industrial archaeology – Page 6 – Industrial Heritage Networks

World of Glass, St Helens, Launches Emergency Fund Appeal

July 2, 2025mikenevell

The World of Glass (based around the 19th century Hotties furnaces) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, but its immediate future is underthreat. The St Helens’ based industrial heritage attraction has launched an emergency funding campaign with the aim of raising £50,000 over the next three months.

The museum and art gallery is facing a combination of increasing competition for funding across the charity sector, and a steep rise in annual running costs.

Its closure would be a great blow to the town, not least because in 2026 the International Festival of Glass (ifg.org.uk) will be hosted in St Helens for the very first time. The Glass Art Society (GAS) (Glass Art Society – Glass Art Society) has invited The World of Glass to partner with them to deliver the International Festival of Glass and the British Glass Biennale in 2026.

The museum has welcomed over 1 million visitors since opening in 2000 and serves thousands of local schoolchildren each year. It’s an independent charity that offers free cultural and education experiences including historic furnaces, hands-on exhibits, and live glassblowing. It is home to the town’s library, community spaces, interactive galleries, meeting rooms, a café, shop, and live glass blowing demonstrations. The site also includes one of the finest examples of a regenerative furnace in England, the Grade II* listed Tank House No. 9, a Scheduled Monument.

The World of Glass is open Wed-Sun and Bank Holidays, 10-4pm. Entry is free, but with a recommended donation of £3. There is free parking on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Follow this link to donate: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-world-of-glass

*The World of Glass, St Helens. Image courtesy of The World of Glass.*

East Midlands Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 25 July

June 30, 2025mikenevell

Bookings are now open for the next in-person East Midland’s Industrial Heritage Network meeting to be held at Cromford Mills, Derbyshire, on Friday 25 July, 11am to 3pm.

Established in 2018, these regional meetings are designed to bring together those industrial heritage sites open to the public in each region, and local groups and individuals working or volunteering on industrial archaeology and heritage subjects and sites in the area. The format is a round-table discussion in the morning, with a tour of the site in the afternoon.

All IHN members are very welcome to attend. You can turn up on the day or follow this link to book a place via Eventbrite:

West Midlands Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 25 June

June 18, 2025mikenevell

There’s still time to book a place on the next in-person West Midland’s Industrial Heritage Network meeting to be held at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust on Wednesday 25 June, at 11am in the Glass Glassroom behind the Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale.

All IHN members are very welcome to attend. You can turn up on the day or follow this link to book a place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-midlands-industrial-heritage-network-meeting-tickets-1377368599559?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Long Shop Museum Recieves £14,000 Aim Grant for Revamped Gallery

June 14, 2025June 13, 2025mikenevell

The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) have announced the winners of the inaugural Museum Fundamentals grants. Funded by the Pilgrim Trust and The Julia Rausing Trust and launched in December 2024, the AIM Museum Fundamentals grant is designed to respond to the varied needs of AIM members.

Amongst the initial round of 12 grants is a succesful application from The Long Shop Muaseum in Suffolk to redesign and redisplay the ‘Made in Leiston’ gallery. The design and content of the new exhibition is based on audience research conducted over the last two seasons. The new displays will focus on unlocking the social history of the town and the people who lived and worked there over a 250-year span, and on technological change. The Long Shop Museum was founded in 1984. It is housed in a cluster of historic buildings in the Suffolk market town of Leiston. The buildings are survivors of the original 19th century engineering works site of Richard Garrett and Sons who specialised in famring machinery. Further details here:

https://www.longshopmuseum.co.uk/

The AIM Museum Fundamentals grant is funded by the Pilgrim Trust and The Julia Rausing Trust, and launched in December 2024. It combines the valued collections care and conservation funding supported by the Pilgrim Trust with new funding from The Julia Rausing Trust. AIM members can apply for up to £20,000 for funding to undertake a collections-based project. If you’re interested in applying to Museum Fundamentals, expressions of interest for the next round are welcome until Friday 8 August. Further details here: https://aim-museums.co.uk/news/first-aim-museum-fundamentals-awards-made/

*Long Shop, Leiston, Suffolk. Image copyright The Long Shop Museum.*

Historic England Launch New Book: ‘England’s Lost Transport Heritage from the Air’

June 13, 2025mikenevell

Historic England and Liverpool University Press have recently published ‘England’s Lost Transport Heritage from the Air’, our latest industrial heritage title – https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/englands-lost-transport-heritage-from-air/. Written by Allan Brodie, this book uses Aerofilms’ remarkable photographic collection to tell the story of England’s lost transport heritage, from Roman roads to supersonic Concorde.

Flying across the country from 1919 onwards Aerofilms recorded England’s complex infrastructure of road, rail and maritime transport. The book complements Historic England’s earlier publications ‘England’s Railway Heritage from the Air (https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/englands-railway-heritage-from-the-air/) and ‘England’s Motoring Heritage from the Air’ (https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/englands-motoring-heritage-from-air/).

*Heston Airport, Heston, Greater London (August 1932). Image copyright Historic England. Aerofilms Collection*

Ironbridge ‘Getting Us Winding Again’ Appeal Recieves Significant Donation

June 7, 2025June 7, 2025mikenevell

The Winding Engine at Blists Hill Victorian Town is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s earliest and most significant exhibits. One of the very few preserved steam winding engines – and of even fewer able to wind up and down a historic mine shaft – it has been out of action since 2018. To repair and restore this machinery will cost £100,000. A fudn was setup in 2024 to raise this amount, and it has recently recieved a genrous donation from the 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust.

