Category: Industrial heritage

London Museum of Water & Steam Talk: Steam Engines, Kew, and the Victorian Sanitary Crisis by James Douet

London Museum of Water & Steam Talk: Steam Engines, Kew, and the Victorian Sanitary Crisis by James Douet

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The London Museum of Water & Steam will be hosting a talk by researcher and author James Douet on Thursday August 27 about the Victorian Sanitary Crisis. James will be drawing on the research for his 2024 book, ‘The Architecture of Steam’. This research showed how the dramatic design of Victorian waterworks reflected the high importance that British society of the day put on clean and wholesome water.

James’ book was awarded the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s prize for outstanding scholarship in 2024, and shows how steam powered waterworks were the key technology which, in the 19th century, pulled industrial cities back from the disease and filth that threatened urban life. There is no better place to see this architecture and technology than at the London Museum of Water and Steam. The volume places the London pumping stations, and especially the Kew Bridge waterworks, at the forefront of this global technological advance. The illustrated talk connects steam engineering, Victorian architecture and the day-to-day operation of a pumping station in a vivid narrative, and explains why Kew Bridge and Kempton Park should together be considered for UNESCO’s World Heritage list as the world’s outstanding sites of the water industry.

James Douet worked for English Heritage preparing listing recommendations before moving to live in Barcelona in 1996. He is involved with both TICCIH and ICOMOS, and assessed the successful World Heritage bid of Augsburg Water Management System. His other publications include ‘Going Up in Smoke’ for SAVE Britain’s Heritage (a study of industrial chimneys), and in 2025 ‘The Meaningful City, Reading Barcelona’s Urban Landscape’.

Talk tickets are £3 for members, and £5 for non-members. Add a copy of the James Douet’s 2024 book ‘The Architecture of Steam’ to your order and tye London Museum of Water & Steam will have it ready for you to collect on the day of the talk. 

To book, follow this link: Event Page- Author Talk – London Museum of Water and Steam

National Trust Begins Ironbridge Gorge Museums Re-opening

National Trust Begins Ironbridge Gorge Museums Re-opening

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Following the National Trust’s landmark acquisition of the Ironbridge Gorge museums in March 2026, one of the largest in the Trust’s 130-year history, they are now able to start re-opening them.

Thanks to incredible hard work behind the scenes by the NT staff at Ironbridge, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Furnace Kitchen re-opened on the 20th May. The Blists Hill open-air Victorian town re-opened the following day, just in time for the May half-term holiday. A phased re-opening for the remaining museums and sites in The Gorge will continue throughout the year.

Getting these complex World Heritage Sites ready for the May half-term has been a massive undertaking, requiring everything from deep cleans to intense operational planning. Claire Tafft, Project Manager for Visitor Engagement at Ironbridge, praised the staff’s dedication: “The Victorian shops and cottages have all had a spring clean and the costumes are all pressed ready… We appreciate everyone’s support as we begin this new chapter.”

Mark Agnew, Project Director for Ironbridge, said: “Our goal is to grow the number of people that visit these wonderful sites and tackle the barriers that often prevent people from engaging with heritage. After a huge amount of work behind the scenes…this is just the start of a long-term vision.”

Visits to Blists Hill must be pre-booked online during this initial phase due to IT connectivity works on site. Follow this link to book a visit through the National Trust website. 

The canal and mine at Blists Hill ahead of re-opening by the National Trust in May 2026. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell
The Newcomen Society Launches Small Grants Scheme

The Newcomen Society Launches Small Grants Scheme

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The Newcomen Society has introduced a Small Grants programme, aimed at organisations who are working in the field of the history of engineering and technology, and are charities, voluntary organisations, or registered archives holding relevant collections. The scheme will initially run for a year, February 2026 to February 2027, before being reviewed.

The new scheme is intended to fund projects which:

  1. Support the collection, cataloguing and preservation of objects and archives about the history of technology.
  2. Promote the display and interpretation of the history of technology.
  3. Encourage and support the publication and wider dissemination of material about the history of technology in a range of formats such as articles, videos, podcasts, conferences etc.

The minimum grant will be £500 and the maximum £10,000, with applications possible throughout the 12 months of the initial scheme. To download an application follow the link below:

Expressions of interest should be made by email or post to the Hon Secretary, The Newcomen Society, P O Box 79326, London SW1P 9NP Email: cosec@newcomen.com

All successful applicants will be required to submit an end of project report and are encouraged to submit article(s) on their projects for possible publication in Newcomen Links or the International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology.

Updating the South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF) – Call to Take Part

Updating the South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF) – Call to Take Part

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The Bureau for the Contemporary and Historic Consultancy (BUTCH) has been commissioned to support the update of the South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF). This is to make sure that it reflects all the research done in the last 18 years and that the priorities for future research are clear. This research framework includes a substantial post-medieval, industrial, and modern section, which will be of interest to the dozens of industrial heritage and archaeology sites, groups, and museums in the region.

