Category: museums

North West Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 17 October

North West Industrial Heritage Network Meeting, 17 October

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The next in-person North West Industrial Heritage Network meeting will be held at the Lancashire Mining Museum, Astley, Wigan, on the 17th October, 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 are very welcome to attend. To book a place follow this link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-west-industrial-heritage-network-tickets-1716173072859?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Lancashire Mining Musuem, which is entirely voluntary run, has origins going back to the 1970s, and first opened to the public in 1982, re-using buildings from the former Astley Pit, which closed in 1970. The museum has the last surviving headgear and winding house in the whole Lancashire coalfield. Apart from the steam winding engine and headgear, the museum also houses many exhibits, not least of which is the collection of 28 colliery locomotives, the largest collection of its type in the United Kingdom.

More details about the museum here: https://lancashireminingmuseum.org/

New IHSO Podcast: Preserving Cheddleton Flint Mill

New IHSO Podcast: Preserving Cheddleton Flint Mill

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The lastest industrial heritage podcast from the IHSO project is now available to listen and download. This episode is an interview with Nick Smith, one of a small group of volunteers at Cheddleton Flint Mill in Staffordshire and a trustee of the trust that looks after the site.

The aim of this podcast was to hear from Nick about the mill’s history, to discuss how the site was saved, and how it has been conserved for future generations. You can learn more about the mill and current events on site here: https://cheddletonflintmill.com/

This podcast is part of the wider Archaeotea podcast series recorded by the IHSO, Dr Michael Nevell. You can follow this link to listen to the new episode.

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/archaeotea-podcast/episodes/Preserving-Cheddleton-Flint-Mill-e378aga/a-ac4aeos

The two waterwheels at Cheddleton Flint Mill, Staffordshire. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

CBA Launches New Volunteer Opportunities Page

CBA Launches New Volunteer Opportunities Page

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The Council for Britsh Archaeology (CBA) has launched a new volunteering page, listing opportunities across the UK. You can search by your region to find volunteering callouts near you. However, the page doesn’t just listed opportunities for volunteers, but also has a section where groups, sites, and museums can list their own volunteering opportunities in archaeology and heritage.

Current industrial archaeology and heritage volunteer openings include opportunities to help Kingswood Heritage Museum (a brassworks) in South Glouscestershire, digitising opportunities with the Food Museum, and helping out with the North Tynside Steam Railway.

To learn more about new volunteer opportunities sign up for the CBA volunteering newesletter by following this link:

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/get-involved/volunteering.html

Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants

Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants

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Arst Council England (ACE) is encouraging museums, especially museums within Priority Places, (where there are many industrial heritage sites) to apply for their National Lottery Project Grants (Project Grants) scheme. This is an open access programme for arts, libraries, and museums project funding. Grants range from £1,000 to over £100,000; they are divided into applications for under £30,000, applications for £30,001 to £100,000 and applications for £100,001 and over.

  • Unlocking Collections: This is a time limited priority, the deadline for applications has been extended until November 2025, ACE is prioritising and encouraging museums to apply for activity to develop their collections-based work and increase public engagement with, and use of, their collections. Funding could support: reinterpretation of collections; collections review; digital skills development
  • Place Partnership Fund: ACE’s Place Partnership Fund is to support partnerships that aim to make a step change in the cultural and creative opportunities in the applicants area. It’s open to everyone but may be of particular interest to organisations in ACE’s Priority Places or DCMS’s Levelling Up for Culture Places.

Further details here:

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ProjectGrants

Museums Trip Guide Launched by the Art Fund

Museums Trip Guide Launched by the Art Fund

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Art Fund – the national charity that connects museums, people and art – has created a Museum Trips Guide featuring 20 UK museums that offer inspiring learning experiences for all key stages. The case studies provide useful of examples of how to make the most of school trips. 

The guide, which aims to encourage teachers to consider museums as relevant destinations for school trips in the 2025-6 academic year ahead, and to help them plan trips with ease, includes museum overviews & highlights, resources, curriculum links, costs and booking information. Amongst the case studies featured in the guide are four industrial heritage sites: the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the National Railway Museum in York, and the Science Museum in London.

