vehicles. Rover is the name of one of its best known cars first manufactured in 1904.
The firm Rolls-Royce was founded in 1906 by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce. Rolls-Royce manufactures engines for civil aircraft as well as military aircraft and helicopters.
Vauxhall (Motors) manufactures cars and lorries of the same name.
The motor components industry is ranked as one of the most important industries in Britain, including major companies like Lucas and GKN (formerly known as Guest, Keen and Nettle/olds, founded in 1900). Lucas Industries is particularly successful in supplying the international market in
3 key automobile technologies - brakes, diesel engi management and electronics.
Cars are produced in London, Luton, Birmingham Coventry, Leeds, Oxford.
Britain's aerospace industry is the 3rd largest in the Western World, employing about 150,000 people. British Aerospace (BAe) is the leading company. The industry produces civil and military aircraft, helicopters, guided weapons, hovercraft and space vehicles (satellites). Over 70% of production is exported. Aircraft plants are found in the west of England in Bristol and Gloucester, in Belfast, in Derby and Coventry in the Midlands, in Leeds (Yorkshire), Bolton (Lancashire).
British shipyards build some of the world's most advanced merchant vessels, including gas and chemical carriers, offshore support and research vessels and leisure craft However, much of the industry is devoted to building warships for the Royal Navy, and building and converting ships for other countries. Marine equipment - for example, ships' engines and navigation systems - is an important sector too.
More than 40 years of oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea have generated a major offshore industry manufacturing platforms, drilling rigs, jack-up rigs and offshore loading systems.
More than half of British-made ships have been built in Glasgow shipbuilding yards located on the Clyde. The world's biggest ship-building berth is in Belfast, N1. Ships are made in Sunderland and Newcastle (NE England), Birkenhead (Merseyside), Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria), Southampton (Hampshire), Bristol (SW England), Newport (S. Wales) and other coastal towns.
Britain's chemical industry is the 3rd largest in Europe. Its strength is due in large measure to the performance of the pharmaceutical sector. The largest British chemicals company
is 1СI which is the world's largest paint manufacturer. Among the principal products are pharmaceuticals, paints, plastics and petrochemicals. Chemicals are produced in Hull (Humberside), Birmingham, Nottingham (Midlands), at Teesside {Wilton, Billingham, Teesport). Major oil-refining centres are Milford Haven (SW Wales), Shellhaven (Thames estuary), Fawley (Hampshire), Grangemouth (Scotland).
Production of textiles is spread throughout the country. The textile industry's main products are yarn, woven and knitted fabrics, apparel, industrial and household textiles, and carpets. Cotton textile centres are found in Lancashire (Greater Manchester area: Manchester, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and other towns in the area).
The British wool textile industry has been important since mediaeval time. England's wool industry is located in the north-east England, in Yorkshire. The chief centre of woollen industry is Leeds. Other important towns are Bradford, Hull. Woollens are also produced in Scotland. The linen industry is based in Northern Ireland.
There are around 16.000 textiles, clothing, footwear and leather firms in Britain. Textiles, Clothing and Footwear employ some 400.000 people.
The footwear manufacturing industry is made up of predominantly small firms. Shoes is a major industry in Norwich (Norfolk), Leicester and Northampton (Midlands).
Lecture 2
British Economy (Part 2): Agriculture. Fisheries
[1] Agriculture. Types of Farming. Main Crops and Ani Breeds
[2] British Farming and the Foot-and-Mouth Disease 2001
[3] Fisheries
[1] Agriculture. Types of Farming. Main Crops and Animal Breeds
British agriculture is noted for its efficiency and productivity. Even today, when only about 10 per cent of population are classified as '"rural", agriculture has not lost its significance. It employs about 1.9% of the workforce. Britain is self-sufficient in 55-58% of all types of food and animals feed A comparatively high level of agricultural productivity enables Britain to provide more than half of the food it needs from its own soil, the rest is imported.
Britain today is self-sufficient in milk, eggs, potatoes, barley and oats. Also a large proportion of meat and vegetables is home-produced. Home-produced flour, cheese, bacon and ham meet half of the country's needs. Britain usually imports meat, butter, wheat, tea, fruit, tobacco, and wool.
The grass lands occupy about two-thirds of the total land used for agricultural use. It is the basis for dairy farming, the most profitable type of English farming (the wild open land covered mainly with grass is used for cattle to feed on).