The BUTCH team are looking for expressions of interest from experts in their field to fulfil two roles in this process. The roles are (1) Resource Assessment Chapter Team Lead; (2) Expert Panel Member. You may also wish to be involved in their commitment to engage the wider research community. 

The online version of the current South West Archaeological Research Framework (SWARF), including the industrial section, can be found here: Post-Medieval, Industrial and Modern Periods – South West England Research Framework

If you are interested in taking part, please register your interest by completing the form, via the link below, by 7 June 2026 for roles 1 and 2. The form will remain open for those who wish to be updated on the project or who might be interested in being involved in future discussions. The link for the form is here: SWARF Involvementhttps://lnkd.in/e-gu3exM

The front cover of the 2008 SWARF monograph.

Images of Industrial Heritage: ICOMOS UK Photography Competition 2026

Images of Industrial Heritage: ICOMOS UK Photography Competition 2026

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ICOMOS UK are inviting mebers of the public to enter their second photography competition, which this year is on the theme, ‘Images of Industrial Heritage’. The photography competition, which was launched at ICOMOS UK’s Industrial Heritage event at the canal museum in London last month, will celebrate built and living heritage around the world.

To mark the launch of the ICOMOS UK Industrial Heritage Committee, this competition will explore changing approaches to and perceptions of industrial heritage, and reflect on how they are preserved, celebrated, and debated. There are four categories that images can be submitted for, which aim to record, celebrate, or pose questions about the variety of industrial heritage and its impact on people:

  • Machinery – working or redundant engines, equipment, production lines and processes
  • Buildings & Structures – from the monumental to the fragmentary
  • Landscapes and their transformation by the presence or disappearance of industrial activity and processes
  • People and community – making, conserving, taking part, moving away

Detail on how to enter the competion, the deadline for which is the 1st September, can be found here:  Photographic Competition.

Preserved gasholder. Image courtesy of ICOMOS UK.

Two Industrial Sites on Victorian Society’s Ten Most Endangered Sites List for 2026

Two Industrial Sites on Victorian Society’s Ten Most Endangered Sites List for 2026

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The Victorian Society has published its annual list of the ten most endangered buildings in Britain, and this year’s list includes two protected industrial heritage sites. The list is drawn up each year by the Victorian Society, and is selected from nominations made by the public, in order to raise the profile of the buildings it believes are most in need of rescue.

The former Strand Raiwlay Station, Barrow-in-Furness. Image courtesy of Thomas Ollivier & Victorian Society.

The former Strand Railway Station in Barrow-in-Furness, a Grade II listed building designed by the architect EG Paley and built in 1863, is a significant survivor from the earliest phase of the town’s rapid industrial growth. Once at the heart of a transforming settlement, it now stands vacant and deteriorating, its future uncertain.

James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: “This building is closely tied to Barrow’s remarkable rise as an industrial powerhouse. Its history of adaptation shows exactly the kind of sustainable reuse we should be championing today. What is needed now is a clear commitment to securing its future before further deterioration takes hold.”

The 1911 Grade II* Tees Transporter Bridge, engineer G.C. Imbault, and construction by Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd is an iconic symbol of Teesside’s industrial heritage. It has been closed since 2019 due to serious structural concerns. Spanning the River Tees between Middlesbrough and Port Clarence, it is one of the most recognisable engineering landmarks in the UK. 

Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President, said: “You don’t need me to tell you that people love this bridge. It is a symbol. It is a monument. And more than that it is a link and a potential working part of Stockton and Middlesbrough. Got to be saved. Got to be operational again. If we can find money for new bridges, we can find money for this great survivor and all that it means.”

The full building list for 2026 can be found here: Endangered buildings – The Victorian Society

The Tees Transporter Bridge. Image courtesy of CAV Aerial.

Climate Change Adaptation on Two More Industrial Heritage Sites

Climate Change Adaptation on Two More Industrial Heritage Sites

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Charting the impact of climate change on industrial heritage sites often involves recording damage from storms, floods, and prolonged dry spells. However, many industrial sites and museums have been putting plans in place to adapt to changing climatic conditions this decade, and two sites have just announced the installation of solar panels: Whitchurch Silk Mill and the Glenlee hydro-electric power station.

The waterpowered Grade 2* listed Whitchurch Silk Mill, in Hampshire, has installed a solar energy system, with the panels on their modern cafe and visitor entrance building, using support from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Business Investment Fund. Sue Tapliss, director of Whitchurch Silk Mill, said: “We are delighted to complete this project. The waterwheel is a powerful symbol of the mill’s past and its longstanding relationship with sustainable energy. Installing solar panels allows us to honour that heritage while taking a meaningful step forward in reducing our carbon footprint. We are extremely grateful to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Business Investment Fund for making this possible.”

