D Hudson, grain haulier

Interview with Denis Hudson (the recorded audio of the interview along with a transcript). Denis Hudson worked in the grain haulage business for forty years and, though now retired, returns frequently to York Auction Centre to maintain contact and socialise with others in the agricultural industry. Much of his narrative focuses on change over time. He describes Campbell and Penty Ltd, a local haulage firm and agricultural merchants, as a true family business which demonstrated great care for its employees, something that he feels is now rare. He describes the decline in the volume of trade at the York Auction Centre, which has been steep in the past three or four decades. Both the old Cattle Market and the Auction Centre are described in earlier years as bustling hubs for both business and socialising amongst the agricultural community. Denis suggests that the manner in which business is done has also changed, with processes such as contracts and credit previously built on trust now relying on paperwork.
Date of interview: 20/07/2023. Length of recording: 00:47:04.

Deposited by the Enterprising York Oral Histories project, School for Business and Society, University of York, September 2023.

Audio recording is only available for consultation at the Borthwick Institute.

No further copying of audio file.

Published