Category: Industrial heritage

European Fossil Fuels Needs Survey Of Industrial Heritage Sites

European Fossil Fuels Needs Survey Of Industrial Heritage Sites

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The Working Industrial & Mobile Heritage (WIMH) platform is being developed by umbrella organisations from throughout the industrial and mobile heritage sector in Europe. The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) is one of the partners in this project. The group is appealing to ERIH members and other industrial heritage sites in the UK for help in collecting evidence to protect a hugely important element of our industrial museums across Europe – their heritage in operation. Other partners currently include: TICCIH – The International Committee for Conservation of the Industrial Heritage; FEDECRAIL – Federation of European Museum & Tourist Railways; FIVA – Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens; and the Europa Nostra Industrial & Engineering Heritage Committee.

The working industrial and mobile heritage sector embraces historic machinery at industrial heritage sites and museums, railways, steam ships, road vehicles, and aviation. These all constitute a “social testimony” which ensures that the essential “know how” for the operation of steam powered machinery and combustion engines should not be lost for future generations. Cultural heritage enriches the lives of people and plays a role in enhancing Europe’s social capital. Our sector is also an important resource for economic growth, employment and social cohesion. Working industrial and mobile heritage depends on the continued and limited availability of fossil fuels, like coal and oil-based derivatives. Such fuels remain necessary for the dynamics of heritage machines and vehicles.

As set out in in the 2014 document “Towards an Integrated Approach to Cultural Heritage for Europe”, the European Union is committed to promoting industrial heritage. Our sector is currently facing certain challenges, such as reliance on a limited availability of fossil fuels. The European Union, and other national governments such as the UK throughout Europe, need to take a balanced approach to the almost negligible environmental impact of limited fossil fuel usage by the sector and the legitimate objective of preserving this heritage. For example, assisted also by retaining a continued source of suitable coal at a location within Europe.

A key task of the WIMH partnership is to try to gather as much data as possible of the current annual consumption of our sector, especially of coal but also historic oil based fuels. Considerable efforts have already been made in particular by the railway heritage sector in several countries, including the UK, and research is being undertaken by the historic road transport sector.

Who should respond?

Working from this foundation, the next steps are to build up a picture of at least approximate fossil fuel usage from the industrial heritage sector. This survey is for museums and heritage sites for whom fossil fuel power is needed for continued operation of pumps and industrial machines which form such an important part of the interpretation to the public at our sites. Not only coal-fired boilers and equipment, but also other machinery which operate with petrol, diesel, or other traditional oil based fuels. Follow this link to fill in the survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeFZ-1De8tw3OtpajPVj5aaGpxupHA73NSHOcHWXe3UEBmC-w/viewform?s=09

For any questions, please contact Hildebrand de Boer, ERIH Board Member + Liaison Officer ERIH + WIMH  hildebrandeboer@hotmail.com

Cultural Development Fund: Round Four Opens

Cultural Development Fund: Round Four Opens

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Arts Council England have announced the next stage of funding from the Cultural Development Fund. This is part of the wider Cultural Investment Fund which is funded by the Department for Media, Culture, and Sport and delivered by Arts Council England. In the past three rounds several industrial heritage sites and museums have been successful in applications, such as Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley.

Stage Four has a total of £15.2 million on offer, with grants ranging between £2 million and £5 million. In order to be eligible for Round Four, you must be either a local partnership led by a local authority, a Local Enterprise Partnership, or another appropriate body. The Cultural Development Fund aims to ‘unlock local growth, productivity and regenerate communities through capital investment in culture’. This money will act as a ‘boost’ for cultural venues across the country and improve access to culture. The Arts Council encourages applications from ‘Places that have a strategic vision for their development and can demonstrate both cultural maturity and commitment to culture-led growth but need investment in physical and/or digital infrastructure or other assets to accelerate and maximise their impact.’

The window for expression of interest for these grants opened on Monday 5th February 2024. The deadline for expressions of interest closes at 12pm on Friday 15th March 2024. Thereafter, applications open on Monday 8th April 2024, and the final deadline for submission will be at 12pm Friday 17th May 2024. To view the full announcement and to check your eligibility visit the Arts Council England website.

National Mills Weekend 2024, May 11th & 12th

National Mills Weekend 2024, May 11th & 12th

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The National Mills Weekend for 2024 will take place on 11 & 12 May 2024. Run once again by SPAB, this year’s theme will be ‘Enjoy Your Mill – Get Involved’. If you own or manage a mill and would like to take part in National Mills Weekend, please submit your details by 1st March using the link to the online form at the bottom of this page.

