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#670 Diane Scott An early fascination

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he would take me down onto the shop floor and I was just fascinated by the huge machinery

Diane Scott

I suppose coming here reminds me (Armley Industrial Museum as a Spinner) because I see the names of the big engineering firms. When I was a little girl my dad was Chief Inspector at Hudswell Clarke & Co locomotive engineers. We lived in Bramley, my mum and dad and my big sister. Very occasionally, if Dad went into the office on Saturday morning, he might take me with him. I had to be really quiet and leave a note on his secretary's typewriter. Her name was Diane as well. I would write Dear Diane, thank you for letting me use your typewriter, blah, blah, blah.


But then he would take me down onto the shop floor and I was just fascinated by the huge machinery. These huge locomotives that were being built, new ones. Fascinated that the ones that went down the coal mines were all painted white. So they could be seen, be visible. Obvious when you think about it. And the other thing they did was the Ariadne rocket that was used to launch satellites. So this would be in the 60s, late 60s. And they made the nose cone for the rocket. So imagine how accurate it had to be. And the firms ontologist was a woman, which was highly unusual. It gave me a lifelong interest in science and engineering.


And to be here and belong to the Bradford Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers - I suppose this is also a connection to my love of science and engineering.



Precis