DOCSLIB.ORG

A Study of the Development of Urban Spheres of Influence in Leicestershire

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Study of the Development of Urban Spheres of Influence in Leicestershire A STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENT Off URBAN SPHERES OP INFLUENCE IN LEICESTERSHIRE, PETER R. ODELL, B.A. A Thesis presented for the Degree of Ph. D. in the Department of Geography at the University of Birmingham, May, University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. V. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The completion of this study would have been impossible without the kind co-operation of numerous individuals in many parts of the country. The writer would wish to express his thanks to the assistants in the Birmingham reference library, the Leicester reference library, the library, newspaper library, and map library of the British Museum, the Public Record Office, and the Leicestershire County Record Office: thtis co-operation in producing books, papers, documents, and the like greatly facilitated the collation of various items of evidence. Representatives of Local Government Authorities and National Government Departments have willingly made information available and have clarified many points in discussion and correspondence with the author. In particular, thanks must be extended to Mr. A. G. Powell, the North Midland regional research officer of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (formerly the Ministry of Town and Country Planning). His comments and suggestions made in the initial stages of this study proved invaluable, and the information pertaining to town-country relationships collated through his office, and which was very willingly made available to the writer for analysis, formed a sure foundation on which to base the present-day investigations. Throughout Leicestershire people in many walks of life have spent much time and trouble in endeavouring to meet the requests vi. sometimes, no doubt, seemingly obscure ones - of the writer for facts and figures. The people who have helped are too numerous to mention individually "but thanks are especially due to firms of auctioneers in Leicester, Melton Mowbray and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, to the retail co-operative societies of the towns of the county, to retailers} cinema managements, newspaper proprietors, public transport operators, and many others who gave considerable assistance in the examination of the contemporary functions of the towns. Finally, it remains to express the writer f s appreciation to the staff of the Department of Geography at the University of Birmingham: to the members of the academic staff for their help and advice in matters of research technique: to Mr. D.W. Oliver and Mr. R. Swift, of the technical staff, for their co-operation in photographing the numerous maps and diagrams: and to the Head of the Department, Professor R. H. Kinvig, who, as supervisor of this thesis, has always been ready and willing to discuss, at length, matters concerning it, and to give such help and encouragement as was essential for its completion. P.R.O. vli CONTENTS* Page. Acknowledgments. *** List of Maps and Diagrams. «» List of Tables. xv. List of Photographs. xlx. INTRODUCTION. 1* SECTION ONE. THE MARKET TOWNS AND THEIR HINTERLANDS UP TO 1800. Chapter One* Urban-Rural Relationships in Medieval Leicestershire. Chapter Two. The Development of Service Function in the Leicestershire Market Towns. Chapter Three. The Market Towns and their Spheres of Influence at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. 91» SECTION TWO. THE URBAN HIERARCHY AND URBAN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE IN LEICESTERSHIRE IN THE MID- 19TH. CENTURY. Chapter One. The Mid-Nineteenth Century Background to Urban-Rural Relationships, 109. Chapter Two. Mid-Nineteenth Century Service Centres in Leicestershire. lllu Chapter Three. The Hinterlands of the Market Towns based on an examination of the Mid- Nineteenth Century Transport Facilities. 135. Chapter Four. The Hinterlands of the Market Towns based on their Provision of Administrative Services. 167* Chapter Five. The Urban Spheres of Influence in the Mid-19th. Century. 200. Chapter Six. The Market Towns in the Mid-Nineteenth Century, 229. Till Page, SECTION THREE. URBAN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH. CENTURY. Chapter One. Changing Conditions since the Mid-Nineteenth Century. 270. Chapter Two. Service Provision in 1900. 282. Chapter Three. Determination of the Hinterlands of the Market Towns in 1900. 300. Chapter Four. The Market Towns and their Spheres of Influence in 1900. 326. SECTION FOUR. CONTEMPORARY TJRMN SPHERES OP INFLUENCE. Chapter One. A Revolution in Town-Country Relations. 