Life In Northern UK
Notes & Videos
Below are some videos focused on life in the Northern United Kingdom during the 1980s, especially the lives of mining communities.
The culture of the North is especially present within Billy Elliot – it is present within the miners, within the Elliot family’s ideals and dynamics, and within the stark difference between Billy and the Posh Boy’s family at his audition.
The North vs. The South
The North-South divide is less of an exact border between regions, but is instead a divide that is based on stereotypes, presumptions, and a distinct number of categorical differences such as income, health conditions, political life, and more.
The most common explanation for the start of the North-South divide is industrial decline. During the Industrial Revolution (18th & 19th centuries), many Northern cities underwent a process of intense industrialization. Coal, iron, and copper could all be found in the North, and for a while, the North was where the rich lived. However, when heavy industry began to leave the UK for other developing countries, the North lost much of their wealth, and the South became the richer side of the divide.
“Let’s suppose I was a teacher in the North – um, my feelings, my perceptions of the world would be very different. I would see the world, for starters, as hostile. I would reckon the world was against me.” – Will There Always Be An England?
Many mining towns were located in the North, and overall, more of the working class in the United Kingdom as a whole could be found in the North. This led to many societal norms we see from Northerners – the idea of needing to be “tough” and “working with your hands” were the foundation these communities were built upon.
“If I were a working class child, I just don’t know what I’d do. I don’t see any future at all for them. At the moment it’s the hope that’s missing.” – Will There Always Be An England?
Toxic Masculinity
Although toxic masculinity is a trait that can be found across the globe, there is an emphasis on masculinity within the culture of North England that cannot be denied.
“The North of England, particularly the towns and cities created and expanded by the Industrial Revolution, has famously been seen as a place where men were men and women...well women made the best of it.”
For many people in the North in the first half of the 20th century, work was a same-sex affair. Mines, steel works, shipyards and many factories were dominated by men, women rarely entered into these worlds. Jobs could be dangerous and, particularly in the mines and steelworks, workmates had to rely on each other for their safety and wellbeing. Women often did unpaid labor in the home or worked in female dominated areas such as service, dress making, piecemeal factory work or retail.
Socializing was often done separately. The pub, working men's club and sports club were the man's domain and the home, the street, the shops and cafe were the woman's. This fairly rigid demarcation of space in Northern towns and cities, alongside the rigid roles of breadwinner and homemaker in the home, means that it can be difficult for us to imagine the daily lives that men and women led. Until well into the fifties, many men and women seemed to get their emotional needs fulfilled by friends and workmates rather than partners and spouses, this was also tied to the fact that life for the majority of working-class in the North could be hard. Not everyone had the financial luxury of marrying for love. A lack of knowledge about birth control combined with fears and prejudice around illegitimacy meant that sex before marriage often led to ‘shotgun weddings’.
We can see the impact that masculinity – toxic and non-toxic – has on Billy, his family, and his community pretty clearly within the show. Ballet was not considered something that boys should do.
“Plenty of lads do ballet.”
“Aye, poufs.”
In a mining community, where boys were expected to follow in the footsteps of their fathers, and their fathers’ fathers, and their grandfathers’ fathers – the choice to pursue a passion outside of the mining world was bold, and would have likely ended up in anger, ridicule, or a complete lack of support. After all – many members of mining communities never left their towns because they couldn’t afford to. Dreams were a luxury they could not afford. Access to the arts was limited at best, and nonexistent at worst.
“You’ll get down there and you’ll realize just what a crap little dance school this was. What a complete second-rate training I gave you. And you’ll spend five years unlearning everything I taught you. It’s alright; that’s the way it is.
Here’s a piece of advice, Billy. Piss off out of here. Start everything afresh, and don’t look back – There is sod all left for you here. You are very fucking special.”
Billy is only able to afford his dream, because Mrs. Wilkinson allowed Billy to try something new, and because his father was able to set aside his pride and loyalty enough to let Billy dream bigger than he ever could himself.