The paper aims to give an overview of the evolution of the British aluminium industry after 1945. Its objective is to analyse the national character of the sector's evolution over the post-war period. The case seems to illustrate the so-called British economic 'failure' often quoted by economic historians writing about the period (Jones, 1997). Nevertheless, geographical, financial, managerial and cultural factors are crucial to understanding Britain's inability to sustain a domestically owned aluminium industry.