348. Chapter Two. The Urban Hierarchy in Leicestershire. 373* Chapter Three. Transport Facilities and Urban Spheres Of Influence in Leicestershire. 1952-53. 418. Chapter Four. Functional Hinterlands Defined by the Daily Journey to Work. 448. Chapter Five. The Hinterlands of the Market Towns based on their Provision of Administrative Services. 473. Chapter Six. Spheres of Influence based on the Provision of Weekly Services. 498. Chapter Seven. The towns and their Hinterlands. 529. Chapter Eight. The Hinterlands of the City of Leicester. 583,,, CONCLUSION. 605. Appendix One. The Index of Service Provision for 1851- 611. Appendix Two» The Index of Concentration of Service Facilities. 1851. 613. Appendix Three. The Index of Central ity, 614 Page, Bibliography. A. General Works of Reference. 620. B. Local Works of Reference. 624. C. Directories. 628. D. Newspapers. 630. E, Official Returns and Documents. 632. m LIST OF MAPS AND DIAGRAMS. Following Figure, Page, no. X* Leicestershire in its Regional Setting. 39. 2. Leicestershire : Some indications of relative importance of Settlements before 1800, 57. Leicestershire: Distribution of Population. 156U. 63. Leicestershire: Distribution and Size of Settlements. 156U. 65. 5. Leicestershire; The Physical Background. 73. 6. Leicestershire Road Network. 1801. 92. 7* Market Harborough in 1776. 95. 8. Hinckley in 1782. 98. 9. Spheres of Influence of Leicestershire Market Towns in 1800. 100. 10. The Hinterlands of Leicester, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and Market Harborough at the 101. beginning of the 19th Century* XI* Leicestershire: Distribution of Population, 1801. 103. 12. Hinterlands of Leicester at the beginning of the 19th. Century. 108, 13. Leicestershire: Service Centres. 1831« 116. III-. Leicestershire: Service Centres. 1851. 122. 15. Leicestershire: Mid-Nineteenth Centres for Administrative Services. 133. 16. Leicestershire: Turnpike Traffic. 1829, 136. 17* Leicestershire: Diagrams showing Accessibility to Means of Transport. 139. 18* Daily Routes of Carriers' Carts to Leicester­ shire and Peripheral Centres in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. XI Following Figure. Page.no. 19. Mid-Nineteenth Century Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres. 20. Mid-Nineteenth Century Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres. 21. Mid-19th. Century Hinterlands of Leicestershire Centres based on Market Day Transport Facilities. 152. 22. Leicestershire: Mid-Nineteenth Century Administrative Divisions. 173* 23. Leicestershire: Mid-Nineteenth Century Administrative Divisions. 187* 2k. Mid-19th Century Hinterlands of Leicestershire Centres based on the Provision of Administrative Services. 191* 25. Spheres of Influence of Leicestershire Market Towns in the Mid-19th Century. 200. 26. Distribution of Service Facilities in the Settlements of Leicestershire 1851. 201* 27« Leicestershire: Distribution of Settlements 1850.212. 28. Leicestershire: Distribution of Population 1851. 213. 29. Mid-19th Century Newspapers of Leicestershire and Peripheral Towns. 221. 30. Source of Advertisements in the Leicester Journal. 1831. 226. 31» Mid-Nineteenth Century Circulation Area of the Leicester Journal, 226. 32. Mid-19th. Century Morphology of Two Leicester­ shire Market Towns. Z5J* 33. Leicestershire Towns in the National Transport System of the Mid-19th Century. 255. 3k* Leicestershire: Eailway Network in 1900. 270. 35» Leicestershire: Distribution of Population 1901. 272. 56. Leicestershire: Service Centres. 1900. 286. 37. Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres in 1900, 30*4., xli Following Figure, Page, no, 38. Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres in 1900. 307. Hinterlands of Leicestershire Centres based on Market day Transport Facilities. 308. Rail Facilities and Hinterland Boundaries. 1900. 309. Administrative Divisions in Leicestershire in 1900. 320. The Market Towns and their Spheres of Influence in 1900. 326. Leicestershire: Wool Sales. June 1900. 32?. 44. Circulation Areas of Newspapers in Leicestershire. 1900. 327. 45. Leicestershire: Present Day Service Centres. 379. 46. Leicestershire: Shopping Facilities. 1941* 381. 47« Diagrams showing Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres. 1952-53. 420. 48. Diagrams showing Accessibility to Leicestershire Centres. 1952. 53. 420. 49. Transport Facilities from Leicestershire Settlements. 1953. 422. 5Q« Leicestershire Bus Centres and their Hinterlands: Normal Weekday Services 1952-53. 429. 51* Leicestershire Bus Centres and their Hinterlands: Market day or Saturday services. 1952-53. 429. 52. Early Morning Transport Facilities to Leicestershire Centres. 1952-53. 454. 53* Early Morning Transport
