Bridge Mills

When I accidentally started working in IT waaaay back in 1988 you had to go where the work was: there was no working from home or 'dialling in'. There was a mainframe and you worked from a dumb terminal that was linked to it. Simple as that. 

Consequently between 1988 and 1997 I worked in Weybridge, Lytham, Barrow, Harrogate, Leeds, Knutsford, Harrogate (again), Crossflatts, Leeds (again), and London. The last of these was working for BT on Old Street. Christ, what a contract that was. But that's a story for another time. 

Thankfully after four months they moved offices and my contract specified Old Street as the location. Hence I was able to leave the job just as I found a contract in Kendal, working for Scottish Provident. The office was at Bridge Mills on Stramongate just next to the river and it turned out to be one of the best jobs I've ever had.

For a start, I had to spend two days in Edinburgh, which meant I got to stay over on Monday nights and started my love affair with the city. Plus I liked loads of the people I worked with, including Martin, with whom I still work, and Dave whom I met for coffee last Friday. My immediate boss, Claire, was fantastic, as was the programme manager, an avuncular chap called Graham from whom I learnt an awful lot. But there were loads of others, too. 

Eventually, though, Scottish Provident closed down the Kendal office. The town had also lost K Shoes and was a couple of years away from Axa moving away, too. What used to be an IT town was suddenly bereft.

I had reason to go back today for what turned out to be a disappointing meeting with a chap from Handelsbanken. Originally he was going come to our office but he emailed me to say he didn't have a car so I walked across town to meet him instead. It was a beautiful sunny day, so it was his loss, really. 

It was nice to be back at Bridge Mills, too, especially as the courtyard, which I don't recall being used in my time there, was opened up. It was more than enough compensation for the lacklustre meeting with the bank guy; I think we'll look elsewhere.

****
-14.8 kgs
0 words
Reading: 'The Liars' Gospel' by Naomi Alderman