The crop land is now very small in comparison with the grass land, and not only because much of the farmland was turned into pasture. The matter is that most part of Highland. Britain has poor soils and it is senseless to try to grow crops
there. Good harvest can be expected only in some parts of lowland Britain.
Although Britain's climate is generally temperate, agriculture varies from district to district according to soil
conditions. There are very marked contrasts between one part
of Britain and another in the type of farming. In the main, the reasons are to be found in the physical conditions of land, in relief, soil and climate, though accessibility - especially to roads and to markets - also plays a large part.
In a broad sense, British farming may be termed intensive as the farmer produces variety of products -'food crops and animal products, cultivating a comparatively small tract of land. Farming land is divided into fields by hedges or stone walls and, especially in the mixed farms which cover most of the country, presents a pattern of contrasting colour.
The chief agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar-beet, milk, beef, mutton and lamb. Wheat grows well in southern Midlands, barley and oats in Wales and the lowlands of Scotland, potato in Norfolk and Yorkshire.
Growing of crops for sale predominates in the east and south-east of the country, while cattle-raising is found throughout the west.
Nowhere in Britain are the general conditions so well suited for arable farming as in the East Anglia region, Britain's main wheat-growing area. The farmers sell wheat, barley, oats |nd sugar-beet, most of them keep animals. Milk is often important. The keeping of cows for milk has become a major occupation of farmers over a large part of Lowland Britain. Over half of full-time farms are devoted to dairying or beef cattle and sheep.
British livestock breeders have developed many of the cattle, sheep and pig breeds with worldwide reputations, like the Aberdeen Angus beef breed and the Jersey dairy breed.
Aberdeen Angus is a breed of black, hornless beef cattle originally reared in the Scottish counties of Aberdeen and Angus. As to Jersey cow, this breed of dairy cow with red or light-brown colouring is famous for its rich milk. Other breeds of dairy cow are Alderney and Guernsey, which came originally from the Channel Islands. Today they are found not only in the Channel Islands but chiefly in the south of England, especially Cornwall. Guernsey is a breed of brown and white dairy cattle noted for producing a rich golden milk.
Sheep farming is a characteristic of the uplands; beef cattle are more important in the valleys.
Britain has a long tradition of sheep production and can boast of more than 40 breeds and innumerable crosses. A breed of hornless hill sheep famous for their wool and kept for their short thick wool is reared in the south of Scotland and in the English county of Northumberland. It is Cheviot Sheep, named after the Cheviot Hills which run through the area. From (ho wool of these sheep a well-known kind of high-quality woolen staff is manufactured, called Cheviot. If Cheviots are kept for their wool, Blackface sheep are raised for their mutton. One оf the oldest in Britain and still found mainly on the South Downs (chalk hills in southern England) is a breed of small hornless sheep called Southdown (sheep). It is a breed of English origin with short dense wool that is finely textured and dark faces and legs named after the South Downs.
Pig production is to be found in most parts of Britain. It is of particular importance in the east and south of England and Northern Ireland, in Scotland (north of Glasgow).
The British poultry industry is growing rapidly and is gradually becoming of greater importance. Poultry farms are found west of Edinburgh; Norfolk turkey is of great demand at Christmas.
In small areas market-gardening is concentrated. Highly developed market gardening is found in Kent, nicknamed the Garden of England. Strawberries are the most widely grown soft fruit in Britain, the main crop areas being in Kent and East Anglia. Black currants are also widely grown throughout Britain.
In Scotland, where there are no mountains the soil is very thin, the climate is damp and rather cold and almost the grain crop is oats. In some places sheep and cattle are reared. Blackface sheep are kept on the moorlands of Southern Uplands. Galloway breed of beef cattle is found in south-west Scotland, Aberdeen Angus in North-East.
Scotland is known for the largest concentration of raspberry plantation in the world (around Perth).
Flowers are grown in many parts of Britain but particularly in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and the east of Scotland. In the Isles of Scilly, washed by the warm Gulf Stream, more than 50% of cultivable land is voted to bulbs which flower there from November to May. The raising of flowers is the main industry here. The southern ast of Cornwall and Devon enjoys almost Mediterranean mate in spring and in summer and the conditions for flower-wing are favourable.
[2] British Farming and the Foot-and-Mouth Disease
of 2001
A heavy blow to Britain's agriculture and countryside was the 2001 outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease when farmers had to destroy 1.5 million cows and 500000 sheep. Huge bonfires were smoking around Great Britain when thousands of sheep and cow carcasses were cremated. The outbreak of the disease in early spring in 2001 took the form of a national calamity and nearly paralysed the UK. Many distressed farmers needed psychological assistance.
