Welcome to the Industrial Heritage Networks and Support website. This site is maintained and updated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust who run the project and the networks. We aim to support industrial heritage in England through networking, information exchange, guidance, and training. Please explore the website and please contribute! For more information you can … Read more Welcome to the IHNs website!
Part of the old ‘Nagger Line’ which runs across Lime Pit Lane, in Stanley, Yorkshire, is to to dug up over road safety fears. The narrowgauge track was part of a network of tramways dating back to the late 1700s that were used to transport coal from the many mines in the area. Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for highways, said the line is to be removed as its deteriorating condition is creating a traffic hazard. Residents have expressed concerns on social media over the loss of the much-loved piece of local history.
Councillor Morley added that it is hoped the some of the line can still be retained. The council had the lines independently assessed by civil engineers after receiving complaints of damage to passing cars. A report says the lines are twisted and badly damaged, causing them to move and lift parts of the road.
The Wandle Industrial Museum is hosting its third Wandle Arts Festival on Saturday 8th July between 11am and 5pm. Artist will be sharing their work alongside other art forms, photography, a variety of musical acts and environmental and community groups. You are invited to bring your picnic and enjoy a relaxing day of fun on the Lower Green West, Mitcham, Surrey.
The Wandle Arts Festival first took place in 2021 and was the first event to take place in Merton after the relaxing of the restrictions on outside activities and meeting following the pandemic. The museum will be open throughout the day. If you haven’t been before this day is a great time to do so.
Keele University and Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust have joined forces in a new partnership that will develop student opportunities and open doors for new research into 300 years of industrialisation. To find out more, go online and watch a short video, which includes a few words from Nick Booth, IGMT Collections and Learning Director, and Dr Mike Nevell, Industrial Heritage Support Officer for England.
To coincide with the launch, a roundtable discussion will take place on the evening of Monday 3 July to discuss the lessons that our industrial heritage might hold for the world’s transition to a zero-carbon economy. It will be chaired by Professor David Amigoni, Professor of Victorian Literature, Director of the Keele Institute for Social Inclusion and a member of Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trusts Collections and Learning Committee; Abbie King, IGMT’s Chief Operating Officer, will be one of the speakers.
To attend the roundtable discussion online use the link below. Please register no later than 4.00pm on the day of the event.
Ironbridge, Innovation, and Imagination: Industrial Memory as Global Challenge Monday 3 July 2023 6.00 – 7.00pm Online only via Microsoft Teams
Crofton Beam Engines has received a grant of £27,760 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project to develop and test ideas for increasing the number and range of people engaging with Crofton. The ‘Crofton 2030’ project will help Crofton Beam Engines retain its position as a premier heritage attraction, worthy of its Grade 1 listed status, and ensure that they can keep the engines operating to 2030 and beyond.
The grant is made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, and builds on a previous Heritage Fund grant in 2018 which funded repairs to the historic buildings, new visitor facilities such as accessible toilets and improved interpretation around the site. The project has four main elements:
• to review engagement and ‘value added’ activities at similar heritage sites; • to carry out market research on potential opportunities to broaden audiences and increase income; • to develop a Site Master Plan, making best use of our existing facilities and developing new facilities where needed and possible (given the limitations of the site); and • to develop a business strategy for Crofton running to 2030, and a more detailed three year forward plan.
Crofton have now appointed two heritage experts to assist us in this work, Riah Pryor and David Tucker. The project is being managed by a project group headed by Chris Bolt, Treasurer of The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and Vice-Chairman of the Crofton Branch. Chris commented that: “Crofton Beam Engines is one of the most significant industrial heritage sites in the UK and a fascinating visitor attraction. We want to increase the number and range of people who can enjoy and learn from our unique site. We are very grateful for the support of the Heritage Fund to help us do that.”
Riah Pryor said: “I am excited to be working with Crofton Beam Engines. There is great potential to expand its activities and I want to help find the best ways of doing this so that the future of this special part of Britain’s industrial heritage can be assured.” David Tucker added: “Having carried out some initial work for the Trust last year about ways Crofton Beam Engines could increase its appeal to visitors further, I am looking forward to helping the team develop clear plans which turn their ideas into reality.”
The Crofton 2030 project will be completed in the autumn. Crofton Beam Engines is owned by The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, registered charity no 209206 Website – https://www.croftonbeamengines.org/
“Loss of Wind leads to Loss of Windmill” is a well known Dutch saying, and Dutch planning law recognises and regulates wind loss resulting from new buildings close to a Windmill. With help and support from the SPAB, Steve Temple has been working to validate the Dutch techniques for assessing wind loss with the aim of achieving national recognition of the need to protect our stock of windmills against over-development. This talk updates his 2019 Mill News article and outlines the next steps. Every windmill owner and Planning Officer responsible for windmills needs to be aware of this problem and how it can be addressed.
