It's Romantic Up North!

Nicola here, with a question that you don’t get asked every day: Can industrial history be sexy and romantic? On more than one occasion I have pitched to my editor the idea of a Regency historical set against a background of the industrial revolution. The response was a very definite “No, thank you”. And yet to my mind the huge changes in Georgian, Regency and Victorian society that came with the developments in engineering, technology and industry have enormous potential as the backdrop for a romance. There’s change, there’s conflict, there’s the clash of ideas. In Cranford it was the coming of the railway as much as the arrival of Dr Harrison that set hearts a-flutter. And I defy anyone to watch North and South with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe as John Thornton and Margaret Hale and fail to see that the industrial North can be very romantic indeed. 

So when we planned a holiday on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal I decided to view it as a research trip as well as a vacation. Who knows – one day my editor may relent and my canal-based Regency may set sail. And in the meantime I am happy to be able to share with everyone the highlights of the trip and a few snippets of industrial history. I hope you enjoy the voyage!

A step back into the industrial past

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal was the first of the Trans-Pennine canals to be started and the last to be completed. The length and the complexity of the route meant that the canal took 46 years to build at a cost of five times the original budget. The canal originated from a proposal in 1765 to construct a canal from Preston to Leeds to carry woollen goods from Leeds and Bradford and limestone from Skipton. Prospective backers in Lancashire argued for the canal to start from Liverpool. The Yorkshire men wanted it to start in Leeds. Yes, Yorkshire and Lancashire were still arguing 300 years after the Wars of the Roses!

 

We picked up our narrow boat in a little village called Silsden in the Yorkshire Dales. Our boat, Golden Dale, was 56 foot long and designed for only two people. That meant that we would have to be prepared to open every lock and swing bridge ourselves. To add to the theme of romance on our “northern cruise” we were told that this was the honeymoon boat, but after we had struggled to open a few heavy bridges and steer through some narrow gaps and around some tight corners we reckoned that not everyone would still be talking to their partner after such stressful experiences as running aground or ramming another boat, let alone feeling in a honeymoon mood!

Literary Connections

Our first stop was at the village of Kildwick, which was very nostalgic for me as I had sung in the choir here when I was a child and had not been back for over 30 years. We moored for the night near Kildwick Hall, a stone mansion built in 1642. This was a literary diversion. During the period in which the Brontë sisters were writing the Currer family lived at Kildwick and when Charlotte Brontë sought a masculine nom de plume she chose the pseudonym of Currer Bell. Miss Frances Currer (1785-1861) who was known as a scholar and collector of books lived at Kildwick Hall at that time and may have been known to the Bronte family. Certainly Heathcliff’s home in Wuthering Heights bears a striking resemblance to Kildwick Hall and the house was also used as the setting for Thrushcross Grange in the 1920s silent movie version of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

His Own Personal Canal

Moving at a pace of about three miles an hour (canal travel is not to be hurried!) we reached the ancient market town of Skipton the next day and moored up to explore. I’ve blogged about the medieval castle and some other aspects of my trip on my personal blog here. As we came into Skipton we saw that many of the former warehouses and factories that were in use when the canal was a bustling industrial waterway have now been beautifully converted into flats and houses. Many retain their original features such as these curious jutting bays that feature in the photograph.

At Skipton there is a half mile branch canal that opened in 1797. This was a private canal belonging to Sackville Tufton, 8th Earl of Thanet, who owned Skipton Castle and also the local limestone quarries. Lord Thanet had asked the canal company to divert the main Leeds to Liverpool Canal in order to carry the limestone away for sale. This request had been refused. Lord Thanet’s solution – to build his own canal. As one did. We followed the Springs Branch, as this canal is called, on foot and ended walking through the beautiful woods behind Skipton Castle and admiring the impregnable fortress high on its precipice.

The Wonder of the Waterways

This unique double arched bridge west of Skipton is know as one of the wonders of the waterways because of its combination of beauty and practicality. The original bridge over th canal was built at the end of the 18th century but when road traffic became heavier it was not strong enough. The solution was to add another arch to carry the new road.

