mikenevell

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

*A typical humped-back bridge on the Lancaster Canal near the city of Lancaster*

Crofton Beam Engines Given Grant to Expand Children’s Activities

March 26, 2024mikenevell

Crofton Beam Engines has secured a grant of £6,120 from the Association of Independent Museums under its ‘New Stories New Audiences’ programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their ‘Crofton for Kids’ project. The grant will fund the development and production of a class set of working models of the pumping station, buildable by children and designed by volunteers.

Visiting groups of children will visit the station to learn how it works. They will be helped to build the models and will then work in small groups to create short videos about the station. These videos will be made accessible to visitors to the station through the use of QR codes, taking advantage of the intranet installed around the site.

Whitney Cawley, the Learning and Community Engagement Officer at Crofton Beam Engines said: “This is an exciting opportunity to develop our activities with children. We have already signed up three local schools to work with us, and are talking to others. We will then be able to use the models created as part of the project in our existing learning sessions and incorporate them into a more regular family workshop which we hope to offer throughout the year”. Graham Snook, a Trustee and Chairman of the Crofton Branch, said: “This grant recognises the value of the work we are doing at Crofton to develop our learning and engagement programme. We are grateful to the Association of Independent Museums for their continuing support to small museums such as Crofton Beam Engines.”

The New Stories New Audiences programme is designed to support small museums to stay relevant to their audiences and to increase their impact by identifying new stories and by working with a new partner, to work differently and to try something new.

Crofton Beam Engines is owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, a registered charity. It is managed by the Crofton Branch of the Trust. For more information follow this link: https://www.croftonbeamengines.org/

Historic England Funding More Projects to Uncover and Celebrate Working Class Heritage

March 20, 2024mikenevell

Historic England’s Everyday Heritage Grant programme aims to shine a light on the diversity of heritage and is part of Historic England’s commitment to ensuring that a wider range of people are able to connect with, enjoy and benefit from the historic environment. Building on the success of Historic England’s first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, they are funding an additional 56 projects that celebrate working class histories and the historic places that make up everyday life.

The grants are for creative projects that focus on heritage connecting people to historic places, specifically those people and places that are overlooked or underrepresented. The community-led projects will explore the diverse stories of people and places, such as homelessness in Waterloo, a pen factory in Newhaven, and roller-skating in Birmingham. The total amount of funding awarded by Historic England is £875,000, ranging from £6,800 to £25,000 per individual project.

For details of all these projects and those funded in 2023 follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/campaigns/help-write-history/everyday-heritage-grants/

L T C Rolt: Life, Work, Legacy. Ironbridge Conference Booking Now Open

March 14, 2024March 12, 2024mikenevell

Booking is now open for a major conference at Ironbridge looking at the life, work, and legacy of L T C Rolt on the 10th May 2024. L T C Rolt, also known as Tom, was a renowned practical engineer and prolific author who wrote books and articles on industrial history, canals, railways, and cars as well as fiction. Rolt was an early supporter of the work of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and is regarded as one of the founders of the 20th century waterways and railway preservation movements. He was also involved in helping to establish the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

To mark the 50th anniversary of his death, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has partnered with academics from Keele University to host a conference on Friday 10th May which will celebrate his life and the continuing legacy of his work. There will also be conference-related events on the 9th and 11th May.

The programme can be seen by following this link:

🗓️ See the programme here: https://bit.ly/42XRI0y

To book tickets follow this link:

🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/49xHcjm

*The team responsible* *for the recent re-archiving of the Rolt collection at IGMT*

Industrial World Heritage Workshop April 2024

March 12, 2024March 8, 2024mikenevell

World Heritage UK, in conjunction with Bangor University, is delighted to be hosting the 2024 World Heritage workshop on the 10th and 11th April 2024. The workshop will explore aspects of Industrial World Heritage as well as broader topics that will be of interest to all World Heritage and heritage professionals.

The two-day workshop will cover topics such as regeneration, events, tourism, STEM, intangible heritage, slavery and more. Included are afternoon guided site visits to Dinorwig Quarry, the National Slate Museum, Penrhyn Castle and Quarry and the Slate Landscape of NW Wales WHS, refreshments and buffet lunches. There is a social event on Wednesday evening with local food and live local music. Tickets for this social night are sold separately.

In-person workshop tickets are £100 for National Trust members, £115 for non-National Trust members and £75 for digital tickets. The social night is £30 pp. Sadly there is no wheelchair access to the social night.

For more details and to book, please go to https://worldheritageuk.org/events/world-heritage-uk-2024-spring-workshop/

There you’ll also find details on how to get to Bangor, and suggestions on where to stay, including discounted accommodation at the university’s management centre.

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Author: mikenevell