Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 17h

Congratulations 🥳🥳

Reposted by Sally Watson

Side @sidegallery.bsky.social · 1d

🎥 We're excited to share that footage from Amber Films features in "The Iron Ladies", a new documentary on the women who organised and led during the 1984–85 Miners’ Strike.

Want to see on the big screen? The doc is screening at Tyneside Cinema on 16 Oct
🎟 tynesidecinema.co.uk/event/...

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Peter Mandler @petermandler.bsky.social · 4d

Join us for a roundtable on 'The Modern British City' in January at Senate House, London, with Simon Gunn, Erika Hanna, Owen Hatherley, Peter Mandler, Otto Saumarez Smith and Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, followed by wine! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Roundtable: 'The Modern British City'

www.history.ac.uk

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 1d

The mileposts are here www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/national-cyc... but the art is documented in lots of different places, and maybe some not at all.

Millennium Mileposts | National Cycle Network

Find out more about these cast-iron artworks and use our interactive map to discover one on a National Cycle Network route near you.

www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk

Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 1d

Oof not sure I am up for that. But a Milepost/art/Millennium cultural buildings (if there are any left 👀) project would be fun.

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 1d

All the Millennium Mileposts on the NCN and maybe the art too?

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Julia Bishop @drjuliabish.bsky.social · 1d

Delighted to be hosting the @histchild.bsky.social conference next year at @sheffielduni.bsky.social. Calling for papers right now! www.histchild.org/pages/sheffi...

Fifth Biennial Conference | Children's History Society

University of Sheffield, 1-3 July 2026

www.histchild.org

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 1d

This sounds great.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d

'a recently published book titled Up the Youth Club, by the journalist and writer Emma Warren, is both a superb work of social history, and a passionate call for a newly energised, modern version of everything she writes about.'

Britain's youth clubs have been quietly decimated. What's most revealing is that few seem to care | John Harris

These vital spaces have been the first targets of cuts in a nation that favours age over youth – despite being the remedy for blights such as social division, polarisation and loneliness, says Guardia...

www.theguardian.com

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 1d

‘During the first 10 years of the spending cuts that began in 2010, councils’ funding for youth services in England and Wales suffered a real-terms cut of 70%. By 2023, about 1,200 publicly run youth centres had closed, and more than 4,500 youth workers had lost their jobs.’

Britain's youth clubs have been quietly decimated. What's most revealing is that few seem to care | John Harris

These vital spaces have been the first targets of cuts in a nation that favours age over youth – despite being the remedy for blights such as social division, polarisation and loneliness, says Guardia...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Historic Towns Trust @historictownstrust.bsky.social · 3d

We’re at the @balhnews.bsky.social Herts. Beds. and Bucks. conference today. Do come and say hello!

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Reposted by Sally Watson

SD @sonalidhanpal.bsky.social · 4d

This is such a huge compliment to get from of the best urban historians of Britain

My article is the first from my second project on race, empire and post war housing in Britain! It’s in a Special Issue on State Effects in Grey Room edited by Zeynep Celik Alexander with Lucia Allais.

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silviefisch.bsky.social @silviefisch.bsky.social · 3d

Always proud to have something published in the North East Labour History Society Journal.
@salawatson.bsky.social

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Simon Briercliffe @simonbriercliffe.bsky.social · 4d

I have a set of hand-drawn comics/gossip sheets/newspapers donated alongside our aluminium foundry at @bclivingmuseum.bsky.social, dating from (I think) late 1940s. Does anyone know any lit that will help me explore this as a source? I've found work on company mags but this is very different.

Excerpt from handwritten zine-style text entitled "Burglar's editorial"

Hand-drawn comic panel showing workman thumping a desk and shouting "I demand shorter hours" - the caption reads, "whadoya want then = fifty nine minutes"

Hand-drawn caricature of Ernest Bevin, reading "Bevin says - even Russians read this paper"

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Jo Edge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @hagenilda.bsky.social · 6d

I wrote something on my time on returning to Goldsmiths as an associate lecturer, 17 years after graduating with my first degree. It’s a plea to Frances Corner’s successor to learn from mistakes made over the last 6 years and change course. #UCU #UKHE

ucucommons.org/2025/10/06/c...

Cutting Corners: a message to the next Vice Chancellor at Goldsmiths

On 1 October 2025, a short announcement was put on Goldsmiths’ website to say that Vice Chancellor Frances Corner was stepping down with immediate effect. This came off the back of an announcement …

ucucommons.org

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 7d

Plus all the smaller corner shops on the estate.

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Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 12d

There have likely been 10,000 or more university redundancies in the academic year 2024-25.

