‘North and South’ (1937) by George Orwell

‘North and South’ was first published in the book 'The Road to Wigan Pier' (Part 1. Chapter 7) in 1937.

The further north George Orwell travels in England, the more he notices "the real ugliness of industrialism." The once pleasant towns have been replaced by slag heaps where mining waste is piled in huge grey hills which puff out smoke.

He remembers traveling through these industrial wastelands near "the dreadful environs of Wigan" which is not even Britain's ugliest city. Sheffield is an unsightly, stinking town rife with pollution but at night at least has "a kind of sinister magnificence." Orwell describes the wretched towns filled with chimneys and smoke. He does not believe that industrialism is "inherently and unavoidably ugly" but the northern cities are hideous because most people value money above everything else.

He wonders whether people should be thankful that the factories are ugly because their undesirable appearance better represents their effect on society. Orwell decides that their appearance does not matter because the "real evil lies far deeper."