11 Greater London |2] East Anglia |3J South-East Region 14] South-West England. The farms and districts affected with the disease were to be isolated from the outside world. No one could enter or leave them. All the stricken animals were to be destroyed while all the farms in the neighbourhood were placed in a strict quarantine to prevent the animals from infection.
Whole villages were immobilized as the schools, shops pubs, hotels, restaurants and even filling-stations were closed
Thousands slaughter-house workers and drivers engaged in transporting cattle, sheep and pigs found themselves out of work. Wholesale meat markets and stores were empty. Some non-European countries like Japan, Indonesia South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, the UAE, Canada and the USA banned the imports of EU meat (beef and pork) and dairy products, to protect themselves.
The magnitude of the outbreak was so colossal that Tony Blair was forced to take a painful decision to postpone the coming Parliamentary elections and hold them in June instead of May 2001.
In the wake of the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease epidemic, British farmers complain that farming today is no more attractive to young people who tend to leave their home villages and move to town. They show little or no interest in farming. It is evident that farming is losing its share in the national economy. Farmers say that farming must be protected and that Government should take measures to assist them to stop the negative tendencies.
[3] Fisheries
The seas around The British Isles provide exceptionally good fishing grounds. The Dogger Bank in the North Sea is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. It is an extensive sandbank of the central North Sea between Great Britain and Denmark. Dogger Bank has provided excellent fishing for centuries. Other good waters for fishing are those of the Irish Sea and those of the western coast of Scotland. The most important fish landed are cod, haddock, mackerel, whiting, and plaice, as well as shellfish (lobsters, crabs, and oysters). The most important fishing ports are those of Hull, Grimsby (in Humberside), Aberdeen and Fraserburgh
(in Scotland), Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft (in East Anglia),
Milford Haven in Wales and other
[1] Greater London
We shall now give a brief description of British industries grouped according to broad geographical areas.
The area known as Greater London comprises London with its suburbs with a population of over 8 million. It is nearly 30 miles long and 30 miles wide and covers 600 sq. miles of land.
London is the chief and busiest port of the country and an important manufacturing centre. It is the centre of many Industries. The port is probably the largest in the world. It is a hundred kilometres long, from London Bridge down to the sea. Ships bring in cargoes daily from the four corners of the world. They come with butter and meat, sugar and fruit, tea and coffee, copper and wood... As far as you can see there are ships, masts, cranes.
Now the Greater London Conurbation holds nearly 1/5 of the total population of England and Wales and 1/61 of the total industrial workers.
London is the main centre in Britain of the clothing, food and drink industries, of printing, of the manufacture, materials for the arts, precision instruments and many other specialized goods. Small firms predominate in all these industries, and the average size of manufacturing firms in London is well below the national average. London is also an important centre of light engineering and chemicals and has some heavy engineering plants.
Yet London does not at first look like an industrial city, Indeed, industry has been encouraged to move out of London, particularly during the last decades. Nevertheless, manufacturing and service industries still provide Londoners with jobs, especially if they are skilled workers. Factories are scattered throughout the older inner city districts, where they are often surrounded by streets of small houses.
London matters too much to new Britain: laid-back dynamic, multicultural and liberal. As the country's politicical, financial and cultural capital, London, in the eyes of Americans, is New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington rolled into one. It dominates Britain and yet is the least British place of all. The price of the average London residence is more than twice its equivalent in Liverpool or Newcastle.
London's size and population, its historical associations, its political and government offices, its industries and trades make it really one of the greatest cities of the world.
[2] East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex)
Historically, East Anglia is a geographical region
comprising the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. As an
economic region, East Anglia comprises 5 counties: Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. You will not find the name on the map although it is much used in daily conversation. Being in the past the Kingdom of East Angles, the region has been always isolated from the rest of the country by the Fens - great swamps where only hermits and political outlaws could live.
East of England is a fascinating corner of England, the birthplace of the greatest sailor., Admiral Lord Nelson. It is unlike any other part of Britain.