Locks!

There was originally a set of staircase locks here at Greenberfield but early in the nineteenth century these were replaced by a new set of six locks. The fields beside the canal are full of lumps and bumps where the original canal features have grassed over. Here were took pictures of the photogenic canal architecture including this charming original lock keeper’s cottage. And Andrew took a photograph of me struggling to open the locks in the heat of a summer day! Here I am below getting some welcome help from my sister-in-law who came out to spend a day on the boat with us and her family!

 

The canal prospered through the nineteenth century and was used for carrying stone, coal and many other goods. The impact of the railway age was not as great as with other canals but the coming of the lorry finally saw commercial traffic on the Leeds and Liverpool dwindling. Unlike many other canals, however, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was never abandoned, remaining open for navigation throughout the last century. It suffered some damage during the Second World War when it was breached by a German mine. I was fascinated to discover that the canal in west Lancashire was part of Britain's defensive plans against invasion. Along the canal there were tank traps, bunkers and block houses. Some buildings such as barns and pubs along the canal were fortified and there are still some remaining concrete pillboxes to be seen.

 

The Leggers

 

On our trip we got as far as the highest point on the canal, the summit level at  Foulridge, 487 and a half   feet above sea level. The Foulridge tunnel was opened in 1796. A tale that has passed into local folklore tells of a cow called Buttercup who fell into the canal and swam the whole mile length of the tunnel before being pulled out at the other end and revived with brandy. The tunnel has no towpath so in the days before mechanisation the boats had to be propelled through the tunnel by leggers. Two people were required. They would lie on a plank across the bow of the boat, and holding the plank with their hands, would propel the boat with their feet against the tunnel wall. While the boat was being legged through the tunnel, the horse would be led over the hill. Leggers were only replaced by steam tugs in 1880. I couldn't help feeling that this would have been a very dangerous pastime. The tunnel has one way traffic only, is very, very wet inside and is full of bats!

 

I hope you have enjoyed this miniature travelogue. Now over to you - have you ever read a Regency with a background of the industrial revolution? Or a historical novel you enjoyed that featured some element of industrial history rather than the customary diversions of high society? Do you think that a historical romance set in the industrial north would appeal to you? Should I continue to pitch the idea to my editor??? Thank you!

Comments

[Linda Banche]

What? Doesn't your editor realize the world is full of female geeks like me who would eat up all the technical stuff? Not every woman wants to read endless descriptions of clothes and furniture.

While no one, me included, wants to read a treatise on the mechanical workings of a canal lock in a romance, I can see a hilarious scene with the newly wed H/H struggling with the lock like you and your husband did and ready to end their marriage before it's barely begun.

I can also see technology as a means of introducing more non-traditional heroines, who I would like to see more of.

[Laura Vivanco]

"Do you think that a historical romance set in the industrial north would appeal to you? Should I continue to pitch the idea to my editor???"

Well, it would certainly appeal to me, as long as the characters were involved with industry, rather than it just being a novelty which provided a bit of background. I doubt your editor would feel that a romance between two working class people would be glamorous enough, and if the characters were middle or upper class you'd have to make sure that they weren't exploiting anyone, and were also not unrealistically enlightened about industrial relations. A northern English version of Robert Owen would certainly be interesting.

We went on honeymoon on a narrowboat on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, though, so I'm not sure my views on the romantic appeal of the North of England's industrial heritage are really representative of those of the wider HM&B readership.

All the same, Michelle Styles got to write an HM&B about building a railway bridge in Victorian Newcastle: http://www.michellestyles.co.uk/html/a_christmas_wedding_wager.html .

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Linda. Yes, I feel there is huge potential and I like the idea of more non-traditional heroines.

Laura, thank you for the link to Michelle's book. I am hugely impressed that you were one of the people who took a narrowboat cruise for a honeymoon.

