During 2023 I have been recording interviews with people who worked in Industry in Enfield. At one time Eastern Enfield had more manufacturing factories per acre than anywhere in Europe, now it is just a handful. As well as the loss of 28,000 jobs in the Eighties and the loss of companies, Brimsdown lost the social and sports clubs, social interaction between owners and employees of different companies; it lost its heart. The loss of Engineering companies made it easy for Middlesex University to close the engineering faculty and to, eventually leave Enfield; a great loss to the borough.
The future looks brighter, we have many film studios in the Borough and an absolutely huge one is being constructed just over its northern border. This will spawn many small businesses as there will be a need to make scenery, props, models, costumes and there will be many, many other service needs I am unaware of. In a town that invented the thermionic valves and where Babbage went o school and was inspired to develop his “difference engine – an early form of computer, by his study of maths here, it is fitting that Microsoft has a large facility in the Town.
You can listen to extracts from the recordings in the podcast “From an Enfield Poet”. The first four episodes concern people who have worked in Industry in Enfield in the latter half of the last century. The main body of these have been compiled and edited by Soveks Lo of Maroon Community Media from interviews I conducted in my oral history project “Industry in Enfield”
To listen to the interview or read the transcript click on the person’s name below and you will be taken to the relevant page. After the biographical details you will find the audio file of the interview followed by a transcript of it.
Anthony Fisher – Becky Coleman – Warren Grant – Christine Vial – Valerie Fisher
Irene Richards – Peggy Walker – Stella MacDonald – Mike Chapman – Mark Durham