museums – Page 3 – Industrial Heritage Networks

Museums Trip Guide Launched by the Art Fund

August 5, 2025mikenevell

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

August 2, 2025August 1, 2025mikenevell

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)

July 9, 2025mikenevell

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

July 8, 2025mikenevell

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

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.*

Annual Museum Survey: Five Year Trends Published

June 10, 2025June 7, 2025mikenevell

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.

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.*

Energy Resilience Fund 2025

June 6, 2025mikenevell

The Energy Resilience Fund (ERF) provides a blended funding package of loan (60%) and grant (40%) to bolster the energy resilience of eligible charities and social enterprises in England.   The Fund is the successor to the pilot Energy Resilience Fund managed by Key Fund and its primary purpose is to enable the supply of renewable energy to an organisation’s own building (s). Many industrial heritage sites may find that they qualify and are suitable for such a fund.

The Fund is delivered by a partnership made up of Social Investment Business, Big Issue Invest, Charity Bank, Co-operative and Community Finance, Groundwork UK, Key Fund, Resonance Ltd, The Architectural Heritage Fund, and The Ubele Initiative.

Applicants must have fewer than 250 employees, £35m assets, or £40m turnover, but a turnover of more than £100,000, and be based primarily in England. For further details follow this link:

Arts Council England Review

May 8, 2025mikenevell

Arts Council England (ACE) want to hear from anyone who has an interest in, or a view about, the operation of the Arts Council England and what it delivers, by completing the ACE Review survey. The Review is an opportunity for a national conversation about the future of Arts Council England and how creativity is nurtured and developed.

Over the years ACE has supported many industrial heritage museums and sites, and continues to be an important source of support for the Industrial Heritage sector, from lcoal authority sites to independent museums.

The survey is one part of that conversation and will enable a broad range of people to share their views and ideas. It is an essential part of the evidence collection for this Review. The survey starts with a profile section consisting of up to 10 questions. The remaining questions are optional, consisting of 32 questions across 6 themed sections.

You can access the survey here Arts Council England review – survey questions – GOV.UK. The survey will close at midday on 30 June.

Adapting to Net Zero on Industrial Heritage Sites Online Seminar, May 2025

April 9, 2025April 8, 2025mikenevell

The Industrial Heritage Support project is running a free online seminar on 22 May 2025 focussing on climate change and Net Zero. The seminar is designed to give an overview of Net Zero adaptation strategies on industrial heritage sites in England. This is a follow-up seminar from an event on climate change and industrial heritage sites run in 2023.

The seminar will include a short presentation from Historic England covering their latest research and advice on reaching Net Zero in the Heritage sector. This will be followed by three industrial heritage site case studies from Cromford Mills, the National Mining Museum in Wakefield, and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust discussing practical and future steps as these sites to achieve Net Zero. The seminar will finish with a discussion and questions.

The seminar is free and will run from 10:30am to 12 noon. To book via Eventbrite click here

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