The Crossfields family came to Arnside, a small village in the Morecambe Bay estuary, in 1815 and they specialized in carpentry skills to build wooden boats (see Figure 1). Although the Crossfields’ boat and joinery yard is derelict now, the past the family were clever at reusing skills as Arnside changed.
Figure 1 Pictures of Arnside
In its heyday during Victorian times, the Crossfields’ built up to 1000 boats a year and significant wealth was made from boatbuilding and related trades (Robinson, 2023). The fast-flowing waters of Morecambe Bay led the family to design a boat that suited the local conditions, and some boats were built for leisure (Robinson, 2023).
During the 19th century railways became the new form of transport for many industries and tourists, railways took over from ships and a viaduct was built for trains at Arnside (see Figure 1). Although many people may have thought that this would be the end of the Crossfields’ business, this was not the case. The reason for this was that, on the back of tourists coming to Arnside and other sources of wealth being generated through railways, grand villas and buildings were constructed in Arnside and the Crossfields used their carpentry skills to help make the buildings (Robinson, 2023).
This is an example of the reuse of skills from one area of demand to another as new technologies changed Arnside. Such a flexible approach maybe helpful for skilled workers today as changes occur in working life due to technological advances in the fourth industrial revolution.
Dr Peter Sharp 21st February 2024
Reference
Robinson, B. (2023) Villages by the Sea – Arnside, BBC 2, Series 2, Episode 5 {accessed from https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0010cbs/villages-by-the-sea-series-2-5-arnside on 16th February 2024}.
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