*Winding head gear at Blists Hill, Ironbridge. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.*

When it is working, the Winding Engine exhibit can bring the sounds, smells and sights of a working engine to life for our visitors. It helps us tell the story of the men, women and children who worked in Shropshire mines and the daily dangers they faced. It also demonstrates a vital feature of mining and the development of mining and engineering during the Industrial Revolution.

The phased plan for work will see the pit head, boiler house, and engine house refurbished, the mine shaft inspected and cage refit. The work will primarily be carried out by IGMT’s Steam Team, expert volunteers, supported by our Steam Engineer and outside contractors.

More money still needs to be raised, so if you would like to contribute to getting the engine winding again follow this link:

https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/about-us/support-us/get-us-winding-again/

*The winding engine at Blists Hill, Ironbridge, spring 2025. Image coyrigth Dr Michael Nevell.*

Cheddleton Flint Mill to Host ‘Flint Garretaw: Music at the Mill’ Fundraising Event

June 3, 2025mikenevell

On the 28th June 2025 the Cheddleton Flint Mill Industrial Heritage Trust will be hosting a live music festival at the listed 18th century bone mill. This is a festival fundraiser to mark the centenary of the Garretaw carnival on the Caldon Canal in 1925, hence the ‘Flint Garretaw’ naming.

The festival village will be situated on the Flint Mill car park between the river and the canal with a specially built stage utilising the Mill as a uniquely lit backdrop to an afternoon and evening of music and various activities with both water wheels turning. All proceeds from this event go to the charity Cheddleton Flint Mill Industrial Heritage Trust. (Registered Charity No: 254196)

Book your place via any of the following:

Online: https://wegottickets.com/event/654925

Or in person at Cheddleton Flint Mill (open Mondays & Wednesdays).

All enquiries: flintgarretaw@gmail.com

Cheddleton Flint Mill is a fine example of a water mill that ground flint for the local Staffordshire pottery industry. The site features two listed water mills, a small museum, a period cottage, the canal, and many other exhibits. The site is open to the public and is run by The Cheddleton Flint Mill Industrial Heritage Trust which was formed in 1967.

Festival of Archaeology 2025

May 28, 2025mikenevell

The Festival of Archaeology is back this summer (19th July to the 3rd August 2025), and the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) want you to be part of it! Whether you’re a local society, heritage organisation, youth group, community project, or passionate individual, your event can help open up archaeology to new audiences. This year’s Festival theme is Archaeology and Wellbeing.

Archaeology is a wonderful way to make a positive impact on people’s well-being. During this year’s Festival, CBA will be incorporating the five ways to wellbeing into the events and activities, creating opportunities for people to give, be active, learn, take notice and connect. The Festival of Archaeology brings history to life, inspiring curiosity, learning, and engagement with the past. Each year, CBA connect thousands of people across the UK with archaeology through events, activities, and digital content.

Access to the organiser materials now requires an individual to log in to have access and permission to use the Festival of Archaeology branding materials and ulitise the amazing FREE guidance and training CBA provide to help you with your events. To submit your event follow this link:

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/organiser-area.html

Discover some of the 2025 Festival events already planned here: https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/festival-event-listing.html

Industrial Heritage Network Meetings for 2025: West Midlands Date Released

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025mikenevell

2025’s in-person Industrial Heritage Network (IHN) meetings will be taking place over the summer and autumn. Established in 2018, these regional meetings are designed to bring together those industrial heritage sites open to the public in each region, and local groups and individuals working or volunteering on industrial archaeology and heritage subjects and sites in the area. The format is a round-table discussion in the morning, with a tour of the site in the afternoon.

The first meeting for 2025 will be for the West Midlands IHN, which will be held at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in the Glass Classroom on the Coalbrookdale site on 25th June. After a general meeting in the morning, there will be an afternoon tour of current conservation works at Blists Hill.

All IHN members are very welcome to attend. A booking link via Eventbrite can be found here. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-midlands-industrial-heritage-network-meeting-tickets-1377368599559?aff=oddtdtcreator

These meetings are part of the Industrial Heritage Support project for England, run by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and funded by Historic England and the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

*Colliery headgear and canal at Blists Hill, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.*

Historic England Launch Local Heritage Hub Webpages

May 21, 2025mikenevell

Coinciding with this year’s Local History Month, Historic England has launched a new Local Heritage Hub. With nearly 400 locations, every county, city, district, major town, and national park in England now has a dedicated digital page that uncovers its rich and layered history.

Offering a wide range of content, from fascinating aerial photographs showing towns and villages through time, to curated selections of listed buildings, videos, blogs, and podcasts, the Local Heritage Hub invites members of the public to discover their local area through a new lens.

According to Savanta polling for Historic England in August 2024, 71% of those polled wanted to see more recognition of heritage in their area. Further Savanta polling for Historic England in February 2025 showed that 58% of those responding agreed that local heritage enhances their daily lives. The new platform will reflect what people are looking for in their local areas, and it’s designed not only to inform, but also to also encourage people to see familiar places in unfamiliar ways.

The new service – which will continue to expand with new places, information, and sections added over time – will make local heritage and histories more relevant, relatable, and engaging to more people’s everyday lives, inspiring conversations, unlocking memories, and sparking new interests.

To explore your local area on the Historic England website follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/local

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Category: industrial archaeology