SPAB will use this information to update their Visit a Mill page on their website. If information is received after the deadline, SPAB cannot guarantee that your entry will be updated in time for National Mills Weekend.

More details of the event will be available on the SPAB website on the National Mills Weekend page in the spring. You will be able to download an information pack and a poster from the website. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email millsinfo@spab.org.uk.

Follow this link to register your site: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=c204gnlFbk-5mlcoglTpYGXDUBm8WgFIvYdS_7WR9LZUOVQwUUhZQjY5WlVSUEswQktHM0lTMzlaUy4u

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=c204gnlFbk-5mlcoglTpYGXDUBm8WgFIvYdS_7WR9LZUOVQwUUhZQjY5WlVSUEswQktHM0lTMzlaUy4u
SPAB Advice on how to Protect Your Old Building in Winter

SPAB Advice on how to Protect Your Old Building in Winter

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As the UK is experiencing a particularly stormy winter, with excessive rainfall and cold spells, now is a good time to review the free advice and guidance from the  Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) regarding the winter maintenance of old buildings. Whilst much of this is framed around domestic structures, the advice is also applicable to industrial buildings.

SPAB advises regular checks and maintenance on structures, whether they are a home or an old industrial building, as a way of making a huge difference to a building’s condition, lifespan, and energy efficiency. Follow this link for advice on preparing your old industrial building for cold weather: https://www.spab.org.uk/news/how-protect-your-old-building-winter-weather

And here is the link on how to keep your old building dry: https://www.spab.org.uk/news/money-saving-maintenance-tips-keep-your-home-warm-and-dry-winter

The Longwarehouse and Museum of Iron in snow, January 2024. Copyright Dr Michael Nevell.
Industrial Heritage Museums Facing Closure in 2024

Industrial Heritage Museums Facing Closure in 2024

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The cost of living crisis combined with cuts to Local Authority budgets in England are leading to the closure, or proposed closure, of industrial heritage sites and museums in 2024. Closures and threatened closures cover sites from Kent and Cornwall, to Hampshire and Yorkshire.

The Heartlands Trust and Cornwall Council have announced that the Heartlands Mining Heritage Centre, in Pool, Cornwall, is set to close, although the surrounding park, offices, and shops will remain open managed by the Council. The heritage centre opened in 2012. The Heartlands Trust said on its website (https://www.heartlandscornwall.com/) that it would cease trading at the end of January and “would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their support over the past 12 years”. A joint statement from the trust and the local council said: “Heartlands had never seen itself as a commercial operation but finance has always been precarious. Budget over-runs on the original build project meant vital units intended to provide rental streams were never built and intended developer contributions for playground maintenance were never received.” Further details here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-67924474)

In February 2023, Eastleigh Borough Council, which part funded the day-to-day operational costs of Bursledon Windmill, informed Hampshire Cultural Trust of their intention to withdraw their funding from the end of August 2023. Simultaneously, as part of a project to refurbish and replace the mill sails, Hampshire Cultural Trust commissioned a full health and safety report, the outcome of which was a requirement either to have staff available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to turn the mill, or to install a new tethering system for the sails. As of 14 November 2023, there has been no further decision regarding the long-term future of Bursledon Windmill and if it will continue to be open to the public after 1 April 2024. Hampshire Cultural Trust is continuing to work with HBPT and Hampshire County Council to seek clarity. Further details here: https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/bursledon-windmill

Just before Christmas 2023 Kent County Council announced a consultation on proposals to change the ownership arrangements of the eight windmills that are currently owned by KCC for eight windmills across the county for which it is currently responsible. The windmills affected are Chillenden Mill, Union Mill, Herne Mill, Drapers Mill, Meopham Mill, Davison’s Mill, West Kingsdown Mill, and Stocks Mill. The move would save the council around £800,000 during the years 2024 to 2029. Several of the mills are run by local voluntary groups who open the sites to the public. The proposal would be a change to the current strategy set out in the Kent Heritage Conversation Strategy and as such needs to go to public consultation. The consultation ends on January 29th 2024. Further details here: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/have-your-say-on-plans-to-sell-off-kent-s-windmills-297729/

The future of Thwaites Mill Museum in Leeds, where the local council is considering end its lease with the Canal and River Trust in 2025 (see https://industrialheritagenetworks.com/2023/12/18/thwaite-watermill-museum-under-threat-from-local-authority-budget-cuts/), remains unclear.

