Economic Networks, Transport, and Trade Research Questions
- How did the growth and decline of the British Empire affect South East Scotland?
- How did patterns of migration impact South East Scotland during the modern period? Can we see the impact of migration on the material culture of the region?
- How did South East Scotland’s connections to the wider world change during the modern period? What impact did these connections have on the region’s economy and material culture?
- How did the region’s road network change during the modern period? To what extent is the modern road network based upon earlier routes?
- How did bridge design in the region evolve during the modern period?
- What can we discover about fords and ferries and their use into the modern period?
- What can we learn about stagecoaches, taxis, buses, and trams, and their associated infrastructure?
- What can we find out about private horse-drawn vehicles in the region? How were they used? How did non-motorized wheeled vehicles affect the landscape? When did they decline in popularity?
- What can we discover about the adoption of motor vehicles in South East Scotland? What impact did these vehicles have on communities in the region?
- What can we discover about the construction of railways in the region? How did the arrival of the railways affect the region’s wider economic and transport networks?
- What can we learn about canals in the region? How were they constructed and maintained? What types of vessels used the canals? What can we learn about the lives of the people on and around the cut?
- What can we learn about temporary settlements for workers who built the railways and canals?
- What can we learn about harbours in the region? How did the design and use of waterfronts change during the modern period?
- What can we discover about shipping and shipwrecks in and around the region?
- What can we discover about the development of aviation in South East Scotland?
- How did methods of communication develop in South East Scotland during the modern period and what infrastructure was needed (e.g. post offices, telephone exchanges)?
- To what extent did industry concentrate around rivers? How were water courses exploited for industrial purposes in the centuries after 1800?
- What can we discover about the environmental impact of industry during the 19th and 20th centuries?
- How did the location and design of warehouses evolve during the 19th and 20th centuries?
- What can we learn about the evolving design of banks, stock exchanges, and other buildings associated with the financial industry?
- How did the design of offices and other spaces used by white-collar workers evolve over the 19th and 20th centuries?
- How did the design, decoration, and location of shops change during the modern period?
- What can we learn about the evolution of department stores during the modern period? How has their purpose and design changed?
- What can we find out about the development of shopping arcades and centres? How did their location and design change during the 19th and 20th centuries?
- What can we learn about the evolution of the co-operative movement in South East Scotland?
- What can we learn about markets in the 19th and 20th centuries?
Food Processing Research Questions
- How did the production of cheese and other dairy products in both rural and urban areas change over the modern period?
- How did butchery practices change during the modern period? What can we learn about the rise and decline of local slaughterhouses?
- How did the storage and processing of grain change during the modern period?
- To what extent were the grain mills of the 19th and early 20th centuries located on the sites of historic mills?
- How did fishing practices and the processing and transport of fish change during the modern period?
- What can we learn about the cultivation, transport, and processing of fruit and vegetables?
- What can we learn about brewing and distilling in the region during the 19th and 20th centuries?
- How industrialised was food processing prior to the late 20th century?
Ceramics and Glass Research Questions
- How extensive was ceramic production in South East Scotland? Which places were making ceramics? What types of products were being made?
- In what ways did ceramic production in Eastern Scotland differ from the pottery tradition in Glasgow and the West?
- What proportion of ceramics used in the region were made locally? Were there particular types of objects which tended to be made locally? What other regions and countries were ceramics being sourced from?
- What factors led to the collapse of ceramic production in South East Scotland?
- What can we discover about the rise and decline of glass production in South East Scotland?
Metalworking Research Questions
- What can we discover about goldsmiths and silversmiths? To what extent was the working of precious metals focused on Edinburgh?
- What can we learn about the rise and decline of iron foundries in South East Scotland during the modern period?
- What can we discover about wrought iron in the region during the modern period?
- What can we learn about the work of blacksmiths?
- What can we find out about the region’s wire works?
Mining and Quarrying Research Questions
- How did coal extraction change during the modern period?
- When were the major periods of expansion and contraction in mining? Were there particular local trends regarding growth / decline?
- How did the conditions for miners alter during the modern period? How impactful were efforts at improving safety?
- What can we learn about the evolution of mining villages during the modern period?
- What can we learn about the use of pit ponies?
- Where were stone quarries located in South East Scotland?
- How far was stone transported from quarries to building sites?