Uncategorized – Industrial Heritage Networks

South Wales & West England Regional Industrial Archaeology Conference 2026 (SWWERIAC) Open for Booking

February 6, 2026February 5, 2026mikenevell

The Worcestershire Industrial Archaeology & Local History Society (WIA&LHS) is hosting the South Wales & West England Regional Industrial Archaeology Conference (SWWERIAC) on Saturday 18^th April 2026 at Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove B60 4JR.

Get set for a day of engaging talks from leading speakers and a chance to explore Avoncroft’s remarkable open-air collection. The museum, home to over 30 rescued and reconstructed historic buildings spanning seven centuries, provides a unique backdrop. Highlights include the UK’s National Collection of Telephone Kiosks, working historic windmill, and a selection of timber-framed, brick, and prefabricated structures including a chain shop, nail workshop, sawmill, and icehouse. This inspiring setting promises a rich blend of learning, discussion, and heritage discovery.

Tickets cost £28 per person and include:

Six speakers covering a wide range of industrial heritage in Worcestershire
Access to the museum’s entire collection
Two 30-minute dedicated tours of the telephone kiosk collection and windmill
Buffet lunch including cold meats, new potatoes, crusty bread, and a selection of salads and cheese
Unlimited hot and cold soft drinks
Free parking

Society chairman Dr John Beale said “Avoncroft is home to 30 historic buildings and structures across a 19-acre site. For this reason, we have scheduled a 2-hour lunch break so that delegates can see the museum exhibits either self-guided and/or the dedicated tours of the 19th century windmill and the National Telephone Kiosk Collection. This marks a departure from the traditional arrangement of offsite visits as there is so much to see at Avoncroft.”

Get your tickets by submitting an online or Microsoft Word booking form available at https://wialhs.org.uk/swweriac2026/ or contact conference@wialhs.org.uk

*Avoncroft’s National Collection of Telephone Kiosks. Image copyright WIA&LHS.*

Industrial Heritage Networks Online – Spring Dates for 2026

January 30, 2026mikenevell

The next round of online Industrial Heritage Network (IHN) meetings will provide a lunchtime opportunity to connect in Spring 2026. The IHNs are a vital part of the Industrial Heritage Support Project (IHSO), providing an opportunity for individuals, both professional and volunteer, working at Industrial Heritage sites in England to get together to exchange experiences and catch up with the latest trends in the sector.

This Spring’s online Industrial Heritage Network meetings will be taking place during later February and March at a midweek lunchtime, 1pm to 2pm. Those attending are very welcome to bring a drink and a sandwich whilst we spend an hour talking about updates from individual sites, as well as current trends. The date for the 10 IHN online meetings are as follows:

24 February – West Midlands IHN
25 February – East Midlands IHN
3 March – East of England IHN
4 March – London IHN
11 March – Yorkshire IHN
12 March – South East IHN
17 March – North West IHN
18 March – Cornwall & Devon IHN
26 March – South West IHN
27 March – North East IHN

Network members will be emailed joining details nearer the time. For queries about joining the Industrial Heritage Networks, please email the IHSO, Dr Michael Nevell, at: mike.nevell@mikenevell.org.uk

The IHSO project, which runs the IHNs, is funded by grants from Historic England and the Association for Industrial Archaeology, and is based at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shopshire, England.

Museum of Making, Derby, Installs Flood Barriers

November 7, 2025November 4, 2025mikenevell

New flood defences have been installed at Museum of Making, Derby. The protective barriers have been placed inside the old Silk Mill, now the Museum of Making, which was flooded by waters from the River Derwent to a depth of 0.7m during Storm Babet in 2023.

Alex Rock, director of commercial and operations at Derby Museums Trust, said “We’re delighted to add further protection to our building, and very grateful for the support of Derby City Council’s planning team and their engineering colleagues. Both departments have been crucial in securing the relevant permissions and funding from DEFRA for this work. It adds another layer of protection to two key operational areas, which means that should a flood event occur again – and it is worth bearing in mind that Storm Babet was forecast as a once-in-a-century event for Derby – then we’ll be able to shorten the period of closure. It protects the two areas of the ground floor that are most impacted by flood events.”

As part of Derby City Council’s ‘Our City Our River’ scheme, flood defences are also to be improved around the museum. Work is underway to demolsih disused office buildings on the eastern bank of the river, close to the museum, at Stuart Street and Phoenix Street. This will allow the construction of a new flood wall, floodgates, and a riverside green area to provide a controlled corridor for flood waters fromt eh River Derwent to pass through the city.

More details here: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/derbys-museum-of-making-gets-flood-defence-boost-after-closure-cost-six-figure-sum/ar-AA1PA7v1?ocid=BingNewsSerp

and here: https://www.derby.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/regeneration-and-economic-growth/our-city-our-river/our-city-our-river-project-overview/

*The Museum of the Making (the Old Silk Mill), Derby. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.*

De Havilland Aircraft Museum is Recruiting a General Manager

November 6, 2025November 5, 2025mikenevell

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum, London Colney, is currently seeking a new General Manager due to the retirement of the present incumbent. The full time paid post offers many opportunities to the right candidate.

The Museum is the first aviation museum in the UK, established in 1959, and is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Geoffrey de Havilland and his contribution to UK Aviation history. The de Havilland Aircraft Museum is staffed mainly by volunteers.

