Anakana Schofield

Speaking of the inside/outside and habitation I recall something in the “Colony” video piece about the crumbling Bata shoe factory where a woman interviewed in Scotland (was it?) about another of the Bata shoe factories described how the factory would have an alarm, a bell (?) that would ring to wake everyone in their houses up to tell them to come to work.

I talked at length to my 80 year old Aunt about her experiences in the mills in Lancashire and she described something similar: in my notes I found this:

“The knockerup would come with a high pole tapped on bedroom windows to wake the workers up.”

and another reference:

“She would hear clogs clattering as women went to the factory.”

It fascinated me when I first watched the Bata piece how the factory extended into the home. So much so that I returned to watch the piece a second time when it showed at Western Front to ensure I had heard right.

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