Post Medieval Archaeology Congress 2024, University of Swansea 5-7 April: Call for Papers

Post Medieval Archaeology Congress 2024, University of Swansea 5-7 April: Call for Papers

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The sixth annual Post-Medieval Archaeology Congress will be hosted by Swansea University in Wales. The meeting will be supported by CHART (Centre for Heritage Research and Training) and CRAM (Conflict, Reconstruction and Memory Research Group), both part of the History, Heritage, and Classics Department (School of Culture and Communication).

The annual Congress is open to all researchers to report current and recent research on any aspect of post-medieval/later-historical archaeology. There is no geographical focus and we welcome papers from around the world.  SPMA ask contributors to offer 15-minute papers, which the organisers will arrange into themed sessions, or poster displays. Organised sessions of papers set around a particular research interest or theme are also encouraged.  All papers at PMAC24 will be delivered in person.    

Please send paper or poster proposals with a title, abstract of up to 150 words, affiliation, and email address. Session proposals should include a title and abstract, as well as a list of speakers. Please send titles and abstracts to conference@spma.org.uk by 26 January.

More details on the conference here: https://spma.org.uk/pmac24

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.
Help Sought in Finding a New Home for Historic Crane

Help Sought in Finding a New Home for Historic Crane

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Somerset HER: Nautilus Works, Reckleford, Yeovil. First Erecting Shop of c. 1907 – Second Willcocks & Son Buckfastleigh gantry crane / trolley. HER Image 60244. Photography: Somerset Council, 14 November 2023.

A historic crane in a former engineeering works in Yeovil is in need of a new home. The site owners, First Bus, is preparing to demolish the Nautilus Works, an early 20th century complex built by the Petter family of engineers. The site includes the former erecting shop, engine house, and foundry. However, First Bus has committed to donating salvageable items to organisations with an interest in the historic machinery left within the complex. The main items are a gantry crane made by Willcocks and Son of Buckfastleigh, c. 1907, and a large workbench.

The Petters were internationally renowned for their oil engines for use in agriculture and light engineering, and the site can be said to be the genesis of Westland Aircraft. The Petters responded to government pleas in World War I for firms to help build aircraft and built Short seaplanes on a separate site in the town, known from the start as Westland. In 1933 two Westland biplanes became the first aircraft to fly over Mount Everest.

The crane can be seen, together with a full description of the works on South West Heritage Trust’s website at: https://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/32107# Demolition is to take place in the New Year (no precise date known at the time of writing). Any organisation interested in the crane or bench should contact Craig Leake, property projects director First Group at craig.leake@firstgroup.co.uk. Smaller items are expected to go to the South Somerset Heritage Collection. A photograph of the bench may be made available later in the new year.

Any organisation interested in the crane or bench is also asked to let Tina Rowe of the Yeovil Archaeological and Local History (sampepys@btinternet.com), so that the Society knows whether artefacts from this important site have a continuing life.

Somerset HER: Nautilus Works, Reckleford, Yeovil. Offices c. 1909 – Main entrance to Office building on s-e corner facing Reckleford. HER Image 60282. Photograph: Somerset Council, 14 November 2023.
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/

Heritage Wellbeing and Heritage Conference 2024

Heritage Wellbeing and Heritage Conference 2024

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The Wellbeing & Heritage Working Group is calling for papers, contributions, and activities from heritage practitioners, researchers, and participants in heritage health and wellbeing projects for a conference to be held on 20 – 21 March 2024 at Delapre Abbey, Northampton. Participation in the conference is free. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Participants will need to cover their own travel and overnight accommodation. However, there is a small fund available to help participants whose expenses cannot be covered elsewhere. The deadline for submission of proposals is 15 January 2024.

The Wellbeing & Heritage Working Group is coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology and Historic England, and was set up to create an opportunity to share knowledge and experience from across the heritage and archaeology sector and other related sectors. It is part of the Council for British Archaeology’s collaborative work with a range of groups and organisations across the archaeology and heritage sector. 

The event is organised and supported by Historic England, The Council for British Archaeology, Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities (SIAH) and Delapre Abbey, with the participation and help of the sector-wide Wellbeing and Heritage Working Group. Further details on the conference can be found here: https://www.archaeologyuk.org/what-we-do/collaborative-projects/wellbeing-and-heritage-conference-2024.html

F-Pit Museum, Washington, Due for £2.2 Million Upgrade

F-Pit Museum, Washington, Due for £2.2 Million Upgrade

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Sunderland City Council is seeking to appoint a design team for a £2.2 million upgrade of Washington’s F-Pit Museum. Following a consultation on regeneration plans for Washington F-Pit Museum and Albany Park in 2022, the Council has now developed a draft outline Masterplan for improvements to the Park and a concept sketch proposals for a new Heritage Centre and Café to enhance the heritage offer and visitor appeal of this unique site for residents and visitors.

The successful architect-led multi-disciplinary design team will oversee the details of the upgrade. Due for completion in 2027, the project aims to boost visitor numbers to the museum and to secure a ‘viable and sustainable long-term future’ for the site, drawing new visitors to Washington and Sunderland. The museum is currently on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register and only receives around 1,000 visitors a year

The F-Pit Engine House and attached headgear are a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and are the only surviving structures of New Washington Colliery. The Engine House was presented by the National Coal Board to the people of Washington as a monument, following its closure in 1968, and it has operated as a Museum since 1976. Albany Park was formed from land reclaimed from the former colliery.

Further details here: https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/fpit-albany-park?ccp=true

Washington F-Pit, Sunderland. Image courtesy of Sunderland City Council.
Thwaite Watermill Museum Under Threat from Local Authority Budget Cuts

Thwaite Watermill Museum Under Threat from Local Authority Budget Cuts

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Thwaite Watermill Museum, in Leeds, may be faced with closure. The museum of Leeds’ milling industry is set in a former mill on an island in the River Aire. The site is owned by the Canal and River Trust, and run by Leeds City Council museums and galleries. The lease on the site is currently due to end in 2030, but as part of proposed budget cuts Leeds City Council is considering a proposal to end the lease in 2025.

The CRT confirmed that if the lease ends, it would not be able to afford to take over the running of the museum. A spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear this update. If the council terminates the lease and closes their museum, we will have to look for alternative viable options for the use of the property that will help safeguard its future. In this difficult economic climate, our charity is facing the same financial challenges with the day-in day-out task of looking after and keeping open our 2,000 miles of waterways, including the hundreds of centuries-old locks, bridges, tunnels and aqueducts here in Yorkshire. Unfortunately, we do not have the funding to take on the council’s running of the Thwaite Watermill museum.”

For further details see: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/people/owner-confirms-thwaite-watermill-museum-to-permanently-close-if-lease-ended-by-leeds-city-council-4439898

Thwaite’s Watermill/ Image courtesy of Leeds City council, museums and galleries