Lot's of coal mining, used for steel production, used for boat building ...
The high paying jobs are centered around London and the financial industry (20% of UK GDP), although post-Brexit the whole country is not doing well. Glad I left in the late 80's.
It was still big up until the 70's at least - I remember the huge Miner's Galas in Durhan, attended by people like Harold Wilson, Tony Benn and Arthur Scargill. There are still lot's of former miner villages in the area that don't look like they've changed much. Maybe my comments on steel & ship building are equally dated(?), but I think it was coal driving these related industries that got the north entrenched as a poorer working class part of the country. Of course there is also the fishing industry and sheep farming due to poor quality land, again all low paying jobs.
One of the best predictors of individual financial success is the wealth of your parents, and I wonder how many generations this effect lasts for ...
The high paying jobs are centered around London and the financial industry (20% of UK GDP), although post-Brexit the whole country is not doing well. Glad I left in the late 80's.