Rural industrialisation is a complex phenomenon.For example, despite involving the physical decentralisation of firms from urban centres (Gould & Keeble 1984), much of the so-called urban-rural ‘shift’ can be put down to spatial variations in in situ manufacturing performance (Fothergill et al. 1985a). In addition, although
sometimes characterised by developments in ‘big business’ (Potter 1993, 1995), the urbanrural shift has tended to involve small manufacturing firms rather than larger corporations.The influence of rural industrialisation has also been felt in a wide variety of rural spaces. For instance, it has left its mark in both accessible
and remote areas (Hodge & Monk 1987;
Townsend 1993; North & Smallbone 1996); and
it has affected established rural industrial districts
as well as those ‘new industrial spaces’ left
relatively untouched by previous rounds of
manufacturing investment (Jarvis et al. 2001).