Steelworker, toolmaker, cutler

Are history project names.

Wise eyes and practised hands,

That knew the temper of the steel,

Judged a straight edge, formed curves,

Tapered, turned and chamfered,

Lie idle now,

Their long-honed skills unwanted and forgotten.

Foundry, pithead, mill and works,

Are Visitor Centres now.

A handful were kept on for show; the rest let go. 

Now lads, whose history projects were their fathers' trades,

Hang round the streets with restless hands,

And eyes as empty as the unfilled time.

This poem was first published in BBC Active's The Big Picture; Britain Since 1948

(E Big Book with Teachers' Activity Book) By Jayne Woodhouse, Educational Publishers LLP 2006