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‘We were in Thatcher’s Britain and I was quite angry’
The article introduces photographer John Darwell’s memories of arriving in Sheffield in 1988, when he could see the city changing. He contrasts this with Manchester, where he had experienced decline as a slower process of “atrophy”; the title suggests his account also reflects anger about the Britain of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership.
Sheffield was emerging from years marked by political turmoil, unemployment and deindustrialisation, and was undergoing both physical redevelopment and a cultural shift. The supplied article excerpt gives no further detail about Darwell’s photographs, the source of his anger or specific figures, so the scope of his account is unclear.
In short
- John Darwell recalls arriving in Sheffield in 1988.
- The city was changing after years of industrial decline.
- The excerpt offers little detail about his anger.
Explained simply
John Darwell is a photographer whose account looks back at arriving in Sheffield in 1988. At the time, the city was changing after years of political turmoil, job losses and the decline of industry.
Sheffield was also being physically redeveloped, while its culture was shifting. Darwell compares its changes with Manchester’s slower decline, which he describes as “atrophy”.
The period was during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, when Britain was undergoing major economic and social change. The excerpt does not specify what prompted Darwell’s anger or explain what his photographs show.