In a project made possible through a Headley Fellowship with Art Fund, a little-known part of our archive has been brought to light.
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The Coalbrookdale Company relied on a team of skilled draughtsmen to produce special drawings called technical drawings. These drawings were used to make, display, and record the Company’s products.
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The Coalbrookdale Company was working with photographers as early as 1855 and had a dedicated photographic studio from at least 1862. The photography department took photographs of new iron products being made at the ironworks, as well as dealing with other printed material such as blueprints and trade catalogues.
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Many industrial workers living in the Gorge throughout the 18th and 19th centuries would disagree with this observation. Consistently poor conditions and wages resulted in strikes and riots as workers fought to improve conditions.
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Just like today, the amount of money earned for a day’s labour was often a sensitive issue.
For a greater level of skill or a greater risk of danger, as in ironworking and mining, workers would sometimes receive higher than average wages. However, wages could be affected by both booms and severe depressions in trade.
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Industrial work in the Gorge was often insecure and injury, illness, old age, or death could lead to workers’ families suffering greatly. In a time before the welfare state, financial support was very limited and a fall in wages or being out of work could mean destitution.
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Children worked in every industry across the Gorge, in the same dismal and dangerous conditions as adults, to help support their family’s income. They were generally employed in unskilled roles supporting adult family members but earned much smaller wages. Yet, without their wages, their families could not survive.
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Religion has always played a role in industrial workers’ lives, but its importance increased in the Gorge in the early 19th century as Methodism grew in popularity. Methodism is a non-conformist form of Protestant Christianity that was especially popular with the working class as its early supporters specifically reached out to workers, offering simpler methods of worship and encouraging a simple, thrifty, and sober life.
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The Daily Grind was held as a physical exhibition, at the Coalbrookdale Gallery, 28th April - 5th November 2023. We asked our visitors if they or their ancestors worked in the industries of the Gorge.
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