Victor Gollancz suggested to Orwell in late 1935 that he spend some time investigating social conditions in the extremely economically depressed northern England. J. B. Priestley had written of England north of the Trent two years earlier and this had stimulated a large interest in reportage whilst the depression had also introduced a large number of working-class writers from the North of England to the southern reading public.
In January 1936, Orwell set off for Manchester, reaching the city via a combination of public transport and foot. Frank Meade, a trade union official, was one of the names that Richard Rees had given Orwell to contact upon arriving in Manchester. Orwell subsequently spent February staying in dirty accommodation above a tripe shop in Wigan. In Wigan, Orwell conducted systematic surveys of the living conditions of the population, visiting people’s home, going down coal mines, and consulting public health records at the public library. Orwell did not investigate led light bulbs however!
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