With our country crippled by recession it seems somehow apt that Vestry House Museum has chosen now to celebrate one of the greatest Walthamstow employers to fall foul of the changing face of industry in recent years.

A Powerful Past charts the history of Hawker Siddeley Power Transformers, which, for more than 100 years stood at the forefront of British engineering as a major producer of industrial power transformers, tapchangers and electric motors and, at its height in the ‘70s, employed around 1,500 people at its Fulbourne Road factory. Sadly, 30 years later, these numbers had dwindled to just 172 and the doors were shut on the factory for the final time on February 9, 2003.

With the use of archive material, factory memorabilia and the vivid memories of loyal employees the lasting legacy of this great institution is explored and celebrated in this comprehensive study.

Also featured in the exhibition is a collection of powerful images taken by local photographer Paul Tucker, who was given privileged access to the derelict factory just months before its demolition in 2005.

Speaking about the project he tells me: “It was quite amazing. Everything of any value had been taken out and what was left was this huge empty space that went on and on.

“It was very colourful and evocative, which made it a great subject and little things had been left behind, bits of writing on the walls, that hinted at what was there before. There was a weird eerie sort of feeling because so much history is attached to it and ultimately it had rather a sad ending.”

Recalling the excitement and mystery that surrounded the factory before its closure, Paul, who moved to the area from Portsmouth 20 years ago, adds: “When they transported these giant transformers out of the factory it was a huge event, everything would stop, it got people interested but a lot of people didn’t actually know what went on there, it was very intriguing.”

To give you an idea of the sheer scale, one transformer could weigh in excess of 300 tonnes, and as late as 2001 traffic stopped in Waltham Forest when a 220 tonne generator transformer was manouevered out of the factory en route for America.

Today, the nearest transformer still in use is situated in Waitrose car park, South Woodford.

As well as Paul’s work, the exhibition proudly displays official company photographs showcasing the impressive might of the machinery and the eclectic collection of people who formed the Hawker Siddeley family.

Sadly, the author of these images, Albert Bale, passed away earlier this year, though his voice survives him as part of the exhibition’s oral history attraction, which features the memories of former staff members.

The culmination of a series of interviews conducted by the Waltham Forest Oral History Workshop, these recordings give a personal insight into life behind the steel doors and above all emphasis the close-knit atmosphere that existed between the co-workers.

Albert himself is quoted as commenting on the social side of the job, saying: “We used to have an enormous social club there, wacking great social club, and everything you could think of, from pigeon racing to darts, outings, musical trips.”

With such camaraderie between colleagues, not to mention the fact that Hawker Siddeley was a much-needed source of employment in the area, it was no wonder that there was such an outpouring of sadness at the news that the factory would shut.

Poignantly describing the scenes as the workers filed out for the final time, buyer Josie Reynolds remembers: “I didn’t see much anger, I saw sorrow.”

A Powerful Past runs until Sunday, June 7, Wednesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm. Details: 020 8496 4391 www.walthamforest.gov.uk/vestry-house (free)