Like all things I think it is a question of not getting bogged down in the research and boring people with the arcane engineering details (no problem for me there since I do not have a mechanical mind) but also not simply using the background as wallpaper. As we have discussed here before, HMB/Harlequin Historicals do have a track record in publishing books with unusual backgrounds. I might have more success if I tried there rather than with HQN!

[Peg]

I'd love a non-traditional setting. An American author of the 1940s, Walter Edmonds, wrote a historical fiction (not romance) set on the Erie Canal, and his books are some of my favorites. I've always been fascinated by "social history", and enjoy it in romance. There are a few precedents in Regency romance. MJPutney's Carousel of Hearts features a lot of detail about steam engines. Carla Kelly's Miss Milton Speaks her Mind has a mill owner named Scipio Butterworth who is strongly reminiscent of Robert Owen. Sheri Cobb South's The Weaver Takes a Wife is mostly set in London, but does include a visit to Ethan Brundy's mill. We vacation near a restored textile village in New Hampshire USA, and I've been fascinated by the different routes of industrialization in England and New England (vz. the "mill girls").
I'd certainly go for a book with that story line.
Peg/DC

[Patricia Rice]

I have no memory for titles but our own Mary Jo wrote a Regency where the couple used the canals. And I distinctly remember a wonderful mainstream historical showing a heroine who came up from poverty by anticipating the changes brought by the industrial revolution. I adore books like that. And I agree, those changes make a fascinating background for conflict and setting.

But today's romances want the emphasis on the characters, not the plot and setting, more's the pity. To sell industry as romance, you would have to emphasize the brawny adventurer earl tackling the development of the canal while being opposed by the feisty heroine whose orphanage is in the way of development. "G"

[Keira Soleore]

Nicola, I'd find that Duke of B and his canal schemes to be endlessly fascinating, because it required the agreement and compliance of hundreds of people and the complete disruption of a way of life.

Perhaps the industrial stuff is there but sort-of whitewashed, i.e. made more bucolic to be palatable? So the hero can be heroic in our usual sense but with the added weight of his convictions and forward thinking.

Thornton's factory and its environs were dirty, noisy, dangerous, but ultimately, the way of the future. Margaret's south was charming, peaceful, comforting, and backward. The story works because of RA. He carries the story and makes the factories acceptable. So, I believe in your story, the burden on the hero to be heroic under industrial circumstances will be much much more. The usual estate now automatically cloaks him in heroism.

BTW, after seeing that first picture, I would've nodded 'yes' to anything you asked of me.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Pat, my thoughts exactly! I think Peg mentioned Mary Jo's Carousel of Hearts. I would love to get my hands on a copy of that. Peg, I do have the Carla Kelly and Sheri Cobb South books and wish there were more of that ilk.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks for your comments, Keira. It was watching Cranford that really brought home to me how change on that scale required the agreement of so many people. Fascinating stuff. I did plan to have a hero and heroine running away together via the canal in one of my recent books, but the trouble was that they couldn't get away quickly enough!

[Sarah Mallory]

What a lovely holiday, Nicola, I must do it (even tho I live oop north anyway). I am very depressed now, though, because I have just sent off my current wip and it is more than a little bit industrial...... (sigh)

[Hellion]

I'd love an industrial set romance novel!! (Esp if it was ala Cranford or North and South.)

I remember The Unlikely Angel by Betina Krahn was in a non-traditional "industry" setting.

Occasionally Lisa Kleypas' historicals take place in 1830s London, and the heroes own businesses that are more "industry". One owns a gaming hell, but another owns a publishing company. I really enjoyed those books. Another one of her heroes owns a hotel. Although these aren't "industry-industry", I think they skirt the edges and soon it will be acceptable to have more books in more industries! (I hope.)

[Hellion]

But today's romances want the emphasis on the characters, not the plot and setting, more's the pity.

I love character driven stories, but it's important to remember that character is also derived from SETTING (and plot) as well as well, character...

