File 36 - Veronica Horwell

1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 3 AIFF files (365.7 MB)

Interview with Veronica Horwell, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 24 June 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1:
00.05      Brief introduction by Leslie Plommer

Track 2:
00.21       Worked for a local newspaper in hometown of Plymouth after leaving school
00.44       Wanted to work for a national newspaper - either the Sunday Times or the Guardian
01.11       Didn't know the Guardian had moved to London
01.48       Sent examples of writing to the Guardian editor in Manchester
02.43       Had to be 24 to work for a national newspaper
02.50       Lied about age in order to get an interview
03.04       Invited to meet Brian Redhead, Northern Editor
03.15       Had to borrow money to go to Manchester
03.29       Offered the job [1966]
03.48       Direct bosses were Harry Whewell and Joe Minogue
05.20       Found Manchester and the Guardian a culture shock
05.47       Differences between Plymouth and Manchester
07.22       Description of the Cross Street building exterior
09.27       Job interview took place in the canteen

10.12       Interior of Cross Street building; long corridors and floor to ceiling books
11.41       Worked in the features department
11.52       Describes the old newsroom as empty, spooky and sad
14.08       Further description of the building layout
15.58       Discusses other writers incl. Benedict Nightingale, Theatre critic
16.57       Masculine world, masculine office
17.58       Had to live as cheaply as possible
19.42       Compares Cross Street to Palace Theatre, London

20.29       Cross Street had a 19th century atmosphere
20.50       The urgency and dynamo of Cross Street had moved to London

Track 3:
00.11       Discusses the location of the desks and offices within the building
01.45       Anecdotes about previous colleagues incl. Harry Whewell and Joe Minogue
06.15       The men in the ‘main room’ were a certain kind of 'middle classness'
06.29       Popular access to the paper for men was via university or national service
07.29       Hadn't recognized a middle class tone in the paper before
07.55       Refers to the sole female writer, Anne Shearer
09.25       Manchester Guardian was the place where people joined; if they were good they transferred to London

11.06       General feeling in Manchester that 'the parade had gone somewhere else'

Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Veronica Horwell