Rural population predominates. East Anglia remains a
district of villages. It is essentially a farming land and a flat
country. The low, marshy districts of eastern England,
especially in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk known
as the Fens are noted for their many drains and sluices, built to
reclaim the land and to guard against flooding. The name
particu larly applies to rich agricultural land bordering the
Wash, a large but shallow inlet of the North Sea between
Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Much of the agricultural land round
the Wash has been reclaimed from the sea over a period of
many years. The first large-scale project to drain lands was
udertaken in 1630. The Earl of Bedford, who owned much of
these lands, formed a company to drain the Fens around the Isle
of Ely where in the Middle Ages the monks had built the
famous Ely Cathedral. Twenty years later, a region of eighty
miles long by thirty miles wide had been turned to pasture and
farming land of the richest kind. Here wheat, oats, potato, sugar
beets, fruit and flowers are raised on a commercial scale.
We may state that now more than half the total area is under cultivation. Barley and wheat are the most extensive crops. Oats, potatoes and sugar-beet are also common.
East Anglia is the land of modern farming methods, Since the 18th century the local farmers have been practicing the crops rotation (known as 'Norfolk rotation') - wheat, root crops, oats, followed by clover or beans.
Fruit-growing is also very important in Norfolk; excellent strawberries, gooseberries and black currants come into the London market daily.
East Anglia was once the major wool textile area. But now the sheep have almost disappeared from East Anglia. Today the manufacture of wool is lost.
Most of the towns in East Anglia have little tendency to grow. The industry here is mainly connected with farming fertilizers, agricultural machinery and implements are manufactured here. The most important towns are Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester, Yarmouth, Cambridge.
Cambridge stands somewhat apart. It is called the
Gateway to East Anglia. Cambridge is a famous university
town whose Gothic spires are framed by broad meadows and
great trees. Cambridge University, established in the 13
century, is one of the most respected universities in the UK.
The University is now made of about 30 separate colleges,
where the students live and receive some of their teaching. If
Oxford is tending towards theology, classical studies
Cambridge is keen on experimental science, building new
laboratories, experimenting. Cambridge possesses the
Cavendish laboratory of experimental physics where the main
research on atomic energy was and is being done. The famous
scientists Charles Darwin who developed the theory of
evolution (the idea that plants and animals develop gradually
from simple forms to more complicated forms by natural
selection), William Harvey (who discovered the circulation of
the blood), Joseph John Thomson who discovered the electron
in 1897, Ernest Rutherford (who discovered the structure of
the atom and discovered that there are three types of radiation -
alpha, beta and gamma rays), the eminent historians
and the Trevelyans - Sir George Otto Trevelyan and his son
George Macaulay Trevelyan, the politician Thomas Cromwell,
the philosophers Roger Bacon and Francis Bacon, the well-known writers William Makepeace Thackeray, Edward Morgan Foster, Charles Percey Snow and others were all Cambridge students and spent their formative years of life at Cambridge. Cambridge adheres more to the traditional image of an English "town and gown" city than Oxford does; the latter is not only a university town but an industrial city as well.
Now Cambridge is also famous for its Science Park, where there are many computer and electronics companies concerned with new technology and scientific study.
The largest town in East Anglia is Norwich (a city in Norfolk), the undisputed and true provincial capital. It was built right after the Normans landed at Pevensey, on the British shores, in 1066. It is well over 900 years old. It was once the greatest weaving town in Britain. As early as the 14th century it was famous throughout the whole country for its trade fair. Norwich is a city of industry, from bell-founding to weaving, silk making, clothing, shoe-making, the making of wire netting, food and sweets. Shoes have become a major industry. It has an important market. In 1963 the first students came to the University of East Anglia at Norwich.
Yarmouth is a fishing port and as such has a long history chiefly connected with the fishing industry of the North Sea. Each year catches have continued to decrease and the shortage has depressed the fishing of Yarmouth. Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft have extensive fish-processing plants. In recent years they have also become important bases for natural gas exploitation in the North Sea. Yarmouth is also a well-known resort and receives about half a million visitors a year.
Ipswich is Suffolk's county seat and its major industrial and commercial centre. It is renowned for agricultural machinery.
[3] The South-East, the Gateway to England. The Chalk Country
Most of Kent, Sussex and Surrey are included in the South-East region. Kent has a favourable climate, and, which is| more important, a long tradition for gardening and fruit growing. The county is known as the "Garden of England' and is noted for the production of orchard fruit (e.g. apples, cherries) and vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, onion, turnip, tomato).
Among the most common soft fruit are strawberries raspberries, currants, gooseberries. In all eastern parts hop-growing is of great importance and is carried on extensively Kentish hop fields amount to more than half the British crop of hops. The Kentish hop season is a very picturesque event. As many as 300 hands can be employed on a farm of 10 people during the hop season in September. Hop pickers come from nearby towns and from London.
