Pete Davis with former Raleigh Factory Workers

A Lifetime Guarantee: Testimonies

Originally published in 2012 as part of theSpace arts project funded by Arts Council England and the BBC

The Sillitoe Trail focusses on five locations from the novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958): Old Market Square, The White Horse, Raleigh, the River Trent and Goose Fair.

The third featured location on the trail is Raleigh, the factory where Arthur Seaton slugged his guts out over a lathe. This is of particular significance this year (2012) as Raleigh proudly celebrates its 125th anniversary of building bikes for the world. To commemorate, local storyteller Pete Davis spoke to five former factory workers about their experiences in a workplace of a bygone era. James Walker from also spoke to former managers at the factory.

Factory Worker Testimonies

The following interviews are currently being restored from our archive – thank you for your patience.

Sue David – Typist

Ann Hodgkinson – Team Leader

The Sillitoe Trail

Take your own interactive tour of the author’s city and follow in Arthur Seaton’s footsteps around Nottingham, exploring the real locations of key scenes from the novel. You can go back to the Old Market Square or visit The White Horse pub, the Raleigh factory, the River Trent and Goose Fair. For updated content, visit Sillitoe Trail Xtra

Follow: Arthur Seaton @Thespacelathe on Twitter

Download: Sillitoe Trail Factory Handbook (17MB PDF)