It does seem that today's romances are more "wallpaper" historical rather than anything with any real depth.

[Nicola Cornick]

But look at the enthusiastic response here, Sarah! There are a lot of eager readers, myself included!

Hellion, there was a programme on TV over here this week about Anne Lister, who owned a coal mine. That example could inspire a book. I'm always pleased to read books like Lisa Kleypas's with heroines who are more unusual. And since the canal-building started in the 1770s, that would be ideal for a Georgian or Regency romance.

Hopefully not all current historical romances are "wallpaper" historicals. I'm finishing writing a trilogy with very unusual backgrounds, the Arctic, the parole towns and the London Beer Flood. In each book the settings are an intergral part of the story and have a very powerful influence on character development. I've enjoyed writing something different and I'm hoping readers will enjoy it too.

[Hellion]

*sheepish look* Sorry for the foot in mouth. I wasn't speaking of any of the authors here. I've read you guys, and like Lisa Kleypas, I think you do wonderful jobs at blending historical detail to enrich character. One of the things I love about Lisa's books is that she usually introduces one BIG THING, historical, and we learn a lot about it...I think she had one where the character was weaving or something and I almost felt like I could weave at the end.

I had specific examples in mind, but I'll keep them to myself. *LOL*

[Sherrie Holmes]

Nicola, I loved your post. Travelogue-type posts are always fascinating because they give you so much of the writer's personality along with the scenery. In addition, it's always fun to see pictures of the writer as part of the travelogue. I enjoyed the scenery pics, of course, but seeing you in that environment puts a personal touch to it.

I think your proposal of a romance set against the industrial backdrop sounds fascinating, and I would definitely be interested as a reader. I wonder if you presented it to your publisher in a different light, would it gain more acceptance? For instance, instead of mentioning the industrial revolution, focus on the romance aspect and maybe not even mention the industrial backdrop? Just a thought.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Hellion, no worries. As you know, we all *love* research and unusual backgrounds here and I like nothing more than reading a book like that where I feel I've learned something at the end. I would LOVE to learn to weave. When I was young I begged my parents for a loom!

Sherrie, thank you! I'm so pleased you liked the shots of me slaving over a hot lock gate. I like your idea of a different approach... Hmm, may well take Pat's suggestion of the hunky canal-building lord and the feisty landowning lady and run with that!

[Pam Rosenthal]

I loved this post, Nicola -- don't know why I'm a canal freak, but I am.

And I've got 10 chapters of a Manchester romance on my hard drive that my agent likes but I don't know what to do with.

I so wanted to give the rejected suitor from The Slightest Provocation a romance of his own. (That was the offstage progressive industrialist Matthew Bakewell, for anyone who might remember).

But what stopped me dead in my keystrokes was child labor. Matthew would have been way ahead of his time if he'd allowed those kids to have a 10-hour workday. I just couldn't figure out how to work around that.

Suggestions, anyone?

[Susanna Fraser]

I have to admit I'm not personally all that interested in an industrial revolution romance because it's not the part of the Regency era that most interests me. I'm more fascinated by the military history and political intrigue, not to mention what was going on in other parts of the world, especially America and India.

But I'm all for more variety in the Regency (and in historical romances in general), and you could probably sell me on an industrial revolution story if it had a nice, juicy, poignant cross-class love story at the heart of it and if readers I trusted raved about it. My eyes would just glaze over on any technical descriptions.

[Trudy Miner]

I don't know why your editors would reject books with an industrial background; they give the story flavor. I can't remember titles or authors but I read a series not long ago about a woman who ran a shipping company in England. I also read books about the expansion of the railway system in both the UK and the US and a series where the heroine was a newspaper publisher in a major city. I just finished "Her Colorado Man" which was about a family brewery in Colorado and the heroine was highly involved in the process. I would enjoy reading stories set during the Industrial Revolution!