During the period 2020 to 2022 no industrial heritage sites nor industrial museums closed in England due to the COVID pandemic.

New Book on The Buildings of the Malting Industry

New Book on The Buildings of the Malting Industry

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The latest industrial heritage title by Historic England/Liverpool University Press has recently been published: ‘The Buildings of the Malting Industry: The production of malt from prehistory to the 21st century’ by Amber Patrick.

Malt is one of the main ingredients of beer, yet the buildings in which it was and is now produced have received very little attention. Although most towns and many villages had their own malthouse and kiln, this is the first book to address this important building type. Today, evidence for a malthouse may just be a name on a building or street, but where they survive the pyramidal roofs clearly demonstrate the presence of a malthouse as do other less recognisable features. This book shows how they changed over the centuries with accompanying illustrations, including those that have been converted to new uses. Further details can be found here – https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781837644285

This complements our previous publications: ‘Built to Brew: The History and Heritage of the Brewery’ (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781848022386) and ‘Oasts and Hop Kilns: A History’ (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781789622515)

Mills Archive Trust Launch emPOWERed Project

Mills Archive Trust Launch emPOWERed Project

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In late 2023 The Mills Archive Trust was awarded a grant of £198,751, made possible by the money raised by National Lottery Players, for the Reading emPOWERed research project. With funding until September 2025, The Mills Archive Trust will expand learning opportunities in the Reading area, Berkshire, about the history of wind and water power, revealing their course from traditional mills to modern turbines.

Wind and water power have the potential to address present and future climate needs. With the help of local people, groups, and experts nationwide, Reading emPOWERed will explore the resurging significance of wind and water power in the Reading area. The Mills Archive Trust will collaborate with local schools, arts groups, entrepreneurs, cultural groups and academics to deepen the local understanding of these energy sources. More details on the project can be found here: https://new.millsarchive.org/reading-empowered/

The Mills Archive Trust was established in 2002 as a permanent repository for historical and contemporary material on traditional mills and milling. It has rescued over 2 million documents and images that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill site.

Webinar Series on UK Industrial Heritage

Webinar Series on UK Industrial Heritage

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World Heritage UK is hosting a series of online talks in 2024, exploring the UK’s Industrial World Heritage. Each talk will be given by an expert closely associated with each World Heritage Site and will explore why that WHS is internationally important. Each webinar is recorded and ticket holders will be provided YouTube links for each talk, to revisit or catch-up with later.

The webinar topics, and dates, are as follows:

  • Thu 11th Jan – The Slate Landscape of NW Wales with David Gwyn, Heritage Consultant & Historian
  • Thu 8th Feb – Forth Bridge with Mark Watson from Historic Environment Scotland
  • Thu 7th Mar – Derwent Valley Mills with Adrian Farmer from Derbyshire County Council
  • Thu 4th Apr – Cornish Mining with Aynsley Cocks from Cornwall County Council
  • Thu 2nd May – Ironbridge Gorge with WHS Chair Marion Blockley
  • Thu 6th Jun – Saltaire with Sheena Campbell, Saltaire World Heritage Officer and Maggie Smith, Saltaire Collection
  • Thu 4th Jul – Reflecting on the UK’s Industrial World Heritage Sites with Ironbridge’s Brandi Hall-Crossgrove and Prof. Ian Wray from the Heseltine Institute, Liverpool University

Each webinar starts at 19.00 UK time and will run for approximately 60 minutes, including short Q&A sessions at the end. Tickets for individual webinars cost £5, or buy all seven for £25. For more details and to book, please go to https://worldheritageuk.org/events/

Image courtesy of World Heritage UK.
Greenwich Industrial History Society’s Talks on Youtube

Greenwich Industrial History Society’s Talks on Youtube

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Over the past couple of years talks on Zoom for Greenwich Industrial History Society have been recorded on Youtube.  The talks listed below are now available and more will be added soon.  They can be accessed via Youtube.  The  general link is https://www.youtube.com/@GreenwichIndustrialHistorySoc The talks available are as follows:

  • Charlton and Woolwich’s role in building the Pipeline Under The Ocean (PLUTO) of WW2. Stewart Ash. How Siemens Operation PLUTO got fuel to the Normandy beach-head in the Second World War.
  • Deptford, Greenwich and the History of Enslavement.  Judith Hibbert, and Helen Paul (Museum of Slavery and Freedom). The sad role of our part of London in the trade in enslaved people.  Deptford is the original point of departure for the first slaving ships.
  • George England and the Hatcham Locomotive Works. Kevin Robinson.Hatcham Locomotive Works New Cross was where George England (1812–1885) built six engines for the Ffestiniog Railway
  • Greenwich and Woolwich became the Birthplace of the Global Telecoms Network. Alan Burkitt-Gray.  Workplaces in Greenwich and Woolwich began what is now the global network that lets people communicate by phone, WhatsApp, Facebook and other platforms.
  • Greenwich Marsh to Greenwich Peninsula, 300 years of Regeneration. Mary Mills. The Greenwich Peninsula, now home to the O2, has been the scene of industry for a thousand years.
  • Greenwich Riverside, from Deptford to Charlton. Mary Mills. What do we really know about the Greenwich riverside? How has it evolved and been used over the centuries?
  • Keeping the World Connected, with Greenwich’s High-tech Industry. Stewart Ash. About submarine telecommunication cables and the vital role our area has played.
  • Marie Celeste de Casteras Sinibaldi, the undefeated blacksmith of Deptford. Ann Dingsdale.  The extraordinary personality of Marie Celeste de Casteras Sinibaldi, whom she calls the “undefeated blacksmith”.
  • Peter Marshall’s photographs of Greenwich and Docklands history since 1970. Peter Marshall. Photographing London since the 1970s with a particular interest in industrial and commercial buildings.  
  • Progress Estate, Eltham, Munitions Workers’ Housing. John McGuinness. The Great War created a need to house the enlarged workforce. The Progress Estate in Eltham, was built in 1915 to house Woolwich Arsenal workers.
  • Royal Greenwich: Archaeological Sites, Past, Present and Future. Mark Stevenson. The Archaeological Advisor to the Borough on sites from the recent past, current sites and as sites soon to see — archaeologists hard at work.
  • South London’s Failed Canals. Alan Burkitt-Gray. There are still remains of canals in south London if you know where to look. Built to connect to the English Channel they ultimately failed, while north London’s canals thrive.
  • Tools of Empire? The International Landscapes of the People and Materials of Submarine Telegraphs. Cassie Newland. Deconstruct the cables into their messy constituent parts, and tease out the international landscapes of people and materials linked by them – from the colonial copper-smelters in Chile to the indigenous gutta-percha collectors of Sarawak; and the peasant tar-burners of rural Sweden
  • Was There Really a Victorian internet?  Bill Burns. Over 170 years of history of communication after the laying of Greenwich made cables began in the mid-19th century
  • What about the workers? The Social History of Greenwich Hospital. Jacky Robinson. The Royal Hospital for Seamen, 1705 -1869, and the nurses and officers who lived and worked there
  • When Doctor Who and the Cybermen Came to Greenwich. Nigel Fletcher  The 25th anniversary of the TV series 1988 was marked by Silver Nemesis, part-filmed in Greenwich, on the peninsula. 

GIHS continues to lobby Greenwich Council to restore a properly functioning archive and museum service in the borough. Follow this link to sign the petition:   https://chng.it/cS7TtpzyHj

Add Your Images & Stories to Historic England’s Missing Pieces Project

Add Your Images & Stories to Historic England’s Missing Pieces Project

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This image of the ghost sign at the Jackfield Tile Works, within the Ironbridge World Heritage Site, was recently add to the National Heritage List maintained by Historic England. Copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

Historic England is inviting the public to the share their pictures and stories of the unique, significant, and memorable places recorded on the National Heritage List for England. The List is a register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites across England maintained by Historic England, and can be accessed via an interactive map on their website.

With thousands of industrial archaeology and heritage sites included on the List, this is a great opportunity to add material that will increase our understanding of the significance and importance of these sites to local communities and individuals. Historic England are encouraging two types of contribution:

  • Images: from phone snaps to scans of vintage photos and architects’ drawings, from wide angles to close-ups
  • Stories: from memories of holidays, school trips, and family events to information about grand openings and transformations

Any photographs included must be ones you took yourself, from public land or rights of way, or with the permission of the landowner. To add an historic image, you must have the rights to it.

For details on how to get involved and add your photograph or story of a place you know and love to England’s  the National Heritage List for England, follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/missing-pieces/