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Appendix: Statistical Information
    Appendix: Statistical Information Table A.1 Order in which the main works were built. Table A.2 Railway companies and trade unions who were parties to Industrial Court Award No. 728 of 8 July 1922 Table A.3 Railway companies amalgamated to form the four main-line companies in 1923 Table A.4 London Midland and Scottish Railway Company statistics, 1924 Table A.5 London and North-Eastern Railway Company statistics, 1930 Table A.6 Total expenditure by the four main-line companies on locomotive repairs and partial renewals, total mileage and cost per mile, 1928-47 Table A.7 Total expenditure on carriage and wagon repairs and partial renewals by each of the four main-line companies, 1928 and 1947 Table A.8 Locomotive output, 1947 Table A.9 Repair output of subsidiary locomotive works, 1947 Table A. 10 Carriage and wagon output, 1949 Table A.ll Passenger journeys originating, 1948 Table A.12 Freight train traffic originating, 1948 TableA.13 Design offices involved in post-nationalisation BR Standard locomotive design Table A.14 Building of the first BR Standard locomotives, 1954 Table A.15 BR stock levels, 1948-M Table A.16 BREL statistics, 1979 Table A. 17 Total output of BREL workshops, year ending 31 December 1981 Table A. 18 Unit cost of BREL new builds, 1977 and 1981 Table A.19 Maintenance costs per unit, 1981 Table A.20 Staff employed in BR Engineering and in BREL, 1982 Table A.21 BR traffic, 1980 Table A.22 BR financial results, 1980 Table A.23 Changes in method of BR freight movement, 1970-81 Table A.24 Analysis of BR freight carryings,
    [Show full text]
  • Part 3 of the Bibliography Catalogue
    Bibliography - L&NWR Society Periodicals Part 3 - Railway Magazine Registered Charity - L&NWRSociety No. 1110210 Copyright LNWR Society 2012 Title Year Volume Page Railway Magazine Photos. Junction at Craven Arms Photos. Tyne-Mersey Power. Lime Street, Diggle 138 Why and Wherefore. Soho Road station 465 Recent Work by British Express Locomotives Inc. Photo. 2-4-0 No.419 Zillah 1897 01/07 20 Some Racing Runs and Trial Trips. 1. The Race to Edinburgh 1888 - The Last Day 1897 01/07 39 What Our Railways are Doing. Presentation to F.Harrison from Guards 1897 01/07 90 What Our Railways are Doing. Trains over 50 mph 1897 01/07 90 Pertinent Paragraphs. Jubilee of 'Cornwall' 1897 01/07 94 Engine Drivers and their Duties by C.J.Bowen Cooke. Describes Rugby with photos at the 1897 01/08 113 Photo.shed. 'Queen Empress' on corridor dining train 1897 01/08 133 Some Railway Myths. Inc The Bloomers, with photo and Precedent 1897 01/08 160 Petroleum Fuel for Locomotives. Inc 0-4-0WT photo. 1897 01/08 170 What The Railways are Doing. Services to Greenore. 1897 01/08 183 Pertinent Paragraphs. 'Jubilee' class 1897 01/08 187 Pertinent Paragraphs. List of 100 mile runs without a stop 1897 01/08 190 Interview Sir F.Harrison. Gen.Manager .Inc photos F.Harrison, Lord Stalbridge,F.Ree, 1897 01/09 193 TheR.Turnbull Euston Audit Office. J.Partington Chief of Audit Dept.LNW. Inc photos. 1897 01/09 245 24 Hours at a Railway Junction. Willesden (V.L.Whitchurch) 1897 01/09 263 What The Railways are Doing.
    [Show full text]
  • Railways List
    A guide and list to a collection of Historic Railway Documents www.railarchive.org.uk to e mail click here December 2017 1 Since July 1971, this private collection of printed railway documents from pre grouping and pre nationalisation railway companies based in the UK; has sought to expand it‟s collection with the aim of obtaining a printed sample from each independent railway company which operated (or obtained it‟s act of parliament and started construction). There were over 1,500 such companies and to date the Rail Archive has sourced samples from over 800 of these companies. Early in 2001 the collection needed to be assessed for insurance purposes to identify a suitable premium. The premium cost was significant enough to warrant a more secure and sustainable future for the collection. In 2002 The Rail Archive was set up with the following objectives: secure an on-going future for the collection in a public institution reduce the insurance premium continue to add to the collection add a private collection of railway photographs from 1970‟s onwards provide a public access facility promote the collection ensure that the collection remains together in perpetuity where practical ensure that sufficient finances were in place to achieve to above objectives The archive is now retained by The Bodleian Library in Oxford to deliver the above objectives. This guide which gives details of paperwork in the collection and a list of railway companies from which material is wanted. The aim is to collect an item of printed paperwork from each UK railway company ever opened.