[Teresa]

I would love to read something set up North during the IR :) Romance blossoms everywhere. And thanks for recounting your canal boat trip - would love to do one myself one day.

[chey]

The industrial revolution would be a great background for a historical novel.
I don't remember reading anything like that. I have seen some historical tv shows and movies that at least mention it.

[Blythe Gifford]

I was going to say just three words: North and South. However, I was amused to discover that Elizabeth Gaskell was known to say that she had not been able to develop the story the way she wished because of the weekly magazine/serial format. The book, when published, included several new chapters. So everyone must grapple with editors.
And yes, I think any situation is romantic if the right people are involved!

[Keira Soleore]

Pam, heh. That's one of the major problems with making industrial work palatable to modern tastes. A hero who runs a children sweatshop. Ouch!

Clearly, my opinion here's an untutored one, there are very experienced authors who'd know better, but since that hasn't stopped me yet, here goes... You skirt around the issue. Don't mention the hours. Have the kids be from an orphanage and make it seem like they're learning a trade. You won't be able to get around the fact that these are children laboring alongside adults. But if he's a compassionate employer towards all (kid or big) then it doesn't make him out to be a monster, merely a man of his times. What do you think?

[Anne Gracie]

Fabulous post, Nicola. I once did a short one-day canal trip. I wasn't required to do any of the work, though it wasn't much --we didn't even go through a lock, which was a bit disappointing. But I love the idea or a longer one. Katie Fforde wrote a lovely canal boat story.

I'd love a story set in the industrial north. Apart from the wonderful North and South, I remember a TV documentary series that featured something like 7 wonders of the modern industrial world and they were mostly Victorian-era things - bridges, lighthouses etc. I remember being moved by the struggles some took to build--or even to get people to believe -- certainly heroic stuff, if not necessarily romantic.

Par Rice, I'd buy that book in a heartbeat!

[Nicola Cornick]

Pam, it's great to meet another canal freak and I would love to read a book of yours with Matthew as the hero. I hope this ms makes it!

Susanna, I think my eyes would probably glaze over at too much technicality as well! But I'm willing to tackle the subject matter and try to make it interesting!

[Nicola Cornick]

Well it certainly looks as though most people would be prepared to give a book with an IR background a chance. Thank you. I absolutely agree that any situation can be romantic if given the right (Richard Armitage) treatment!

Blythe, that's very funny about Elizabeth Gaskell having problems with her editor! My editor is fantastic and I trust her judgement on the market completely so I think we could have a very interesting discussion on this.

Anne, I'm so pleased you liked the post and I will look out for that documentary. Lighthouses are another of my "things"!

[Susan/DC]

I have fond memories of several Regencies that deal with the canals: Wench emirita Loretta Chase's "Miss Impossible" has the hero and heroine at loggerheads over whether or not a canal should be built near her property. Jean Ross Ewing's "Folly's Reward" has the hero and heroine travel over canals as they try to escape from their enemies. Melinda McRae's "Lady Leprechaun" have the hero and heroine searching for their sons who have run away from school -- the boys mostly travel by boat down the canals. None of the books overload the story with technical detail, but it was a pleasure to have something other than the standard balls, Almacks, weekend party at country estate. Before reading these books I was unaware that England even had canals, although I'd learned about the ones in the eastern US as a schoolchild.

@Pam: Perhaps your hero could have been a poor child who slaved in a factory but managed to work his way up (as did John Thornton in N&S). He vowed that he would never subject another child to what he had to go through. That could be his justification for not hiring children.

[Pam Rosenthal]

@Susan and @Kiera, thanks for the suggestions. It could happen. And I'm glad you'd also like to see a HEA for Matthew, Nicola ;-)

[NinaP]

"Do you think that a historical romance set in the industrial north would appeal to you? "

You know it! I love books & programs that draw plot and character from history, like Cranford.

If memory serves, Mary Jo's Stolen Magic explored the industrial revolution, didn't it?

[maryjoputney]

Nicola, Wenches and Wench readers aren't typical, but we are enthusiastic about weaving in some authentic industrial history.

