Industrial Heritage Networks

Applications for AIA Awards & Grants 2024 Now Open

November 23, 2023mikenevell

The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) has opened its latest round of awards and grants to support the industrial archaeology and heritage sector in Britain and beyond. These include grants of up to £30,000 for restoration work on industrial archaeology sites, buildings, and industrial heritage machinery, and up to £1,500 for research projects. There are also awards for the best community projects, student dissertations, publications, and conservation and adaptive re-use projects.

Since 2009 the AIA has invested more than £1.2 million in supporting the conservation and preservation of industrial archaeology and heritage. They have supported research projects in Britain, the Caribbean, and Ireland, and celebrated the quality of local society, university, and community projects. The awards also recognise the importance of industrial archaeology work within the professional archaeology sector. Applications for AIA Awards & Grants 2024 Now Open

The deadlines for the various grants and awards vary, so follow this link for more details and downloadable application forms: https://industrial-archaeology.org/#

From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron – New Free Ironbridge Exhibition Opens

April 25, 2024mikenevell

The latest free exhibition at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT), ‘From Stars to Cells: The Life of Iron’, opened to the public on the 24 April in the Coalbrookdale Gallery. Running until December 2024, the exhibition explores the science of iron, taking you on a journey from iron’s origins in space billions of years ago through to its use by humankind and in the Ironbridge Gorge.

The story of iron is particularly important to the local area, where the pioneering Darby family revolutionised our lives with their innovations in the iron industry, a symbol of which is the Ironbridge. This exhibition will explore the formation of iron atoms in stars and supernovas. You will have the chance to see up close meteorites formed in space 4.5 billion years ago. Then you will be transported to the Iron Age and around 750 BCE, with a selection of objects on loan from Shropshire Museums. You will see Iron Age coins from the Claverley Hoard, unearthed in Shropshire; a gold decorative torc excavated in Telford; and a bronze sword found in the River Severn.

Months of work has gone on behind the scenes to do research, source objects from the collections of IGMT and other organisations, write the exhibition text, and doing the design. IGMT volunteers will staff the exhibition, welcoming visitors as they arrive. A highlight of the exhibition is a bead from a necklace (also on display) from ancient Egypt dating from approximately 3200 BCE, the earliest known manmade iron object in human history. It is a loan from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology at University College London, and this is the first time it has been exhibited outside London.

IGMT are grateful to the Friends of Ironbridge Gorge Museum, who have paid for the case in which this bead will be displayed, and to Hiscox for insuring it. This free exhibition is curated in partnership with Keele University and supported by Arts Council England.

Museum Development North Open Grants

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024mikenevell

MD North has three grant schemes available for museums. The Open Grant programme is now open until 7 June. The grant is available to the following types of museums: museums in the north of England which are Accredited, hold provisional status, or are formally Working Towards Accreditation; museums that are not Accredited, or not formally Working Towards it, can be part of a project involving a partnership of museums, but an Accredited museum must be the lead partner.

Museum are invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 for projects that help your organisation meet or go beyond the requirements of the Accreditation Standard and deliver against the Arts Council England’s Investment Principles:

Ambition and Quality
Dynamism
Environmental Responsibility
Inclusivity & Relevance

For details on how to apply for this grant and for other MD North grants follow this link: Open Grant

Industrial Heritage Sites in England Survey Form Now Live

April 22, 2024mikenevell

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and Heritage Innovation are undertaking a survey of the c.600 publicly accessible and protected industrial heritage sites in England. The ‘Designated Industrial Heritage Sites Open to the Public in England Project’ 2024 Survey is now live. It is open to all publically accessible Industrial Heritage Sites in England and the deadline is 10th May.

Funded by Historic England, the 2024 survey will gather data on these sites which can be compared with the earlier reports. The main focus will be visitor numbers, conservation and maintenance, funding models, and community engagement. The survey will also consider how sites are responding to the challenges of Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and climate change. Any parties who receive an invitation to complete the survey are urged to do so where possible, as this will help to build a truer picture of the experience of sites and people and can inform the subsequent management recommendations.