@gsoh31.bsky.social, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Oxford Brookes, argues that the Higher Education system as we know it is coming to an end.

Where now for Britain’s Universities?

UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 10d

People park their SUVs in every gap in the bollards. No bollards would mean no usable pavement.

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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 13d

“An example of the town of the future is Coventry.... Traffic and pedestrians are kept apart and the roads are planned to let traffic flow smoothly”

(Our Land in the Making, 1966)
Artist: Ronald Lampitt

Illustration of the precinct shopping centre in Coventry, with its shiny 1960s architecture, walkways and colourful flower planters

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Veronica White @veronicaawhite.bsky.social · 13d

I'm excited to finally share a short video overview of my low-carbon, human-powered research adventure - cycling 2000 miles across England for my PhD fieldwork! Do let me know what you think!

youtu.be/iDPS9EYVxHY

#PhDbyBike

The Farming Futures Cycle Tour: a cycling-based fieldwork adventure

YouTube video by Veronica White

youtu.be

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick @mrcwarwick.bsky.social · 14d

Happy National Sporting Heritage Day - we hold the National Cycling Archive - a treasure trove of resources on the history of cycling, including the pioneering women cyclists of the late nineteenth century explore more here: warwick.ac.uk/services/lib... #NSHD #cycling #sport 🚴‍♀️

Black and white photograph of a woman wearing a black Edwardian outfit (possibly bloomers) balancing on a bicycle with the caption "Miss Harwood - second in six days' race at Royal Aquarium" Photo by H R Gibbs.

Black and white photograph of a woman standing next to a bicycle, holding it by the handlebars, wearing a dark blouse and bloomers and a pale cummerbund and sash with ribbons at her elbows and kneesand a posy of. flowers at her collar. The photograph is captioned "Miss Gambley - Lady Rider at Olympia"

A double portrait black and white photograpgh. On the left is a woman seated on her bicycle wearing a dark blouse and breeches with black stockings and a brooch at her neck. The photograph is captioned Mdlle Lisette, French Lady Champion. On the right is a woman also seated on her bicycle wearing a pale jacket and matching breeches or bloomers with a white short underneath. She also has black stockings and wears a small straw boater on her head. This photograph is captioned "Miss Grace, English Lady Champion". Both photographs are captioned "Professional Lady Cyclists"

Black and white photograph of a woman seated on her bicycle wearing a dark bouse or jacket with white sleeves and a white sailor collar. She is also wearing a medal in the shape of a cross. the photograph is captioned "Miss Frankie Nelson Professional Lady Champion of America"

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 15d

Resurfacing is a total waste of time. The streets they’ve resurfaced round here in the last 10 years are all full of potholes again. They’d be better off just filling in the holes when they appear.

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Reposted by Sally Watson

John Munro @johnmunro.bsky.social · 20d

In the UK, meanwhile, motor industry bosses topped the list of Starmer's biggest donors.

Then we got a declaration that Labour is "on the side of drivers," housing policy visions designed for car owners, billions for new motorways, and a crackdown on green protest.

More study very much needed!

Tara Goddard, PhD @drtaragoddard.com · 20d

whoa. Every single one of the Sinclair advert buyers on this list is automotive or automotive related (insurance). That is one aspect of the power in our society held by car companies that I haven't seen studied enough.

Anthony's Spinning Circles here too! @circlesspinning.bsky.social · 20d

For those in #Sinclair and #Nexstar markets.... #Boycott the advertisers!! After all, Disney got the message that way! There may be some you can’t, but there are some you can!

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Otto Saumarez Smith @osaumarezsmith.bsky.social · 20d

A short post about the Modern British City, out in November: www.lundhumphries.com/blogs/featur...

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Reposted by Sally Watson

Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 22d

More than 20 play streets in Dublin today!

Any other big play street action for #worldcarfreeday?

@playingout.bsky.social

Emmet Ó Briain @emmet.quiddity.ie · 22d

The massive success of the 20+ play streets across Dublin today will be entirely missed by the naysayers precisely because they only impact (positively) the people who live on the streets concerned - and no one else!!

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Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 22d

My dad of course whips out his phone and finds a photo of me with Sir Nigel Gresley in Manchester 45 years ago. Must have been after the time I tried to cut my own hair. Only time I ever had a fringe I think.

Photo of little girl with long blond hair and a fringe in a yellow dress holding onto the front of a steam engine with No4498 on the front. It has a black nose and blue body

Same train but with a woman with a brown bob standing next to it wearing blue jeans, a grey top, black puffer jacket and black bag and sunglasses.

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