**Anne Gracie's A PERFECT WALTZ had a hero who who owned a manufactory, and had kid employees but was compassionate about them in a believable way.

**As was mentioned, Loretta Chase's MISS WONDERFUL was driven by a canal building plot.

**I've dabbled in industrial history. In ANGEL ROGUE, the heroine and battered hero escape from pursuit tucked in a hold with the carpets in a canal boat. As Nina said, the industrial revolution was a major theme in STOLEN MAGIC.

There was a steam engine in Carousel of Hearts, too, though it wasn't as significant. If you're interested in reading it, something could be arranged. **G**

I like the idea of a newlywed couple ready to split after dealing with lock gates!

Never Less Than A Lady, 5/10 ~ One Perfect Rose (reissue) 4/10 ~ Chalice of Roses 1/10 Blogging at www.wordwenches.com

[Julie]

Nicola, I would love to read a historical romance set against an industrial background. I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Gaskell and Cranford and North and South are two of my all-time favourite books. I think there is so much scope for drama, danger and romance during that particular time, although other than Catherine Cookson-style sagas and Katie Fforde's romantic comedies, the only historical romance I remember set against an industrial background is an M&B Historical by Mary Nichols - The Earl and the Hoyden - which had a female mill owner for a heroine.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions about other historical romances with a similar background. I shall certainly add them to my ever-growing but never shrinking reading pile.

[Nicola Cornick]

Susan, Mary Jo, Julie thank you all for more suggestions for my reading list! I'm going to be enjoying romances with a background in the industrial revolution for weeks to come!

Mary Jo, we actually met a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary who confided in me that they were ready to strangle one another after one day afloat. She said: "This was supposed to be FUN!" They weren't speaking for several days but when we met up with them further up the canal a few days later I think they had settled their differences *g!*

[Andrea Penrose]

Thanks you for the leisurely sail through history, Nicola! You and Andrew were very adventurous to captain your own boat (being a klutz, I'm sure I would have rammed several walls or other vessels had I attempted to navigate the locks.

I did a canal trip through Scotland and just lovelyit. Flaoting through the small towns and lochs was so much fun, and we cruised through some lovely pastoral settings, which sheep grazing on the banks and little shops floating by. It was a wonderful way to see the countryside (especially as the crew was doing all the heavy lifting!)

I think a book with an industrial setting would be wonderful! Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower quartet has the hero a railway visionary and it was great. I agree that the clash of ideas, etc, adds an extra and interesting layer of tension to the romance. I hope you can convince your editors to let you give it a try! You would do it so incredibly well.

[SonomaLass]

Pam, I hope you find a way to write Matthew's book. It might get gritty, but I bet you could deal with that. Sweat shop manager hero doesn't sound good at first glance, I grant you, but the issues of how to reform poor labor practices (in any era) are very complex. There's almost always a way to reform from inside the system, and perhaps Matthew could be part of that?

Nicola, my partner and I are taking a narrowboat holiday in two weeks' time on the Leeds & Liverpool! We have a four-person boat, since we're meeting up with his sister and her husband, former narrowboat owners themselves before becoming B&B keepers. It's been years since my previous experience on their boat, Narrow Escape, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Yorkshire. How fabulous to read this post right before our trip. Thanks for sharing; I will have to see how much our routes overlap, and whether I can steal some of your itinerary.

[Nicola Cornick]

Cara/Andrea, a cruise through Scotland sounds magnificent! One of the things that I like about river or canal travel is exactly the thing you mention - seeing the countryside from a completely different perspective. That fascinates me.

SonomaLass - what a coincidence! I hope you all have a wonderful trip. With such experienced fellow travellers I doubt you will have our problems with locks and bridges and running aground!

Here is a link to my dh's photos if anyone would like to see more of the canal trip.
http://www.pbase.com/circusman/leeds_canal
http://www.pbase.com/circusman/canal_bw