Steve Temple is an inventor by profession and an engineer by education and finds the technology of mills fascinating, not least because they were such major contributors to the know-how of the Industrial Revolution. He is the owner of Impington Windmill and a former Vice Chairman of the SPAB Mills Section. He teaches annually at the Cambridge University’s Impulse programme for budding entrepreneurs.
Please note that bookings for the lecture will close on Tuesday 25th July at 6pm.The lecture will be recorded, and only registered bookings will receive a link for the recording after the lecture, the recording link will be available for up to 10 days after the live lecture.
Wednesday 26th July, 12pm-1pm. SPAB Member £8, Non-Member £9. Please book via the SPAB website using the link below
Heritage Open Days has released their events directory for the 2023 festival that will take place from 8-17 September. The events directory will enable interested individuals to search for events nearby during the festival, with more to be added in the run-up to it. In 2022 there were over 100 industrial heritage and archaeology sites open to the public.
2023 industrial heritage sites open to the public include the Armley Mills in Leeds, Finch Foundry in Devon, Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch, the 1900 cable station at Cuckmere Haven in Sussex, Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire, Somerset brick & Tile Museum, Torr Vale Mill in Derbyshire, Thwaite Watermill in Leeds, Wheatley Windmill in Oxfordshire and many more.
After the success of the recent Friends of Bennerley Viaduct open day event, the Friends are hosting two more big events for the public this summer under the Iron Giant.
Nature Day at Bennerley Viaduct. 29th July 11am-3pmFamily fun exploring the amazing new paths and habitats created underneath Bennerley Viaduct. Fun science and nature themed activities. Ranger skills, wood art workshops and bug hunt. For further details email: info@bennerleyviaduct.org.uk
Family Fun Cycling Day at Bennerley Viaduct. 12th August 11am-3pm Join the Friends for a free fun day celebrating cycling. Borrow or bring a bike to try out the skills course or slalom fun zone. Bring your bike to Dr. Bike to get road worthy. Enjoy a fun trail in the nature paths. Browse stalls from local community groups, health and cycling groups and independent retailers. Get in touch if you want are a charity or community group who want a stall by emailing: info@bennerleyviaduct.org.uk
The AIA’s 50th Anniversary Conference will take place online via Zoom and in-person at the University of Bath this September! Full details of this historic event are now available on the AIA website https://industrial-archaeology.org/conferences/service001/ .
Want to attend online? The seminar and conference take place from Friday 1st September – Sunday 3rd September. Tickets cost £10 for members or £20 for non-members. Book online (see point 7 of the booking form available from the AIA website) to secure your spot.
Want to attend in-person? The full programme runs from Friday 1st September – Wednesday 6th September and includes a suite of brilliant talks and tours. You can pick and choose from the sessions to build the perfect programme for you. Book online.
And remember…the AIA want to make this historic conference accessible to all, and there is plenty of financial help available if you need it. A legacy from the late Patrick Knott, a former member of AIA, can provide a 50% discount (up to a maximum of £500) on the conference fees to eligible attendees from the UK or Ireland. Visit the AIA website for more details here: https://industrial-archaeology.org/index.php/aia-awards/peter-neaverson-awards/
As part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage 2033 strategy, their new 10-year strategy, they have increased the upper limit of their National Lottery Grants for Heritage supporting larger-scale heritage projects across the UK. The new strategy acknowledges that the old £5m grant threshold – which has been in place for over 20 years – was limiting opportunities for some potential initiatives.
NHLF want to invest in more ambitious heritage projects that share their belief in the power of heritage to bring people together, build pride in place and connection to the past. Therefore, 2023–2024 is a transition year ahead of full implementation of the new 10-year Heritage 2033 strategy. They will be making a series of changes as part of this transition, and the first change, from June 2023, is increasing the amount you can apply for to £10m.
Historic England has launched a new ‘History in the Making’ fund aimed at encouraging work with young people (aged 13-25) to create place markers across the North of England. These projects will mark and celebrate important local histories that have been overlooked and bring them to a broader audience. The scheme is about a place’s identity and what makes it special, from remembering local inspirational events, figures and histories, to physically connecting them to the places and spaces they occupied.
Historic England will provide grants of up to £15,000 to organisations or community groups who want to work directly with young people out-of-school hours, across the North of England in Levelling Up category 1 places, many of which contain industrial heritage and archaeology sites. Projects must be co-created, with young people’s voices at the heart of decision-making.
The deadline for applications is 14th July 2023. Details on how to apply and guidance notes on what might be funded can be found by following this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/get-involved/help-write-history/history-in-the-making/
Industrial Heritage Networks 