The survey deadline is 10th May. We want to hear from you – so if you haven’t received a link to the survey and wish to participate, please check your junk folder or email IHSO@ironbridge.org.uk for a direct link.

Wandle Industrial Heritage Walk, 19th April 2024

April 16, 2024mikenevell

The Wandle Industrial Museum is organising an Industrial Heritage walk on 19th April 2024. The event is free and starts at 11am, meeting at Collliers Wood Station, and finishing around noon.

The walk will take in Miller’s Mead, Wandle Park, Merton Mill which was converted to flats having previously housed a flour mill, and then Connolly’s leather works, a housing estate where a calico printing works. The walk will then head to where Paxton’s patent leather factory once stood, Wandle Bank, William Morris’s works, and end at Merton Abbey Mills, where refreshments will be available in the former Liberty textile printing buildings.

Although the walk is free any donations to the Wandle Industrial Museum are most welcome. To book email: john.sheridan08@gmail.com

Ironbridge Gorge Museum & AIA to Take Part in 2024 Festival of Archaeology

April 15, 2024April 11, 2024mikenevell

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust will once more be taking part in the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) Festival of Archaeology. The 2024 event will run from the 13-28 July across the UK. The CBA is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2024 – the perfect opportunity for us all to celebrate the incredible grassroots groups, societies, and individuals that share a passion for archaeology across the UK. So this year’s Festival theme is Archaeology and Community.

Following on from the success of last year’s Festival of Archaeology at Coalbrookdale, the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) will again be partnering with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust to sponsor free entry to the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron for all visitors on Saturday 27th July 2024. This is a great opportunity to chat with history and heritage organisations from the region and find out more about the brilliant community work happening every day. Lectures, walking tours and family activities will be hosted throughout the day. For further details follow this link:

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/festival-event-listing/festival-of-archaeology-at-coalbrookdale-sponsored-by-the-association-for-industrial-archaeology.html

Furthermore, you can visit the Festival area of the CBA website to browse all the event listings which are now available. Find out what is happening in your local area and see which other industrial sites are taking part: https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.html. Or, if you can’t wait until July why not visit the CBA resources area where you’ll find talks, craft activities, self-guided walks, and much more available on-demand.

If you would like to host your own Festival event visit the CBA event organiser area to find out more.

ERIH 2024 Summer School “Shaping Sustainability in Industrial Heritage” Now Booking

April 11, 2024April 11, 2024mikenevell

For the second time, ERIH, the Berlin Centre for Industrial Heritage and the Department of Culture and Design at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin) are hosting the European Industrial Heritage Summer School from 10 to 25 August 2024 in Berlin. The intense 14-day programme, which was recognised with the “Best Practice Award” of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in 2023, is a unique combination of academic discussions, site visits and workshops and offers a holistic learning experience.

This year, the focus is on the question of how industrial heritage sites can become places of sustainable development. The programme is aimed at 18- to 30-year-old international students from various disciplines, including museum studies, cultural studies, history, industrial archaeology, cultural and tourism management, sociology, architecture and urban planning as well as conservation, sustainability and communication studies. Students from other disciplines are also welcome. Eligible are all bachelor, master or doctoral/PhD students who have completed at least their 2nd semester and who are enrolled at a university.

Applications are now open. From 5 April, admissions will be granted on a weekly basis until all 22 places have been filled. Follow this link for booking details:

European Industrial Heritage Summer School

New Industrial Archaeological & Historical Research Included in Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Conference, May 2024

April 9, 2024mikenevell

The Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society are holding their annual conference on 11th May 2024. The theme is new research, with a focus on local history, family history, and industrial archaeology. It will be held at the friend’s Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester, M2 5NS from 10am to 3pm.

The talks will include presentations Helen Corlett talking about The Cooper at Old Bridge End: Finding a Place in Early 19c Manchester (a micro study of the experience of an artisan-tradesman family migrating to Manchester from the rural north); Neil Coldrick on Medieval Ironworking in Holcombe Valley; and Kelly Griffiths discussing Scuttled: Excavations on the Historic Canal Basin in Rochdale (looking at excavating late 19th century canal boats).