    [Show full text]
  • Premises, Sites Etc Within 30 Miles of Harrington Museum Used for Military Purposes in the 20Th Century
    Premises, Sites etc within 30 miles of Harrington Museum used for Military Purposes in the 20th Century The following listing attempts to identify those premises and sites that were used for military purposes during the 20th Century. The listing is very much a works in progress document so if you are aware of any other sites or premises within 30 miles of Harrington, Northamptonshire, then we would very much appreciate receiving details of them. Similarly if you spot any errors, or have further information on those premises/sites that are listed then we would be pleased to hear from you. Please use the reporting sheets at the end of this document and send or email to the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum, Sunnyvale Farm, Harrington, Northampton, NN6 9PF, [email protected] We hope that you find this document of interest. Village/ Town Name of Location / Address Distance to Period used Use Premises Museum Abthorpe SP 646 464 34.8 km World War 2 ANTI AIRCRAFT SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY Northamptonshire The site of a World War II searchlight battery. The site is known to have had a generator and Nissen huts. It was probably constructed between 1939 and 1945 but the site had been destroyed by the time of the Defence of Britain survey. Ailsworth Manor House Cambridgeshire World War 2 HOME GUARD STORE A Company of the 2nd (Peterborough) Battalion Northamptonshire Home Guard used two rooms and a cellar for a company store at the Manor House at Ailsworth Alconbury RAF Alconbury TL 211 767 44.3 km 1938 - 1995 AIRFIELD Huntingdonshire It was previously named 'RAF Abbots Ripton' from 1938 to 9 September 1942 while under RAF Bomber Command control.
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Newsletter 2012-10-17
    Volume 7 Number 41 GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER October 17 2012 From the M.D. We get many accolades these days across the board from catering to every other department. Some of these point the way forward in our growth. The attached letter from Guhring, who are a major supplier to Cromwell Tools, speaks volumes of everyone’s efforts as we concentrate on building our name at the very forefront of the Heritage Railway experience. Over the last month, we have entertained not only Guhring but also Cromwell Tools, Caterpillar, Lafarge and other major corporate entities which afford us significant networking opportunities. This week I am enclosing two letters received after the Gala and I am sure will be appreciated by all who read the Newsletter. It is easy from the inside to criticise our railway, but we receive letters like these on a daily basis which make the volunteer work worthwhile. Everyone connected to the railway needs to be congratulated. Due to activities underway in the various growth areas, I’ve decided I will hand over the responsibility for the Newsletter to our General Manager Richard Patching who has a much better grip on the day-to-day workings of the railway and it is only right and proper that he should continue He has the full backing of the Board and obviously my full support whilst we continue to work closely together. SPOOKTACULAR GHOST TRAINS AT THE GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY Frightful goings on at Half Term and on Halloween Night Dare you ride the trains that go shunt in the night? The Great Central Railway is challenging its passengers to be brave as they buy tickets for the award winning Leicestershire attractions Halloween trains.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainability Appraisal (SA) / Strategic
    Leicestershire Minerals Development Framework: Site Allocations DPD (Preferred Options) Sustainability Appraisal (SA) / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Sustainability Appraisal Report (Appendices) June 2006 Prepared for Leicestershire County Council by: Atkins Ltd Axis 6 th Floor West 10 Holliday St Birmingham B1 1TF Tel: Nicki Schiessel 0121 483 5986 Email: [email protected] This document is copyright and should not be copied in whole or in part by any means other than with the approval of Atkins Consultants Limited. Any unauthorised user of the document shall be responsible for all liabilities arising out of such use. Leicestershire Minerals Development Framework Site Allocations DPD Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices Contents Section Page Appendix A: List of Consultees and Interested Stakeholders 1 Appendix B: Summary of the Consultation Responses on the Scoping Report 15 Appendix C: Baseline Tables 23 Appendix D: Assessment of Proposed Sites 38 Leicestershire Minerals Development Framework Site Allocations DPD Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices APPENDIX A: LIST OF CONSULTEES AND INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS 1 Leicestershire Minerals Development Framework Site Allocations DPD Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices SPECIFIC CONSULTATION BODIES GENERAL: East Midlands Regional Assembly Highways Agency, Melton Mowbray Programme Planning & Development, Birmingham Countryside Agency, East Midlands Region, East Midlands Development Agency Nottingham Nottingham Environment Agency, Leicestershire Partnership
