Category: IHSO

The Resilience and Sustainability of Publically Accessible Industrial Heritage Sites in England: New Report

The Resilience and Sustainability of Publically Accessible Industrial Heritage Sites in England: New Report

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A new report on Industrial Heritage Sites in England in 2026, commissioned by Historic England and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, has been published. This report, by Heritage Innovation, examines the resilience and sustainability of designated industrial heritage sites across England.

Focussing on designated industrial heritage sites that are accessible and interpreted to the public in England, it is a major update on two previous English Heritage (now Historic England) commissioned reports, carried out in 1998 (by PLB Consulting Ltd) and 2008 (by the late Sir Neil Cossons). Drawing on desk-based research, questionnaires and interviews, its emphasis is on industrial sites open as heritage attractions, including both museums and monuments. There are sections on:

  • ownership
  • governance
  • function
  • finance
  • management
  • access
  • conservation
  • interpretation
  • and marketing

Having considered the findings, it concludes with a series of ten recommendations. These include strengthening advocacy, increased support for the IHSO project, revitalising volunteering, developing technical skills, continued sector monitoring, exploring new approaches to governance and funding, and researching heritage fuels. It also calls for a strategic review to set priorities for the industrial heritage sector over the next 25 years.

The report and its findings will help take forward the work of the Historic England-funded Industrial Heritage Support Officer (IHSO) project, hosted by the Ironbridge Gorge | National Trust (further details on the project here – https://industrialheritagesupport.com/ (this current website) and https://industrialheritagenetworks.com/). The IHSO project is also supported by the The Association for Industrial Archaeology.

Dr Mike Nevell, IHSO, thanked Heritage Innovations for their hard work in pulling together data from a very varied sector, noting that ‘this is the first study of the industrial hertiage sector in a generation. Its findings and recommendations will be of considerable interest to all those involved in the care and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage, especially local authorities and other public bodies, charitable trusts, and volunteer groups’.  

To download the report follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/current/discover-and-understand/industry-and-infrastructure/industrial-heritage-in-england/.

Further details about Heritage Innovation’s other work can be found here: Heritage Innovation | Cultural Heritage Consultancy UK

The Longwarehouse and Museum of Iron, part of the National Trust Ironbridge Gorge sites taken over in March 2026 from the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell

Industrial Heritage Networks Online – Spring Dates for 2026

Industrial Heritage Networks Online – Spring Dates for 2026

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The next round of online Industrial Heritage Network (IHN) meetings will provide a lunchtime opportunity to connect in Spring 2026. The IHNs are a vital part of the Industrial Heritage Support Project (IHSO), providing an opportunity for individuals, both professional and volunteer, working at Industrial Heritage sites in England to get together to exchange experiences and catch up with the latest trends in the sector.

This Spring’s online Industrial Heritage Network meetings will be taking place during later February and March at a midweek lunchtime, 1pm to 2pm. Those attending are very welcome to bring a drink and a sandwich whilst we spend an hour talking about updates from individual sites, as well as current trends. The date for the 10 IHN online meetings are as follows:

  • 24 February – West Midlands IHN
  • 25 February – East Midlands IHN
  • 3 March – East of England IHN
  • 4 March – London IHN
  • 11 March – Yorkshire IHN
  • 12 March – South East IHN
  • 17 March – North West IHN
  • 18 March – Cornwall & Devon IHN
  • 26 March – South West IHN
  • 27 March – North East IHN

Network members will be emailed joining details nearer the time. For queries about joining the Industrial Heritage Networks, please email the IHSO, Dr Michael Nevell, at: mike.nevell@mikenevell.org.uk

The IHSO project, which runs the IHNs, is funded by grants from Historic England and the Association for Industrial Archaeology, and is based at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shopshire, England.

Places Still Available for South West and Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network Meetings

Places Still Available for South West and Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network Meetings

mikenevell

There are still free places available for the next two Industrial Heritage Network meetings in November. These meetings are an opportunity to chat in-person with volunteer and professionals from a variety of industrial heritage sites in each region.

To book a place on the South West Industrial Heritage Network meeting, at Crofton Beam Engines, on Friday 7th November foillow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1827645881029?aff=oddtdtcreator

To booka palce on Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network meeting, at Coldharbour Mill, on Thursday 6th November follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1827645881029?aff=oddtdtcreator

South West Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 7 November

South West Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 7 November

mikenevell

The next in-person South West Industrial Heritage Network meeting will be held at Crofton Beam Engines on Friday 7th November, from 11am to 1pm. This will be followed, after lunch (please bring your own), by a tour of the site (2pm to 3pm). The themes for the 2025-26 IHN meetings are conservation and maintenance.

All IHN members and friends are very welcome to attend. To book a free place follow this link:

Register on Eventbrite

Crofton Beam Engines was built in 1807-9 to supply water to the highest point of the Kennet & Avon Canal which links London and Bristol. It is a rare survivor of the technology which enabled British engineers to drain mines and supply towns and cities with water throughout the world. For more details about the site follow this link: https://www.croftonbeamengines.org/about/

Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 6 November

Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 6 November

mikenevell

The next in-person Cornwall & Devon Industrial Heritage Network meeting will be held at Coldharbour Mill, Devon, on Thursday 6th November from 11am to 1pm. This will be followed, after lunch (there is a cafe on site), by a tour of the site (2pm to 3pm). The themes for the 2025-26 IHN meetings are conservation and maintenance.

