OUT NOW: Issue 124, Rural

From the 17th to the mid-18th century, a stream of inventions revolutionised the textile industry and, eventually, the global economy. These textile-focussed inventions – from the spinning jenny to the Jacquard loom and aniline dyes – signalled the death knell to traditional rural industries.The Industrial Revolution triggered a mass migration of vast swathes of the population from rural areas to metropolitan centres. For over a century the city ruled and the urban elite grew to consider the country as unsophisticated.

Today, the tables have turned, and a similar stream of inventions from the late 19th century to the present – computers, the internet, smartphones, social media, video conferencing, and AI – have made it possible to conduct sophisticated business outside metropolitan centres in an economically and socially advantageous way. This Technological Revolution has triggered a mass migration back to small, sustainable communities, where individuals once again engage in workbench-focused industries.

In this issue, we highlight individuals and businesses who have found creative freedom in the British countryside. Although gentrification of rural areas brings its own problems, these incomers inject cultural sophistication, quashing old stereotypes and illustrating the moral of Aesop’s fable The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: we should appreciate the simple things we have. 

There are obvious cost-of-living advantages to making a home in the country, but also a slower, more sustainable way of life that encourages creative expression; this creative milieu is reflected in the wardrobes donned by out-of-towners. Working with Daniel Carpenter of the Heritage Crafts, we have identified a block printer, sail maker, chair caner, shop keeper, ribbon weaver, and carpet restorer who have all built thriving businesses around preserving heritage skills in the country.

If you are yet to be persuaded to take the plunge, up sticks, and escape to the country, we suggest creative holidays and rural retreats to whet the appetite. But before you go, remember the advice, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” and look to Sarah E Braddock Clarke’s feature on knits to warm the heart. Now that the weather is warmer, I urge you to go outside and enjoy the countryside.

Polly Leonard, Founder

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This issue is out now and available here:

Selvedge Issue 124, Rural