    [Show full text]
  • THE PARISH and CHURCH of ROTHLEY, LEICESTERSHIRE: a RE-INTERPRETATION Vanessa Mcloughlin
    THE PARISH AND CHURCH OF ROTHLEY, LEICESTERSHIRE: A RE-INTERPRETATION Vanessa McLoughlin The following article draws on data gathered, interpreted and recorded in the author’s Ph.D. thesis of 2006 concerning the manor, parish and soke of Rothley, Leicestershire. During her research the author used a combination of historical and archaeological evidence, and concluded that the church at Rothley was a pre- Conquest minster founded in the mid- to late-tenth century. Some of the evidence regarding the church and parish is summarised in this article. Subsequent archaeological evidence has led the author to revise the original proposal, and she now suggests a new date for the foundation of the church at Rothley between the late-seventh and mid-eighth centuries. This foundation can be placed in the context of a Christian mission and the work of bishops, who sought to found bases from which to evangelise and baptise a local population beginning to embrace Christianity. DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE Post-Conquest documentary evidence for Rothley church and parish is readily accessible: for example, the Domesday Book refers to Rothley as a royal holding and records a priest which in turn suggests the presence of a church;1 and the Rolls of Hugh of Wells, circa 1230 (hereafter the Matriculus), record that a vicar was installed at Rothley with chaplains to serve each of the chapels at Gaddesby, Keyham, Grimston, Wartnaby and Chadwell (with Wycomb), and in addition Gaddesby had all the rights of a mother church.2 The Matriculus also recorded that both the
    [Show full text]
  • Minutes for July 2018
    ‘Working together to improve our village’ Chairman: Nita Pearson 20 Springfield, Thringstone, Leicestershire, LE67 8LT. Telephone: 01530 223434 mail to: [email protected] Visit our website at: www.friends-of-thringstone.org.uk Twitter address: @Thringstone2 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 5 JULY 2018 AT CHARLES BOOTH CENTRE Present: Nita Pearson, John Brindley, Ray Woodward, Bernard Lee, Mike Statham, Gillian Bates, Maureen Simm, Pat Hubbard, Ron Hill, Dave and Julie Everitt, Anita Jones Apologies: Geoff and Jane Wilson, Shirley Gordon, Bill Enser, Anne Statham, Pat Darby, Janet Stevenson, Ann Petty, Nigel and Mary Roberts Discussions/Decisions. Council’s Green Shoot Grant – We put in for the bulbs discussed at the last meeting and are waiting to hear whether we are successful. Music Festival at centre 4 August – We will be having a stall at this event to try to get new members and sell publications. Does anybody wish to help with this please? We will have to put the gazebo up, then it all starts at 1pm. Set up is before 11am, and take down at 5pm. At the moment it is Ann running this, as Nita is marshalling the event. Maureen said she could potentially help. The centre is doing a wine or what stall and need wine for this. Dave and Julie Everitt brought 5 bottles of wine along. If anybody else would like to donate some wine for this stall, please contact the centre direct. Maureen said she would donate some wine. Bellway road names – Amongst the names used for roads was the name Rennocks. Two of the children of Frederick William Lawrence Rennocks came to the opening last year.
    [Show full text]
  • Timetable Planning Rules
    TIMETABLE PLANNING RULES East Midlands 2020 TIMETABLE VERSION 2.0 Issued by Amy Forte Timetable Production Manager The Quadrant:MK Elder Gate Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire MK9 1EN Tel: 07801 334042 Final Proposal for Principal Change Timetable 2020 8th February 2019 NETWORK RAIL Timetable Planning Rules Version: 2.0 East Midlands Final Proposal for Principal Change Date: 8 February 2019 Timetable 2020 Page: 2 of 113 Contents Section Page no. Section Page no. 4.6 Engineers’ Trains Restrictions ........................ 32 1 Introduction and General Notes ............... 3 5 Running Times, Margins and Allowances 33 1.1 Index of Routes ................................................ 4 1.2 Sectional Appendices and Rule Book .............. 5 5.1 Sectional Running Times ................................ 33 1.2.1 Sectional Appendix .................................... 5 5.1.1 Source of Current SRTs .......................... 33 1.2.2 Rule Book .................................................. 5 5.1.2 Method of Calculation .............................. 33 1.3 Definitions......................................................... 7 5.1.3 New and Revised Sectional Running Times34 1.3.1 Train Classification .................................... 7 5.1.4 Timing of Trains Conveying Passengers on Goods Lines ....................................................... 34 1.3.2 Days of Operation ................................... 11 5.2 Headways ....................................................... 35 1.3.3 Traction and Rolling Stock .....................
