Industrial Heritage Networks

Heritage Open Days 2026 Event Directory Now Live

June 1, 2026mikenevell

The Heritage Open Days 2026 event directory is now live, with over 1,600 free events across England from 11 to 20 September already listed. Each year, millions of people take part in the nationwide celebration of local heritage, community, and history. The festival is managed by the National Trust and supported by Postcode Lottery players, and delivered locally by thousands of organisations and volunteers.

This year’s festival theme, ‘Everyday Histories’, and there is still plenty of time to register an event, with the application deadline being 13 August. The 2026 festival will feature a wide range of places that normally charge for events outside of the festival, along with free sites offering something extra special and many venues that are not usually open to the public. Organisers are invited to explore the varied and often overlooked stories of ordinary working people and their daily lives. From factory floors, workhouses and high streets to kitchens, schools, and community centres, this theme shines a light on working-class voices, local superheroes and the part-of-the-furniture places that have quietly shaped England’s heritage.

Industrial Heritage sites have a long tradition of putting on engaging free events for Heritage Open Days. For further details follow the link here: Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary: Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s Everyday Histories

Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Call for Volunteers

May 29, 2026mikenevell

A Cumbrian corn mill is calling for volunteers to help secure its future. Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Ltd, a Community Benefit Society (CBS) which runs the mill as a bakery business, is based within the historic corn mill. It uses UK-grown grain and historic machinery to produce flour, bread, and baked goods for the local community.

Warwick Bridge Corn Mill goes back over 850 years, and the current 18th and 19th century listed mill buildings were restored several years ago. However, its current opperating model is not sustainable without more volunteers, and mill is asking for community support to secure its future through volunteering at the bakery and donations.

The Cultura Trust, formerly North of England Civic Trust, acquired the mill in 2015 and raised nearly £2m to purchase and restore the grade II* listed mill back to full operation, thanks to £1.4m from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund, £187,000 from Historic England, and other grants from Cumbria County Council and a range of charitable trusts and donors. A grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) in 1999/2000 had helped establish that a working mill and bakery was a viable proposition, powered by its revived historic water supply. In March 2025, the Cultura Trust handed over the freehold of the historic watermill to Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Limited (WBCML), which has operated the mill as a tenant since 2020.

Further details on how to help Warwick Bridge Corn Mill, and to get involved as a volunteer, can be found here: The Future – A Statement from the Management Committee – Warwick Bridge Corn Mill

*The waterweheel at Warwick Brdge Corn Mill. Image courteys of Warwrick Bridge Corn Mill.*

Historic England: Martyn’s Law & Heritage Webinar, June 10

May 28, 2026May 26, 2026mikenevell

Historic England is holding the first in a new series of ‘Historic Environment Management’ webinars. The new series will begin on 10 June with ‘Counter-terrorism security and the heritage sector: An introduction to Martyn’s Law and the terrorist threat’.

The webinar will introduce the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, also known as Martyn’s Law, and explore how it applies to heritage sites and the heritage sector. It will also look at the current terrorism threat in the UK, how and where incidents might happen, and the types of threats you may need to protect against at your industrial heritage site.

To sign up for the free webinar follow this link: Historic Environment Management: HEM Webinars | Historic England

London Museum of Water & Steam Talk: Steam Engines, Kew, and the Victorian Sanitary Crisis by James Douet

May 26, 2026June 1, 2026mikenevell

The London Museum of Water & Steam will be hosting a talk by researcher and author James Douet on Thursday August 27 about the Victorian Sanitary Crisis. James will be drawing on the research for his 2024 book, ‘The Architecture of Steam’. This research showed how the dramatic design of Victorian waterworks reflected the high importance that British society of the day put on clean and wholesome water.