All IHN members and friends are very welcome to attend. Follow the link below to book a free place.

Register on Eventbrite

Coldharbour Mill is a 200-year-old spinning mill in Uffculme, Devon. It was built by Thomas Fox to spin woollen and later worsted yarns in 1799. It opened as a museum in 1982, and has continued to produce high quality worsted knitting yarn on its period machinery. For more details about the mill follow this link: https://www.coldharbourmill.org.uk/

Industrial Heritage in England Survey Stage 1 Update

Industrial Heritage in England Survey Stage 1 Update

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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. Funded by Historic England, the 2024 survey is gathering data on these sites which will be compared with similar reports undertaken in 2008 and 1998, and will inform Historic England’s draft Industrial Heritage Strategy and future strategy for the Industrial Heritage Support Officer (IHSO). Stage 1 of the Industrial Heritage Sites in England Survey 2024 the online survey, has been been completed. Stage 2, targetted interviews with selected sites, is now underway.

The survey is being undertaken by Heritage Innovation, who ran the online survey was in April and May. Some of the initial findings gathered by Heritage Innovation show that:

  • 48.3% of Industrial Heritage sites were owned by a preservation trust or society.
  • 83.6% of preservation trusts or societies had charitable status.
  • 44.8% of sites were accredited museums.
  • 52.6% of sites had found it ‘quite difficult’ to secure public sector funding in the last three years.
  • 73.7% of sites said they found it ‘fairly difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to attract new volunteers.
  • 72.4% of sites had original plant and machinery in situ.

Stage 2 of the survey, which is running across July, is a series of up to 12 interviews of those running industrial heritage sites across England, from entitely volunteer run sites, to the largest industrial heriage trusts. The results of the project will be published later in the year, including a free online seminar in the autumn.

Graph courtesy fo Heritage Innovation

Industrial Heritage Support Update, April to June 2021

Industrial Heritage Support Update, April to June 2021

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April saw the second round of COVID-19 recovery grants, with Historic England (HE) distributing over £8m to 64 sites, and Arts Council England (ACE) distributing £13.5 million to 72 sites. Railways accounted for over 50% of the sites receiving support from HE in April, whilst ACE support was spread across a wider range of industrial sites in this round.

Headstocks at Blists Hill, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. This was one of the first industrial heritage sites to re-open in Spring 2021.

Smaller sites such as wind and watermills are notable absentees from both lists. However, it should be noted that application for funds in both rounds was entirely voluntary. There are limited reports of further redundancies in the first five months of 2021, but there were fewer reports of vandalism and trespass on industrial heritage sites. 

The 17th May saw further easing of the COVID restrictions for indoor venues and marked the beginning of a mass re-opening of industrial heritage sites in England. As during the summer re-opening of 2020, this was led by the larger open-air industrial museums and the Heritage Railways sector. A rapid online review of industrial archaeology and heritage websites and facebook pages was undertaken at the end of June to assess the level of re-opening of sites. Many industrial sites re-opened between mid-May and the end of June, with roughly 50% open by 30 June. More are planning on re-opening in July and August as restrictions are lifted.

The Industrial Heritage Networks (IHNs) are a key part of the Industrial Heritage Support project, and were set up in 2018 with the help of the Association for Industrial Archaeology and the Association of Independent Museums. These IHNs meet twice a year, online, to discuss current issues and opportunities for those running industrial heritage sites. The first round of online IHN meetings for London, the North West, West Midlands, South West, North East, Cornwall & Devon, and South East were held between October 2020 and April 2021. 82 individuals from 60 organisations took part in these network meetings, with a key theme being the impact of the pandemic on volunteers. A further round of online meetings will be held in the autumn and winter of 2021/22.

IHNs are currently being set up for the East Midlands, East of England, and Yorkshire with online meetings planned for July, August, and September. If you work or volunteer in industrial heritage in these regions and want to get involved in sharing knowledge and experience through the new IHNs, please contact the IHSO, Dr Mike Nevell.

New IHSO now in post – March 2020

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Our new Industrial Heritage Support Officer for England, Dr Mike Nevell, started on 2nd March and is looking forward to meeting and talking to all the members of the industrial heritage networks over the next few months.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in industrial archaeology and industrial heritage. His previous post was Head of Centre, at the Centre for Applied Archaeology, University of Salford. He might be familiar to some, though, through his past roles as a Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology and co-editor of the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s international journal, Industrial Archaeology Review. He has been involved with many local groups and local museums over the last three decades, and has occasionally appeared on archaeology television programmes. Mike’s specialist areas include stationary steam engines, textile mills, warehouses and workers’ housing, and the archaeology of industrialisation, on which subjects he has published extensively.

Mike can be emailed at mike.nevell@ironbridge.org.uk, and his personal blog is available at http://www.archaeologytea.wordpress.com. Don’t forget to follow the IHSO project on twitter @IHSOengland and on Facebook  – http://www.facebook.com/IHSOengland