ImagesBrighton pictures of the week 19-6-2006

IMAGESBRIGHTON photography by david gray
	S M E T H W I C K
	P I C T U R E S O F T H E W E E K 1 9 - 6 - 2 0 0 6

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The West Midlands town of Smethwick is the subject of this week's picture set. Going there in the summer of 2006 is a good reminder that England has a past and present very different from the pampered playground of the South East. In Smethwick, for a start, there is still the smell of metal in the air. It may come from crushing scrap and not forging girders, but it still means industry rather than services, factories rather than coffee shops. Smethwick was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and much of its regeneration is now based around its fine heritage of canals and industrial architecture. But there's plenty of contemporary life there too. Smethwick may be poor financially, but its culture is enriched by large Sikh and Muslim populations. Sadly, they have to deal with the racism that has a long history in the area - the Fascist politician Oswald Mosley was MP for Smethwick in the 1920s and the BNP did well there in this year's local elections. Smethwick can't be an easy place to live, but thank goodness there's more to England than Belgravia.

Scrap processing in Foundry Lane (image 2675-183)

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