James’ book was awarded the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s prize for outstanding scholarship in 2024, and shows how steam powered waterworks were the key technology which, in the 19th century, pulled industrial cities back from the disease and filth that threatened urban life. There is no better place to see this architecture and technology than at the London Museum of Water and Steam. The volume places the London pumping stations, and especially the Kew Bridge waterworks, at the forefront of this global technological advance. The illustrated talk connects steam engineering, Victorian architecture and the day-to-day operation of a pumping station in a vivid narrative, and explains why Kew Bridge and Kempton Park should together be considered for UNESCO’s World Heritage list as the world’s outstanding sites of the water industry.

James Douet worked for English Heritage preparing listing recommendations before moving to live in Barcelona in 1996. He is involved with both TICCIH and ICOMOS, and assessed the successful World Heritage bid of Augsburg Water Management System. His other publications include ‘Going Up in Smoke’ for SAVE Britain’s Heritage (a study of industrial chimneys), and in 2025 ‘The Meaningful City, Reading Barcelona’s Urban Landscape’.

Talk tickets are £3 for members, and £5 for non-members. Add a copy of the James Douet’s 2024 book ‘The Architecture of Steam’ to your order and tye London Museum of Water & Steam will have it ready for you to collect on the day of the talk.

To book, follow this link: Event Page- Author Talk – London Museum of Water and Steam

National Trust Begins Ironbridge Gorge Museums Re-opening

May 22, 2026mikenevell

Following the National Trust’s landmark acquisition of the Ironbridge Gorge museums in March 2026, one of the largest in the Trust’s 130-year history, they are now able to start re-opening them.

Thanks to incredible hard work behind the scenes by the NT staff at Ironbridge, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Furnace Kitchen re-opened on the 20th May. The Blists Hill open-air Victorian town re-opened the following day, just in time for the May half-term holiday. A phased re-opening for the remaining museums and sites in The Gorge will continue throughout the year.

Getting these complex World Heritage Sites ready for the May half-term has been a massive undertaking, requiring everything from deep cleans to intense operational planning. Claire Tafft, Project Manager for Visitor Engagement at Ironbridge, praised the staff’s dedication: “The Victorian shops and cottages have all had a spring clean and the costumes are all pressed ready… We appreciate everyone’s support as we begin this new chapter.”

Mark Agnew, Project Director for Ironbridge, said: “Our goal is to grow the number of people that visit these wonderful sites and tackle the barriers that often prevent people from engaging with heritage. After a huge amount of work behind the scenes…this is just the start of a long-term vision.”

Visits to Blists Hill must be pre-booked online during this initial phase due to IT connectivity works on site. Follow this link to book a visit through the National Trust website.

*The canal and mine at Blists Hill ahead of re-opening by the National Trust in May 2026. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell*

The Newcomen Society Launches Small Grants Scheme

May 19, 2026May 18, 2026mikenevell

The Newcomen Society has introduced a Small Grants programme, aimed at organisations who are working in the field of the history of engineering and technology, and are charities, voluntary organisations, or registered archives holding relevant collections. The scheme will initially run for a year, February 2026 to February 2027, before being reviewed.

The new scheme is intended to fund projects which:

Support the collection, cataloguing and preservation of objects and archives about the history of technology.
Promote the display and interpretation of the history of technology.
Encourage and support the publication and wider dissemination of material about the history of technology in a range of formats such as articles, videos, podcasts, conferences etc.

The minimum grant will be £500 and the maximum £10,000, with applications possible throughout the 12 months of the initial scheme. To download an application follow the link below:

Small Grants Application Form (.docx)

Expressions of interest should be made by email or post to the Hon Secretary, The Newcomen Society, P O Box 79326, London SW1P 9NP Email: cosec@newcomen.com

All successful applicants will be required to submit an end of project report and are encouraged to submit article(s) on their projects for possible publication in Newcomen Links or the International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology.

Updating the South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF) – Call to Take Part

May 18, 2026mikenevell

The Bureau for the Contemporary and Historic Consultancy (BUTCH) has been commissioned to support the update of the South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF). This is to make sure that it reflects all the research done in the last 18 years and that the priorities for future research are clear. This research framework includes a substantial post-medieval, industrial, and modern section, which will be of interest to the dozens of industrial heritage and archaeology sites, groups, and museums in the region.

