Search results for ""author ernie hoblyn""

In this new look at the Plym Valley, local author Ernie Hoblyn looks at the ruins of the industrial past and asks, 'Why did they build that here and what is it for?' Covering the valley running north from the Laira estuary to Clearbook, Industrial Archaeology of the Plym Valley describes the railways, quarries, mines, mills and clay works that once operated there, looking at both the physical remains and the memories of those who once lived in the valley. Most of the industries in the Plym Valley existed during the period from the mid-eighteenth century to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, roughly from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the late Victorian era. Few survived very far into the twentieth century and today little apart from ruins of buildings survives as witness to all the hard work done by many people over many years. This book aims to bring a few of these ruins to life and tell their story.

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The city of Plymouth, on the south coast of Devon, has been a maritime settlement since its earliest days. A trading port in Roman and Saxon times, fishing and boatbuilding have also been mainstays of the local industry for centuries. The original town of Plymouth was historically the commercial shipping and passenger port - the Pilgrim Fathers left for the Americas from Plymouth in 1620 - and the neighbouring town of Devonport, which has now merged with Plymouth, has been associated with the Royal Navy for the last three centuries. This era saw a massive rise in the dockyard, probably peaking during the Second World War when it became the target for heavy aerial bombardment. Although it is now in decline, Devonport Dockyard is still a major naval shipyard and the only naval base in Britain that refits nuclear submarines. Today, although many of the traditional industries have declined or closed, Plymouth is home to severalhigh-tech industries, including Plessey Semiconductors. Plymouth at Work explores the working life of this city in Devon and its people, and the industries that have characterised it. This book will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of this city.

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