Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Bailiff Bridge residents wanted!
Dr Lisa Taylor, Principal Lecturer in Cultural Studies and Humanities at Leeds Beckett, has launched a new project which aims to understand the effect of the demolition of the iconic Mill on the village and community.
As a key part of her research, Lisa would like to invite participants – those who live in Bailiff Bridge, in villages nearby or even who used to live there - to a focus group in Bailiff Bridge. This will be followed by individual ‘walk and talk’ interviews around the village. Participants will have their travel expenses and refreshments paid for as well as receiving a £20 Amazon voucher for each activity attended.
Lisa explained: “From my own experience of growing up in Bailiff Bridge in the 1970s, there was a great sense of community through the shared experience of setting up life in the mill village and of making carpets. The mill was a central physical object for the people and my parents worked there for most of their working lives; its presence in the village crossroads made the possibility of life for the village.
“Clifton Mill was demolished in 2002, leaving an empty space in the heart of Bailiff Bridge. To this day there remains a piece of spare land containing rubble and overgrown weeds.”
Lisa’s project aims to build a picture of how local people perceive the life of Bailiff Bridge as a post-industrial village. The project will result in a dedicated Firth's Carpets website, a photographic exhibition, and a journal article.
If you have stories to tell or photographs to share about your working life at Firth's Carpets or you can describe the effects the demolition of the Mill had on your experience of the village or the community, Lisa would like to hear from you. To take part, please contact Dr Lisa Taylor at alteredlandscapes@leedsbeckett.ac.uk or on 0113 812 7727.