Do regional post-industrial identities pose a challenge to notions of a single 'nationally valued' British industrial heritage?

This project aims to examine if varying regional post-industrial identities pose a challenge to notions of a 'nationally valued' British industrial heritage by examining Cornwall and Greater Manchester as case studies. Industrial heritage has, since the 1980s, principally aligned itself with the conservation and presentation of tangible industrial remains, prioritising the study of rare and early machinery, transport networks and upstanding structures. This research paradigm, often present at the national level, perpetuates the 'desirable' legacies of industrial heritage; clean, dislocated and managed heritage experiences which mirror what has become widely termed as the 'Authorised Heritage Discourse'. By closely examining the properties of this 'nationally valued' British industrial heritage and contrasting it with the nuances which influence the formations of separate post-industrial regional identities, this project can begin to critically approach and address some of the broader issues that currently face industrial heritage as an emerging area of research. This new approach to the study of industrial heritage is significant at a time where industrial heritage scholars and practitioners frequently express concern over the ageing demographic, a broad lack of class, race and gender diversity, diametric differences in levels of public interest and notorious difficulties in securing funding which continues to blight the academic development of industrial heritage.