Men working in a recently-built industrial unit in the the industrial area of Crawley ‘New Town’, West Sussex, England, UK c. 1960. The metal-working tools they are using include a lathe and drill. A large door opened at the rear looks out onto another industrial building under construction. Crawley’s industrial zone was mainly concentrated to the north of the town centre. It was developed to create jobs in the post-war ‘new town’. The area has undergone massive changes and modernisation since this time. This image is from an old amateur colour transparency – a vintage 1950s/1960s photograph.
Men working in a recently-built industrial unit in the the industrial area of Crawley ‘New Town’, West Sussex, England, UK c. 1960. The metal-working tools they are using include a lathe and drill. A large door opened at the rear looks out onto another industrial building under construction. Crawley’s industrial zone was mainly concentrated to the north of the town centre around Fleming Way, Gatwick Road and Manor Royal. It was developed to create jobs in the post-war ‘new town’. The area has undergone massive changes and modernisation since this period. Crawley is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England, 28 miles (45 km) south of London. Crawley developed slowly as a market town, its location on the main road from London to Brighton bringing passing trade. Gatwick Airport opened on the edge of the town in the 1940s, encouraging commercial and industrial growth. After the World War II, in order to relocate those in London’s poor or bombed-out housing, the government planned to move large numbers of people and jobs into new towns around south east England. The New Towns Act 1946 designated Crawley as the site of one of these. A master-plan of 1949 was produced for the establishment of new residential, commercial, industrial and civic areas. The earliest progress was in West Green, where new residents moved in during the late 1940s. Expectations of the eventual population of the town were revised upwards several times. By 1960 The Development Corporation had built 10,254 houses, and private builders provided around 1,500 more. Tenants were also permitted to buy their houses. This image is from an old amateur Kodak colour transparency. It will look soft if used at too large a size – a vintage 1950s/1960s photograph.
Size: 3307px × 2227px
Location: Crawley New Town, West Sussex, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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