New Roots, Old Soil - Fenland Lives In Transition

Year

2024

Considering the impact of the EU’s A8 Accession legislation on the Fens of East Anglia, where migration has reshaped traditional industries & communities. An exploration of the effect on the population & the tension between economic growth & the idea of a cohesive society.

New Roots, Old Soil

Farm workers harvesting cabbages during a rain storm near Sibsey, Lincolnshire. Leafy vegetables like cabbages, kale and cauliflower are pulled in the early winter when the first frosts come. Known as the Brassica season, much of the working day is spent in the wet and cold.

New Roots, Old Soil

The Reverend Ian Cuthbertson of Gosberton Church blessing the Council gritters at Pode Hole Depot, Linconshire. Prayers are given for the safety of drivers during the Winter months before the gritting vehicles set off to deposit salt on the county's

New Roots, Old Soil

A woman from Estonia walks along the A47 between her two jobs at McDonald's and a petrol station, Cambridgeshire.

New Roots, Old Soil

Pest controller in Southery, Norfolk.

New Roots, Old Soil

David Bishop, aka Lord Byro of the Church of the Militant Elvis Party campaigning at the Sleaford & North Hykeham by-election, Lincolnshire. He polled 55 votes, losing to Caroline Johnson of the Conservative Party.

New Roots, Old Soil

Migrant workers from Eastern Europe shopping in Boston town centre on a Saturday afternoon.They’ve adopted the ‘gopnik’ look, popular amongst fans of 'blatnaya pesnya' - literally 'criminal’s songs’, a genre of music popularised by East European hip-hop artists but with its roots in 19th Century czarist Russia.

New Roots, Old Soil

Woman at car boot sale with dogs, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, Norfolk .

New Roots, Old Soil

A hairbrush, a broken mirror, a plate.

An abandoned pigsty inhabited by two Latvian women who came to the UK seeking work but found themselves homeless and eating dog food to survive. Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

New Roots, Old Soil

Tourists from China visiting Cambridge.

New Roots, Old Soil

Mr & Mrs Morris collecting for the Help for Heroes charity at the Anglia Motel, Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire.

New Roots, Old Soil

Waiting for the first customer of the day at Baxter's chip shop window, Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire.

New Roots, Old Soil

Algimanta showing the Christmas turkeys at Mr Eagle's poultry auction.

New Roots, Old Soil

Babak, a Hungarian of Iranian descent waits for his friends in Wisbech market place on a Saturday afternoon wearing his new jeans. Taking advantage of the Citizens' Rights Directive 2004/38/EC he came to the UK for work and is employed in a vegetable packing factory on the edge of the town. Initially working the night shift he has recently been promoted to team leader and now works days.

New Roots, Old Soil

Graffiti on a disused agricultural building near Lolworth, Cambridgeshire. The structure, known as the Conington Barn was originally built by the route of the Via Devana - the Roman road which skirted the undrained Fens. The road subsequently became the A14. The barn enjoyed a secret life in the latter years of the 20th Century as a resting place for hitch-hikers going North until the A14 became dualled and traffic speeds increased to the extent that it became impractical for vehicles to stop. After that it became a popular canvas for graffiti artists who were assured of an audience of tens of thousands of passing motorists daily.

The barn was demolished as part of the A14 widening project in 2018.

Councillor Tracey Carter and her mother, Sandra, preparing celebrations for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the Women's Institute hall, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, 2018.

Kings Lynn Mart 2013

On the Waltzers at the Mart, King's Lynn.

Unpicked apples in orchards by theA47,Wisbech Cambridgeshire.

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Tribute to Margaret Thatcher at St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney Lincolnshire. The memorial features coal, a handbag and a book on the Falklands war.

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Donkeys in the congregation at St Michael's Church, Swaton,Lincolnshire on Palm Sunday which commemorates the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey prior to the Last Supper.

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Selling selfie-sticks, Cambridge.

Dr Victoria Bateman

Dr Victoria Bateman, Cambridge academic,economist & anti Brexit activist presenting her thesis called Brexit Leaves Britain Naked. Whilst making her speech she strips off her clothes until naked and then invites the audience to sign her body.

Shift change at Fleet Hargate, Lincolnshire.

A demonstration in Boston, Lincolnshire, UK calling the invocation of Article 50, which would initiate the process of the UK leaving the EU.

LIttle Europe shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Rooftop graffiti depicting the Virgin Mary cradling a bottle of beer in Boston Lincolnshire, UK. apparently representing the dependence on alcohol & religion

Waiting for trransport at the Britannia Cafe, Blackfriars Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire,UK

A police raid on a car wash suspected of employing illegal workers.

A room to rent,advertised in Russian, King's Lynn, Norfolk

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Shippea Hill station in Cambridgeshire. The request-only stop was, until recently the least used station in Britain. In latter years it has become more popular as migrant workers commute from the villages surrounding the Ely rail terminus to the 07.17 train for the nine minute ride to the packhouses of the fens which surround the towns of Soham and Mildenhall.

People in Wisbech market place, Cambridgeshire,UK.

Si Barber

LIttle Europe shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK

Si Barber

LIttle Europe shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Si Barber

King's Lynn Conservative Club, Norfolk,UK.