The counties of Surrey and Sussex (East and West) have many small attractive villages and are thought of as wealthy mainly middle-class.
Industry is undeveloped in the South-East region. The coastline towns of Brighton, Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, Romney, Hastings depend on resort trade and are remarkable for the great number of summer visitors they receive, Folkstone and Dover are the most popular passenger ports From Dover, ships go across the English Channel to France carrying passengers, vehicles ands goods. High white cliffs rise above the port, and for English people who have travelled to Europe, the sight of the white cliffs of Dover is the first sign that they are returning home.
The largest town is Brighton in East Sussex. It lies between the South Downs and the sea. One of the oldest and largest of the seaside places, Brighton is chiefly a fashionable
resort with shingle beaches, brilliantly lit modern hotels, dance halls and concert halls, sports grounds and swimming pools,
sun and sea bathing. It was popular in the 19th century and was given the nickname "London-on-the-Sea". There is the fishing-village atmosphere still clinging to this fashionable and select health-resort. W.M. Thackeray called it "Cheerful, Merry Doctor Brighton". Scope for further industrial and commercial developmentis extremely limited. Brighton can boast of two considerable projects: the Brighton Marina and the Brighton Centre. The first is the largest pleasure craft facility in* Europe and provides over 2000 moorings in two large basins. The Brighton Centre is a purpose-built conference exhibition complex with sophisticated environmental services, including full air-conditioning. It has two halls seating 5000 and 800 delegates respectively. Many important political and scientific meetings are held there. Brighton is famous for its architecture, especiallythe Royal Pavilion, which today is a concert and dance hall built in an original and unusual oriental style. It was built in 1817 for the Prince of Wales (who later became King (ieorge IV) as his residence, then partly demolished and rebuilt. This architectural joke is out of keeping with the elegant Regency houses.
Brighton has two universities and many language schools.
Of special interest is Canterbury, a historic walled city in Kent, famous for its ancient cathedral, built in the llth-15th cc, which became a place of pilgrimage in medieval times after the murder of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. He had a serious argument with the King, Henry II, who is believed to have said, 'Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?' As a result, Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by some of the king's soldiers. Thomas a Becket was canonized later.
Canterbury is considered to be the ecclesiastical metropolis of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Anglican Church {Church of England). The great English poet Geoffrey Chaucer mentions this place in his most famous poem The Canterbury Tales. In it pilgrims who are travelling to Canterbury tell stories. One of the most famous characters of the Canterbury Tales is the wife of Bath. Canterbury is one of the oldest cities in England which saw the Romans, the Danes, the Normans.
Adjoining South-East England is the Hampshire basin. The area contains the New Forest, a most beautiful part of England, covering today some 145 square miles of woodlands, moors and marshes. The New Forest has many oak and beech trees. Many people spend their holiday there, especially to ride horses or ride through the woods. Along the coastline there are many popular resorts with sandy beaches, beautiful inland scenery and sunny weather.
Southampton with its population of over 200000 is the most important port on the south coast of England. It was from Southampton that the famous Titanic made its fateful voyage in 1912 to New York. Titanic was considered impossible to sink but it hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean and sank, killing more than 1500 of its passengers.
Ships to America start on their voyage from Southampton. Southampton is a university town. Its most important industry is shipbuilding, including small and moderate-sized craft, and ship-repairing.
Fawley which is situated near Southampton is known as one of the most important centres of petroleum refineries. The great oil refineries at Fawley supply fuel to power-stations, raw material to chemical works and aviation spirit to London airport.
Portsmouth with the population of 180000 is a naval centre. Naval activity is the main source of the town's growth. It has an important naval dock and there is a ferry service from Portsmouth to France. Portsmouth is one of the oldest English towns, chartered in 1194.
[4] South-West England
The southwestern part of England is often -called the West Country. Its eastern part is sometimes called Wessex, although it's only a historic term for the Saxon kingdom that had ceased to exist by the time of the Norman Conquest. The western part is occupied by the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
The regional economy is based on agriculture and tourism although industry is by no means absent. The mild climate, warm winters and moist air are of great benefit to farming in general. Grass continues to grow throughout the winter and conditions are favourable for the cultivation of early vegetables and flowers. The population does a tremendous business in early flowers, fruit and vegetables. The farmers lupply the London market and the markets of the industrial towns of the Midlands with early produce (green vegetables, early potatoes and fruit) at a high price. There is no problem in the winter feeding of livestock thanks to the rich growth of grass. Devon and Cornwall specialize in the production of hitter and cheese. Sheep are also fairly numerous in the South-West. They are grazed in the open moorlands.