To download a copy follow this link: https://www.artfund.org/professional/news-and-insights/museum-trips-guide-20-museums-to-enrich-your-curriculum?utm_content=stakeholders&utm_medium=email&utm_source=southwestmuseums.org.uk&utm_campaign=tap+museum+trips+guide+25

AIA Annual Conference, Bradford, 5th to 10th September 2025

AIA Annual Conference, Bradford, 5th to 10th September 2025

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AIA have realeased details of its annual conference which this year will be based in the historic Midland Hotel, Bradford, part of the rich railway heritage in the centre of this year’s host of the UK City of Culture. The conference returns to a more traditional format, of weekend talks and the AGM, followed by 3 days of tours, although the AIA are offering the oppportunity to book individual weekend days and online weekend access.

As usual, the weekend programme will include a number of lectures on the region’s industrial heritage and presentations by AIA’s award winners. On the Sunday morning, following a short AGM, the annual prestige lecture will be given by Dr Michael Bailey, marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway, on the subject of the Archaeology of Early Locomotives.

From Sunday afternoon to the morning of Wednesday 10 September there will be a varied programme of visits to important industrial sites in the area, including the Saltaire World Heritage Site. Delegates can opt to attend for just the weekend sessions or the whole five days, and online participation in the weekend programme is also possible.

There are free places available through the Patrick Nott bursary, which allows the AIA to offer some free places at Conference, including accommodation and tours.  

Visit the AIA website for full conference details and a conference booking form 

 Salt’s Mill, Saltaire, one of the destinations on offer at AIA’s annual conference (image courtesy saltaire-inspired-uk)
Birmingham Museums Looking to Appoint New Curator (Science & Industry)

Birmingham Museums Looking to Appoint New Curator (Science & Industry)

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Birmingham Museums are looking for someone with a background in science and industry, either through museum practice or industry experience, and an interest in connecting science and industrial heritage to audiences, to join their Curatorial & Participation team later this year.

The new Curator of Science and Industry will work collaboratively internally, and through participatory practice, to better research, document, and support access to Birmingham’s scientific and industrial collections. They will also contribute to continuing gallery developments, across Birmingham Museums Trust’s sites, with a particular focus on Thinktank, supporting the development and delivery of new displays that will engage existing and new visitors.

The full time post will be based across all the Birmingham Museum sites, including the Thinktank. The closing date for applications is the 20th July. For further details on the post follow this link: https://careers.birminghammuseums.org.uk/job/333d2a38-5e41-4e84-b382-b119704d7d77

Wandle Industrial Museum July 2025 Talk

Wandle Industrial Museum July 2025 Talk

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The Wandle Industrial Museum ‘s latest talk is by Wandle Industrial Museum volunteer and Trustee John Hawks. He will be speaking about the life, loves, and talent of Jane Morris, the often overlooked wife of William Morris.

This will be an in-peron, free, talk on 15th July 2025 at 10:30am at the West Barnes Library, Station Road, Motspur Park, New Malden. For more details about the society visit their website: www.wandle.org and on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and FlickR.

All welcomed. Booking is recommended but not essential. Follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom–london/west-barnes-library/

World of Glass, St Helens, Launches Emergency Fund Appeal

World of Glass, St Helens, Launches Emergency Fund Appeal

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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.

Annual Museum Survey: Five Year Trends Published

Annual Museum Survey: Five Year Trends Published

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Each year, Museum Development and the Arts Council conduct the ‘Annual Museum survey’; a comprehensive survey of all things museums (including industrial sites), from visitor numbers to social media followers to staff numbers. Each year’s report holds valuable data that better allows us to understand the sector’s priorities, needs and challenges.

In collaboration with PS Research, all of the Annual Museum Surveys from 2019 – 2024 – have been analysed giving a comprehensive insight into the evolving state of the museums sector right from the eve of Covid-19 to last year. The key findings are:

  • Opening hours have shown a gradual and sustained recovery since the pandemic. However, opening hours in more than a third (36%) of museums are down from 2019-20.
  • While opening hours have recovered, visitor numbers are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Museums are engaging more education providers than they were in 2019-20.
  • Social media following of museums has grown significantly since 2019-20.
  • Overall, staffing numbers have changed little since 2019-20. However, contract hires as a percentage of hires is increasing.
  • The number of museum volunteers has generally recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but 2 in 5 museums still record lower numbers. 

The report is interactive and available now, you can read it on the Arts Council website.