ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CONTEMPORARY BRITISH CULTURE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CONTEMPORARY BRITISH CULTURE Edited by Peter Childs and Mike Storry London and New York First published 1999 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor and Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. © 1999 Routledge All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Encyclopedia of contemporary British culture/edited by Peter Childs and Mike Storry. p. cm. Includes bibliographical information and index. 1. Great Britain—Civilization—20th century—Encyclopedias. 2. Great Britain—History—Elizabeth II, 1952– —Encyclopedias. I. Childs, Peter, 1962– . II. Storry, Mike, 1943– . DA589.4.E53 1999 98–32205 306’.0941’0904–dc21 CIP ISBN 0-415-14726-3 (Print Edition) ISBN 0-203-02795-7 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-39998-6 (Glassbook Format) TO JO CROFT Contents Editorial team viii Entries A-Z 1 List of contributors ix Introduction xiii Index 577 Acknowledgements xv How to use this book xvi Classified entry list xvii Editorial team General editors Margaret Marshment John Moores University Peter Childs Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Frank McDonough Higher Education John Moores University Mike Storry Martin Dawber Savannah College of Art and Design John Moores University Derrick Cameron John Moores University Consultant editors Sean Cubitt Andor Gomme John Moores University Keele University Eugene Lange Peter Bailey John Moores University John Moores University Nicole Matthews Jo Croft John Moores University John Moores University List of contributors Louise Allen Dymphna Gallery Lancaster University John Moores University Neil Ankers Sarah Castell John Moores University Christ’s College, Cambridge Carole Baldock Peter Childs Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Jim Barnard Education John Barry Satinder Chohan Keele University Paul Barry Clarke David Bateman University of Essex John Moores University Christopher Colby Cary Bazalgette British Film Institute Graham Connelly University of Strathclyde David Bell Staffordshire University Helen Cooke Alice Bennett Simon Coppock John Moores University Sarah Corbett Kalwant Bhopal John E.Cornwell Alison Bomber Nicky Coutts Edinburgh University Royal College of Art Stuart Borthwick Caroline Cox John Moores University London College of Fashion Simon Bottom David Croft University of Liverpool Jo Croft Rachael Bradley John Moores University David Burrows Sean Cubitt Wimbledon School of Art John Moores University Chris Byrne Edmund Cusick Edinburgh College of Art John Moores University x List of contributors Al Deakin George Hastings University of Westminster Manchester University John Deeney Phil Hubbard University of Ulster at Coleraine Coventry University Kay Dickinson Eamonn Hughes University of Sussex Queens University, Belfast Mark Douglas Jim Hunter Falmouth College of Arts Lawrence Irvine Iles Dave Egan British Labour Heritage John Moores University Dave Jackson Jan Evans John Moores University John Moores University Sam Johnstone Mark Evans Liverpool University Coventry University Chris Jones Fatima Fernandes National Resource Centre for Dance John Moores University Stephen C.Kenny Rob Fillingham John Moores University St Helens College Steven Kerensky Natalie Gale Eugene Lange Warwick University John Moores University Craig Gerrard Oliver Leaman John Moores University John Moores University Claire Glossop Graham Ley University of Leeds University of Exeter Charlotte Goddard Alastair Lindsley Magdalene College, Cambridge Jo Littler Barry Godfrey Sussex University University of Keele Gerard Loughlin Hilary J.Grainger University of Newcastle Staffordshire University Peter Lunt Michael Green University College London University of Birmingham Sophia Lycouris Steve Greenfield Nottingham Trent University University of Westminster Tom Maguire Matthew Grice Liverpool Hope University College Trevor R.Griffiths Jim Maloney University of North London John Moores University Jim Hall Andrea Martin Falmouth College of Arts Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra List of contributors xi Nicole Matthews Jo Phoenix John Moores University Keele University Arthur McCullough Robert Pulley University of Ulster Falmouth College of Arts Alexandra McGlynn Andrew Quicke John Moores University Regent University, Virginia Clare McGlynn Lawrence Quill University of Newcastle Paul Rixon Betty McLane-Iles Truman State University Staffordshire University David McNeill Alice E.Sanger John Moores University University of Manchester David Mellett Pete Sheterline St Helens College Liverpool University Bob Millington Svanborg Sigmarsdottir Bolton Institute University of Essex Brett Mills Peter Simmons Canterbury Christ Church College Lancaster University Miriam Mokal Jim Sinclair John Moores University Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Liz Moor Darren Smale University College London John Moores University Joe Moran David Smale John Moores University John Moores University Ron Moy John Moores University Christopher Smith University of East Anglia Jo Murphy-Lawless University of Dublin Tamsin Spargo John Moores University Rex Nash University of Liverpool Helen Stoddart Keele University Emma R.Norman Elizabeth Storry John Offer Queens University of Belfast University of Ulster Joan Stewart Ormrod Mike Storry Manchester Metropolitan University Savannah College of Art and Design Guy Osborn Lucinda Towler University of Westminster University of Warwick Rod Paterson Ryan S.Trimm St Helens College University of North Carolina xii List of contributors Mick Turner John Williams Sheffield Hallam University Gordon Urquhart University of Aberdeen Richard J.Williams John Moores University Jeanette Wardrop South Bank University Brian Woolland University of Reading Clare Whatling University of Manchester Roy Wormald John Moores University Colin Williams Introduction British culture, like the proverbial elephant seized not personality and industry. The Encyclopedia is by several blindfolded persons, appears a very arranged in alphabetical order so that unlikely different beast depending on where you take hold bedfellows may stimulate the browser or casual of it. The entries in this encyclopedia are united reader. Connections can also be traced by by the term ‘British’ but separated by the consulting the subject area classified contents list stratifications of a ‘culture’ that has never been at the start and by looking up the cross-references still and always been in a state of flux. signalled by the entries themselves. It is intended Contemporary culture, like contemporary life, that this will enable several ways of approaching is changing faster than ever before, which means the material, for the general reader, the curious on the one hand that many of the traditional factfinder and the subject specialist. staple elements of ‘British life’ are no longer In a selective enterprise such as this, the range central to a definition of a contested national of entries cannot be all-encompassing and the identity, and on the other hand, because the treatment of a subject like British culture cannot speed of movement is so great, a snapshot of be exhaustive. In terms of temporal period, the current cultural practices is inevitably going to book covers British life since the 1960s, though be blurred. So, assessing the contemporary is most entries are skewed towards the 1990s. In the hardest historical problem of all; but it is also terms of scope, we attempted to cover in one the most exciting, perplexing, tantalizing and, we way or another everything that has contributed believe, the most fascinating. This book is an more than ephemerally to British social life, but, attempt to survey as much of contemporary to avoid a rapid proliferation of entries, we British cultural practice as is possible without additionally decided to focus on people born in succumbing to the inevitable self-obsolescence Britain (though some other nationals, either that such a project brings with it. naturalized or resident in Britain, have also been The Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture included). The question of what is or is not brings together subjects which would probably ‘British’ was largely left up to contributors, and never be found alongside each other in any other so no definitive position has been taken (and book. The entries vary in length from long would raise more problems than it solved) assessments of changes in major cultural fields beyond the political fact of any individual to short synopses of the careers of key person’s (or institution’s) nationality. As editors, individuals. The book is a compendium of many we have aimed for a certain amount of factual different and wide-ranging subject areas. Each and stylistic consistency, but the dynamic of a area has a list of entries which has been designed subject such as national culture insists upon in a particular way. This means that there are attitudinal variations and multiple perspectives. entries on many film directors,