As to industry, the Country's only important industry is the production of china clay. It is centred in St. Austel, a few miles from the south coast.
Plymouth is in Devon. It is the largest town of the peninsular. It has an excellent deep-water harbour. Plymouth is a port of call. It has an important naval dockyard second only in importance to that of Portsmouth and several light industries.
Ill
Also it is a naval base and a calling port for liners; it has a strong interest in the resort trade and in fishing. Plymouth is known in the UK especially for its connection with Francis Drake, the 16th century explorer and navy commander. Sir Francis Drake became Mayor of the town in 1582 and used the port for many of his daring expeditions. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth in the Mayflower and founded in America the colony of New Plymouth. They were puritans who left England because they wanted to start a new society where they would be free to practice their religion. So Plymouth is known in the US as the place from which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America.
Plymouth is redolent in Britain's seafaring past: from here the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for a new world, Sir Francis Drake awaited the Spanish Armada, and Captain Cook began his voyages of discovery to far-flung places.
Plymouth suffered greatly from German air raids during World War II, and the main part of the town has been rebuilt with modern shops and offices and wide streets.
Exeter is another important centre of the peninsular. It is Devonshire county seat. But though it has a university, it is Plymouth which is considered to be the regional capital of the South-West. Exeter is one of the oldest English towns and has managed to preserve some of its medieval character. It is known for a fine cathedral built in the 12th-14thcc.
Falmouth, the largest town in Cornwall, stands nearer to the open sea than Plymouth. It has an enormous dry-dock capable of accommodating modern oil-tankers. Falmouth was already well-known for its repair-yards and the new dry-dock has added to its reputation. Falmouth is the centre for yachtsmen all over the world.
Fishing which was once the staple economy of the villages has declined with the growth of the tourist trade. The cliffs and sandy beaches attract crowds of tourists. Tourism in the South-West is largely decentralized and the resort towns are fairly small. Many of them began as fishing industries. The greatest exception to this trend is Torquay in Devonshire which receives a million visitors a year. Torquay is located on the south coast of the peninsular and the sunny climate, the beauty of the coastline and mineral waiters have made it especially popular with tourists. The town is fortunate in possessing two sea-fronts and several beaches. From the sea Torquay presents almost a Mediterranean aspect, with the white buildings of the waterfront. Torquay is the birthplace of Agatha Christie, the "Queen of crime".
The largest city in South-West England is Bristol., a major international port and industrial centre. It is also a mercantile and distributive centre. Bristol is the eighth largest city with a population of some 400,000. Bristol is a regional capital and five times as large as the next town in the area. The city is the centre of an aircraft and automobile industries. Other significant industries are papermaking, printing and flour-milling, tobacco products and chocolate. It also has soapworks, sugar factories and shipbuilding yards.
Bristol, however, is primarily a commercial place and has remained such to this day.
Bristol is a university town and its live theatre is second only to London's. Its shops and many of its residential buildings stand comparison with the best the metropolis can offer. Bristol is known to have a railway station like a cathedral and a cathedral like a railway station. Bristol possesses the oldest public library in the British Isles, dating from the 15th
century.
The description of the South-West would be incomplete without Bath, the most important Roman relic in England. Bath is a world heritage city, a beautiful Georgian city with delightful crescents, terraces and architecture. The city is famous for the only natural mineral hot springs in Britain whichare of great medical value. You can bathe in these radioactive waters or drink them.
So Bath is the oldest spa in Britain created by the Romans in the first century of our era. When the Romans discovered the curing effect of the hot water springs, they started to build magnificent baths there. The Romans built their first pools, pump-rooms, steam-rooms, theatres, villas of which only a few have been entirely uncovered so far. In archeological interest they equal those of Pompeii.
Bath became famous in the 18l century as a fashionable spa, where people used to go "to take waters". This famous water has a horrible taste, but is good for health.
The town is situated in a hollow, surrounded by sloping green hills. On their sides the lovely Georgian buildings rise in rows, terraces, squares and streets. The architectural ensemble of the town is unique not only in England but in all Europe: Bath was the only town of the 18' century built in one style and of one inspiration: harmony. The greatest English architects John Wood, Christopher Wren and Robert Adam are largely responsible for the beauty of Bath.
Lecture 4
British Economy (Part 4) Major Economic Regions: Central England