    [Show full text]
  • Index of Numbers 1-10 (1980-1990)
    Rutland Record Journal of the Rutland Local History & Record Society (formerly the Rutland Record Society) Index of numbers 1-10 (1980-1990) compiled by John Field The Rutland Local History & Record Society Oakham, Rutland, 1994 Registered Charity No. 700273 ISSN 0260-3322 Printed for the Rut1and Local History & Record Society by Leicestershire County Council, Central Print Services, from camera-ready copy prepared by T H McK Clough using Cicero word-processing 1994 Copyright Rut1and Local History & Record Society 1994 CONTENTS Introduction 4 Chronology and Extent of Rutland Record 1-10 4 Index of Contributors and Titles 5 Index of Books Reviewed 8 General Index 9 The Society's Publications inside back cover INTRODUCTION "Is it not time," asked the Editor of the Rutland Record in 1980, "before all is lost, to re-establish our links with the past?" These words were no mere rallying cry in the first issue of this journal. They were to serve as part of the statement of the aims of the Society that had just come into existence and as an invitation to contribute to a journal dedicated to the discovering and reinforcement of the bonds between the old and the new in the county of Rutland. The issues of Rutland Record indexed here bear witness to the strength of the response to Bryan Waites's opening challenge. The successive numbers offered aspects of Rutland life and thought, wide in their historical range and topical variety. Matters as diverse as Rutland's origins, the history of cricket, local beer, church architecture, ironstone quarrying, and meteorology were dealt with, each in some depth, in the first five numbers alone.
    [Show full text]
  • The Treachery of Strategic Decisions
    The treachery of strategic decisions. An Actor-Network Theory perspective on the strategic decisions that produce new trains in the UK. Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy by Michael John King. May 2021 Abstract The production of new passenger trains can be characterised as a strategic decision, followed by a manufacturing stage. Typically, competing proposals are developed and refined, often over several years, until one emerges as the winner. The winning proposition will be manufactured and delivered into service some years later to carry passengers for 30 years or more. However, there is a problem: evidence shows UK passenger trains getting heavier over time. Heavy trains increase fuel consumption and emissions, increase track damage and maintenance costs, and these impacts could last for the train’s life and beyond. To address global challenges, like climate change, strategic decisions that produce outcomes like this need to be understood and improved. To understand this phenomenon, I apply Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to Strategic Decision-Making. Using ANT, sometimes described as the sociology of translation, I theorise that different propositions of trains are articulated until one, typically, is selected as the winner to be translated and become a realised train. In this translation process I focus upon the development and articulation of propositions up to the point where a winner is selected. I propose that this occurs within a valuable ‘place’ that I describe as a ‘decision-laboratory’ – a site of active development where various actors can interact, experiment, model, measure, and speculate about the desired new trains.
    [Show full text]
  • The Borough of Charnwood, Very Close to the Charnwood Forest, Which Includes Bradgate Park, Beacon Hill and Swithland Woods
    The Borough of CONTENTS 1. Loughborough – a brief history………………………………………………2 2. The Lords of the Manor………………………………………………………6 3. The Borough’s buildings and monuments…………………………………10 4. The Fair……………………………………………………………………….14 5. Communities in Charnwood………………………………………………..17 1. Loughborough – a brief history History of the town The name of Loughborough derives from the Anglo Saxon word burgh meaning a town, and, probably, a personal name which became Lough. Loughborough is an ancient town situated in the heart of the Borough of Charnwood, very close to the Charnwood Forest, which includes Bradgate Park, Beacon Hill and Swithland Woods. In close proximity are extremely attractive villages such as Newtown Linford, Quorn, and Woodhouse Eaves. The primitive settlers who first came here were attracted to this spot by a number of natural features. The River Soar led directly to the Trent Valley, forming a natural means of communication between the north and south, and to the east and west of the fertile Soar Valley the land was relatively poor and unproductive. When the Romans came they took over this settlement of the Britons, or at least, certain evidence points towards that being the case. In the grounds of Mount St Bernard's Abbey, which is about seven miles away, an urn filled with Roman coins was found. Some were dated the year 244 and so substantiated the theory that the Romans occupied this area during the third century. In the Domesday survey of 1086 Loughborough appeared as Lucteburne. William the Conqueror had assigned the manor, together with a good deal of the land, to his nephew, Hugh Lupus, who later became Earl of Chester.
    [Show full text]