Made in Lincoln: making meaning of a deindustrialised landscape

<p>As cities in Europe have faced changes in economic activity due to the deindustrialisation of urban areas (Cooke et al, 2011), whether that be by a decline in industry or demands for land for new uses (Ferm and Jones 2015), many have had to reinvent themselves to find ‘A new economic role’ (Cooke et al, 2011: 6). Lincoln is a prime example of one of these cities whose economy from the Industrial Revolution to the late twentieth century was solely built on engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain networks (Lincoln City Council ND), however relative decline of some aspects these industries and the shift to a more retail and education based economy have resulted in changes in land use that have transformed parts of the city (Heritage Connect ND). The development of the University of Lincoln over the last 22 years has converted an abandoned industrial landscape into a vibrant educational zone (University of Lincoln 2018), but this has been done in partnership with those industries that once dominated, and are still part of, the local landscape and industrial features are retained or emulated in the architecture within this landscape. This chapter charts the history of this part of Lincoln and seeks to demonstrate that whilst economic shifts can result in the transformation of industrial landscapes, a deindustrialised landscape does not equate to a non-industrialised landscape and whilst narratives about a place may change as its use does, the past can continue to be part of that narrative (Tewdwr-Jones, 2011), using the University of Lincoln development as a case study.</p>