The conference is free to members of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society and the Manchester Local Family History Society, but donations are gratefully accepted. The fee for non members is £12.00 payable to Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. Please email secretary@landcas.org.uk to book your place.

*A canal boat being excavated at Rochdale*.

*Medieval bloomery during excavation at Holcombe in 2018.*

Museum Development Support in England Reorganised for 2024

April 5, 2024mikenevell

April marks the re-organisation of the Museum Development (MD) support scheme in England. Arts Council England will support the new MD regional partnerships from 1 April 2024 until 31 March 2027. These new partnerships build on the English regional teams’ experience of collaborative working since 2018, with the programme for the next three years continuing to support museums, and the people who work for, and volunteer in them.

The new English regional partnerships are:

MD North
MD Midlands
MD South West
MD South East
MD London

There are new websites and new newsletters to sign up for, so be sure to explore the the refreshed structures. Follow this link to the new regional partnerships: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-museums/museum-development-programme/museum-development-2024-26/museum-development-2024-27-partners

For an overview of the changes in England follow this link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-museums/museum-development-programme/museum-development-2024-26

Claverton Pumping Station Launch Flood Appeal

April 4, 2024mikenevell

*Flooding in the wheel pit at Claverton, 2024. Image courtesy of The Claverton Pumping Station Trust*.

Claverton Pumping Station have launched an online appeal for funds after suffering 17 floods between October 2023 and April 2024. The aim of the appeal is to replace rotten timber, and to make the site’s operations more flood resilient. The Grade I listed building was restored by volunteers between 1969 and 1976, and is maintained and run by the volunteers of The Claverton Pumping Station Trust CIO, though it is owned by the Canal and Rivers Trust.

Claverton Pumping Station was built between 1809 and 1813, to a design by the engineer John Rennie, to overcome problems of water supply for the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bath. A 17 foot (5 m) diameter by 24 foot (7 m) wide water wheel powers a large beam engine that pump 50 gallons of water every two seconds from the River Avon up 48 feet into the Kennet and Avon canal. The pump operated from 1813 until 1952. It is the only working example of a waterwheel-driven pumping station on the national canal network.

The Claverton Pumping Station Trust observed that ‘as flooding is predicted to become more frequent and more severe having extra money ring-fenced for flood repairs and flood resilience will allow us to continue proactive maintenance and to make timely repairs when necessary.’

For details on how to give follow this link: https://justgiving.com/campaign/claverton-floods

*Flooding at Claverton Pumping Station, 2024.* *Image courtesy of The Claverton Pumping Station Trust*.

Canal & River Trust to Use AI to Protect Historic Canal Bridges from Vehicle Strikes

March 28, 2024March 26, 2024mikenevell

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) have announced how they are trialling an innovative AI CCTV system on the Lancaster Canal to catch hit-and-run motorists damaging 200-year-old stone bridges. Annually, vehicle strikes on CRT bridges cost up to £1 million in repairs, diverting vital funds away from work waterway conservation.

The new system is controlled by AI using a mobile phone signal and doesn’t continuously record but takes a few photos when it detects vehicle movement. The AI then assesses if the bridge has been impacted. If there is no strike, the photos are deleted and if damage has been caused, Trust staff receive a notification, allowing them to identify number plates to track down the offenders and claim full repair costs on their insurance.

Andy Dobson, CRT asset engineer, said: “Hump-back bridges, an iconic part of Britain’s canal network, were built for the passage of horse-drawn carts, not for today’s modern vehicles and HGVs. Due to the large number of rural, narrow roads crossing the Lancaster Canal, it has more bridge strikes than any other. The bridges are part of the canal’s special character and heritage, and each time one is hit a small piece of history is lost.”

More details of the experimental scheme can be found here: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/artificial-intelligence-helps-to-protect-historic-canal-bridges-from-vehicle-strikes