The BUTCH team are looking for expressions of interest from experts in their field to fulfil two roles in this process. The roles are (1) Resource Assessment Chapter Team Lead; (2) Expert Panel Member. You may also wish to be involved in their commitment to engage the wider research community.

The online version of the current South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF), including the industrial section, can be found here: Post-Medieval, Industrial and Modern Periods – South West England Research Framework

If you are interested in taking part, please register your interest by completing the form, via the link below, by 7 June 2026 for roles 1 and 2. The form will remain open for those who wish to be updated on the project or who might be interested in being involved in future discussions. The link for the form is here: SWARF Involvement https://lnkd.in/e-gu3exM

*The front cover of the 2008 SWARF monograph.*

Volunteer Opportunities at Severn Valley Railway & Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

May 14, 2026mikenevell

Heritage railways are always a good source of volunteer opportunities and this spring two of them are looking for volunteers to help with their running.

The Severn Valley Railway has appealed for volunteers to help when Railway 200’s Inspiration touring locomotive returns to its Kidderminster station in Shropshire at the end of May. The Railway 200 Inspiration exhibition train will arrive for half-term on 23 May and will allow visitors to “explore the railway’s 200-year story of innovation” until 31 May. Visitor engagement manager Lewis Maddox said that “This is a fantastic opportunity to volunteer and be part of something truly special, supporting visitors, bringing the exhibition to life, and helping create memorable experiences for families during the half-term holiday.” For further details follow the link here: Volunteer with us | Severn Valley Railway

The Ravengalls & Eskdale Railway are always looking for volunteers to help restore the railway’s historic rolling stock, delve into the archive, or engage with the public in their museum and restored Signal Box. Whether you can weld or wield a paintbrush, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway will welcome your help and provided training. Contact the raiwlay via the link here: Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.

*Signal box at Ravengalss Station, Cumbria. Image copyright Dr Micahel Nevell.*

Images of Industrial Heritage: ICOMOS UK Photography Competition 2026

May 12, 2026mikenevell

ICOMOS UK are inviting mebers of the public to enter their second photography competition, which this year is on the theme, ‘Images of Industrial Heritage’. The photography competition, which was launched at ICOMOS UK’s Industrial Heritage event at the canal museum in London last month, will celebrate built and living heritage around the world.

To mark the launch of the ICOMOS UK Industrial Heritage Committee, this competition will explore changing approaches to and perceptions of industrial heritage, and reflect on how they are preserved, celebrated, and debated. There are four categories that images can be submitted for, which aim to record, celebrate, or pose questions about the variety of industrial heritage and its impact on people:

Machinery – working or redundant engines, equipment, production lines and processes
Buildings & Structures – from the monumental to the fragmentary
Landscapes and their transformation by the presence or disappearance of industrial activity and processes
People and community – making, conserving, taking part, moving away

Detail on how to enter the competion, the deadline for which is the 1st September, can be found here: Photographic Competition.

*Preserved* gasholder. Image courtesy of ICOMOS UK.

National Mills Weekend: Dozens of Wind & Water Mills Open 9 to 10 May in England

May 5, 2026mikenevell

National Mills Weekend is an annual celebration of windmills and watermills, promoted by the Mills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). This year, hundreds of sites will be open across Britain and Ireland, with dozens of wind and water mills available to explore in England during the weekend of the 9th & 10th May, 2026.

The sites open include three owned by SPAB, who will be running tours at Fladbury Water Mill in Worcestershire, Cropthorne Mill also Worcestershire, and at Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill, Leicestershire.

To share images of your mill and/or a National Mills Weekend event follow this link: National Mills Weekend. To find a wind or water mill open near you explore this list of national and regional mill groups, and their websites:

SPAB also has an extensive list of mills contacts here: contacts