This latest improvement marks a return to renewable energy for the mill, which was originally run by a waterwheel powered by the River Test. More details here: Whitchurch Silk Mill has installed new solar panel system

Solar panels have been fitted to the 1934, Category B, Glenlee Hydro-electric power station, near Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, by renewable engergy firm Drax. The power station has been running for more than a century and the new solar panels are designed to meet the sattion’s back-up power needs, which it currently pays to get from the local electricity grid. More details here: First solar panels in place at historic hydro power network

Whitchurch Silk Mill, Hampshire. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

Grants Announced to Support Three Industrial Heritage Sites

Grants Announced to Support Three Industrial Heritage Sites

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Three more industrial heritage sites are to recieve addtional funding to help secure their futures, with the funds coming from the DCMS, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Historic England.

The Litchfield Waterworks Trust will receive more than £47,000 for a comprehensive architectural survey of Sandfields Pumping Station. The building is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register. Dr David Dimeloe, Trustee and lead on the funding bid, said: “This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work and determination. We’re very grateful to Historic England for this grant and look forward to working with BHB Architects and their colleagues to develop a solid roadmap for the future preservation of Sandfields Pumping Station.” More details here: Grant helping to secure future of historic pumping station in Lichfield

The Canal & River Trust has received a £113,000 grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a government programme aimed at improving pride in place and increasing life chances across the UK, for urgent repairs at the Ellesmere Yard on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire. The still functioning boat yard was opened in 1806, and is one of the best‑preserved canal maintenance yards in the country. More details here: Vital conservation works underway at historic Ellesmere Yard

North Somerset Council has received an additional £62,120 for further restoration of Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare. This has been awarded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, delivered by Historic England. The additional funding will pay for the initial conservation of the Grade II Listed entrance gates and turnstiles. It will also enable further work on the Grade II Listed Toll House and its extension, known locally as the ‘shell shop’, at the southern side of the entrance. More details here: Extra £62k makes more Birnbeck Pier landside restoration possible

Sandfields Pumping Station. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

More Industrial Heritage Sites Receive Government Grant Support

More Industrial Heritage Sites Receive Government Grant Support

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130 cultural venues, museums, and libraries will receive a share of £127.8 million to protect them for present and future generations. This latest Government support forms part of the ‘Arts Everywhere Fund’. This is in addition to the heritage grants announced earlier in the month which were funded by the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund.

These new monies form part of three funding streams administered and delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. These are:

  • The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) which has allocated £25.5 million to support 28 museums to undertake vital infrastructure works, and improve the visitor experience.
  • The Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) which has allocated £96 million to 74 arts and cultural venues to help theatres, performing arts venues, galleries and grassroots music venues address urgent infrastructure needs. 
  • The Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) which has allocated a share of £6.3 million to 28 library services to help upgrade buildings and technology to better meet the needs of the community.

The industrial heritage museums and sites receiving support are:

  • Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne – £3,649,800
  • Black Country Living Museum, Dudley – £454,159
  • Greater Manchester Transport Society – £244,000
  • London Transport Museum – £999,999
  • People’s History Museum, Manchester – £2,491,670
  • Port Sunlight Village Trust – £499,999
  • The Brickworks Museum, Southampton – £280,000
  • The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury – £135,000
  • Watermill Theatre, Newbury – £300,000
  • Whitchurch Silk Mill – £210,045

For further details follow this link: Arts Everywhere Funding – GOV.UK

People’s History Museum, Manchester. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

Industrial Heritage Sites to Recieve Grants From the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund

Industrial Heritage Sites to Recieve Grants From the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund

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24 local museums in England have been granted a share of £4 million through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. The Fund brings together £2 million in match funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and independent, grant making charity, the Wolfson Foundation. It supports local museums by improving displays, enhancing collection care, and making exhibitions more accessible to visitors.

The five industrial heritage museums that have recieved £1,034,200 from this year’s grant round are:

  • British Motor Museum, West Midlands – £147,700
  • Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands – £272,000
  • SS Great Britain, South West – £46,300
  • National Tramway Museum, East Midlands – £210,600
  • Food Museum, East of England – £357,600

Full details of the all the museums receiving grants here: Local museums receive £4 million to improve accessibility to arts and culture – GOV.UK

The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund provides capital funding for museums and galleries across England to improve displays, protect collections and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors. For 2025-27, DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation have each contributed £2 million to the Fund, which has benefitted more than 440 projects in its more than 24-year history.

One of the trolley bused that will be renovated at the Black Country Living Museum. Image courtesy of the Black Country Living Museum.