Please apply to Tim Crichton (email tim.crichton@dehavilland museum.co.uk) for further details if interested.

Job Description attached.

Wandle Industrial Museum Talk 18 Feb: William Kilburn – Botanical Illustrator & Eminent Calico Printer

February 10, 2025July 8, 2025mikenevell

The Wandle Industrial Mseum ‘s latest talk is a chance to learn about a boy from Ireland, who became the most highly skilled, but little known, calico printer of his day. His designs were particularly loved by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. This illustrated talk by Alison Cousins of the Wandle Industrial Museum, will reveal the legacy of Kilburn’s designs and the role he played in copyright law.

The talk is part of the Society’s monthly West Barnes Local History Group programme. This talk is free of charge: Tuesday, February 18, 10:30am-12:00noon, West Barnes Library, Station Road, New Malden, KT3 6JF.

For more details about the society visit their website: www.wandle.org

Chance Heritage Trust Secures Future Funding

August 13, 2024August 12, 2024mikenevell

The Chance Heritage Trust has been awarded a grant of £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players with a further grant of £165,000 awarded by Historic England. The combined capacity building grants will transform how the Trust operates and will help to drive the regeneration and repurposing of the Chance Glassworks in Smethwick in the West Midlands.

For over 150 years, the former Chance Brothers Glassworks in Smethwick was the world’s leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glass-making technology, operating from 1824 to 1976 and finally closing in 1981. In that time, the factory produced glass used in places like the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben’s clockface, and the Crystal Palace in London. It also developed specialist glass for telescopes and lanterns and, in 1848, began working on lenses which were eventually used in around 2,500 lighthouses around the world.

The funding will enable the Chance Heritage Trust to employ a project director and a small support team. They will continue to work with stakeholders in pushing forward plans for the regeneration of both sites for the benefit of the local community. Working with volunteers and the local community the team will develop a programme of heritage and cultural activities using the rich industrial history of these sites as a resource for people of all ages and backgrounds.

For further details click this link

*The Chance Brothers Glassworks, Smethwick, Birmingham. Image courtesy fo the Chance Heritage Trust.*

Heritage Open Days 2024: Register Your Industrial Site

June 6, 2024June 3, 2024mikenevell

Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our shared history and culture. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore. This year’s events take place from the 6th to the 15th September. Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days (HOD) is England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days and has since grown into the country’s largest community heritage festival. 2024 marks its 30th anniversary, which is this year’s theme.

Last year more than 200 industrial heritage sites took part in the free event. Participating sites can raise awareness about their activities and history through a popular national platform with 4.8 million website users every year. Heritage Open Days offers free access to organisers to a wide range of support materials and guidance including bunting and risk assessment templates. Finally, joining Heritage Open Days means that your industrial group or industrial museum can connect with people across the country, with over 2,000+ organisers meeting to share ideas.

To sign up for this year’s HODs follow this link: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/get-involved/how-to-get-involved.html

*The colliery headstocks at Blists Hill, Ironbridge, one of the sites taking part in the 2024 Hertiage Open Days.*

‘Our Leather industries’ New Exhibiton by the Wandle Industrial Museum

May 29, 2024mikenevell

The latest exhibition by the Wandle Industrial Musuem opens on 9th June 2024. ‘Our Leather Industries’ looks at the history of leather making and some of the products produced in the Wandle Valley in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The exhibition can be found at the Vestry Hall Annexe, London Road, Mitcham, Surrey. Open on Wednesdays, 1-4pm and Sundays 2-5pm, the exhibtion is free to enter.

Historic England Funding More Projects to Uncover and Celebrate Working Class Heritage

March 20, 2024mikenevell

Historic England’s Everyday Heritage Grant programme aims to shine a light on the diversity of heritage and is part of Historic England’s commitment to ensuring that a wider range of people are able to connect with, enjoy and benefit from the historic environment. Building on the success of Historic England’s first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, they are funding an additional 56 projects that celebrate working class histories and the historic places that make up everyday life.

The grants are for creative projects that focus on heritage connecting people to historic places, specifically those people and places that are overlooked or underrepresented. The community-led projects will explore the diverse stories of people and places, such as homelessness in Waterloo, a pen factory in Newhaven, and roller-skating in Birmingham. The total amount of funding awarded by Historic England is £875,000, ranging from £6,800 to £25,000 per individual project.

For details of all these projects and those funded in 2023 follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/campaigns/help-write-history/everyday-heritage-grants/

Historic England Adds Interactive Map to its Historic Manufactured Gas Webpages

February 23, 2024mikenevell

Historic England has added an interactive map to its Historic Gas Industry webpages. The new feature allows researchers to search for manufactured gas sites in England from the 19th and 20th centuries and to view summary details about each site. This new feature expands the resources already available for those wishing to research the local manufacture of gas, which already includes a detailed overview report on the history of the manufactured gas industry in England, a heritage assets guide, and advice on recording such sites.

The new interactive map shows the location of hundreds of sites including listed gasworks buildings and gasholders, non-designated surviving gasworks buildings and gasholders, possible surviving structures related to the industry, sites with only below ground evidence, and sites only known from map evidence. The map also has links to the relevant Aerofilms Collection of aerial photographs where these show these gas industry sites, a database which is held by Historic England.

To view the interactive map follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/current/discover-and-understand/industry-and-infrastructure/manufactured-gas-industry/

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