The South Wales and West of England Regional Industrial Archaeological Conference 2025 (SWWERIAC) will take place on 26th April at Walton Village Hall. SWWERIAC took place annually until the Covid Epidemic struck. Oxford House Industrial History Society’s initiative revived the event in 2024. The Somerset Industrial Archaeology Societty (SIAS: www.sias.me.uk) has volunteered to organize the 2025 conference.
SIAS extends a cordial invitation to those interested in Industrial Archaeology to attend the conference in Walton Village Hall (http://www.waltonvillagehall.org). There will also be displays by the associated societies and publications will be on sale. The cost, including refreshments and lunch, is £25. Walton is situated on the A39 just west of Street and approximately 20 miles east of Junction 23 of the M5. The Village Hall is situated just north of the A39 at the end of Meadow Close.
PROGRAMME
09.15 – Registration opens. Tea, coffee, fruit juices and biscuits
10.00 – Welcome – Peter Daniel (President of SIAS)
10.10 – Peter Daniel – The Industrial Archæology of the Porlock Area
10.50 – Terry Stevens – The Unique Heritage of Coker Canvas
11.10 – Break. Tea, coffee, fruit juices and biscuits
11.30 – Stephen Miles – The Kilve Oil Shale Scandal
12.30 – Lunch: cold buffet. Please indicate any dietary requirements
13.50 – Samantha Cullen (Alfred Gillet Trust) – The New Shoemaker Museum
14.30 – Mary Miles – Clarke’s Influence on the Buildings of Street
15.10 – Break. Tea, coffee, fruit juices and biscuits
15.30 – Vanessa Ruhlig – Saving Fox’s Cloth and Dye Works at Tone Dale
16.10 – Close of Conference
16.15 – Visits (maps giving directions to the sites will be available on the day)
Choice of Post-conference Visits:
Street Buildings: A level walk around the centre of Street. We will see the development of industrial housing including grade II listed terraces which feature in books on the Arts & Craft Movement, public buildings, schools, a library, fire station, and swimming pool.
Glastonbury Fossick – Visiting the surviving buildings of Morland’s and Baily’s tanneries and sheepskin works. The walk will start by the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway offices and will be just over a kilometre in length, all on the level. Morland’s and Baily’s were the major industrial employers in Glastonbury and there was a time just after WWII when they employed about 5000 people between them. The grade II listed buildings of Baily’s, including a landmark chimney, are about to be converted. There are also workers’ houses. Surviving buildings of Morland’s include the Red Brick Building and the Zig-zag Building.
Westonzoyland Pumping Station and Museum of Steam Power and Land Drainage: The Museum is housed in the first steam pumping station to be built on the Somerset Levels. Dated 1830, it is grade II* listed as is one of the earliest in the country. The existing engine, an Easton and Amos machine built in 1861, replaced an earlier beam engine and scoop-wheel pump. The site is also home to a collection of historic engines and items used in the area, including a narrow gauge tramway.
Bridgwater Brick and Tile Museum: This exclusive visit will include a guided tour with particular reference to Industrial Archæology, and a tile-making demonstration.
Book via these links:
SWWERIAC 2025 Booking Form.docx [Word Document]
SWWERIAC 2025 Booking Form.pdf [PDF Document]
SWWERIAC 2025 On-line Booking Form.docx [Word Document for electronic completion]
Industrial Heritage Networks 