history – Page 2 – Industrial Heritage Networks

Historic England Launch Local Heritage Hub Webpages

May 21, 2025mikenevell

Coinciding with this year’s Local History Month, Historic England has launched a new Local Heritage Hub. With nearly 400 locations, every county, city, district, major town, and national park in England now has a dedicated digital page that uncovers its rich and layered history.

Offering a wide range of content, from fascinating aerial photographs showing towns and villages through time, to curated selections of listed buildings, videos, blogs, and podcasts, the Local Heritage Hub invites members of the public to discover their local area through a new lens.

According to Savanta polling for Historic England in August 2024, 71% of those polled wanted to see more recognition of heritage in their area. Further Savanta polling for Historic England in February 2025 showed that 58% of those responding agreed that local heritage enhances their daily lives. The new platform will reflect what people are looking for in their local areas, and it’s designed not only to inform, but also to also encourage people to see familiar places in unfamiliar ways.

The new service – which will continue to expand with new places, information, and sections added over time – will make local heritage and histories more relevant, relatable, and engaging to more people’s everyday lives, inspiring conversations, unlocking memories, and sparking new interests.

To explore your local area on the Historic England website follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/local

*Connor Hat Factory, Bute Street, Luton. Image courtesy of Historic England*

8th East-Workshop on Industrial Archaeology: Heavy Metal, 10th May

April 28, 2025mikenevell

The East-West Workshops on Industrial Archaeology aim to exchange ideas and knowledge among Western and Eastern colleagues to build a more international and diverse industrial archaeology. The workshops are organised jointly by the Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology (USTB, China), and the UK Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA). The 8th Workshop on 10 May will look at Heavy Metals.

Metallurgy is one of the oldest human activities and was one of the first sectors to embrace modern industrialisation. The production of metals and their alloys has strongly influenced the development of most societies throughout history, and played a key role in the construction of the modern world. The latest Workshop on Industrial Archaeology brings together archaeologists and architects to delve into the long history of metal production, its multiple contexts (technological, economic, social, and its heritage.

SPEAKERS

Chenyuan LI (University of Science and Technology Beijing, China): “The Evolution of Mining and Metallurgical Production Technologies in the Northern Frontier Regions of China during the Qin and Han Dynasties: A Perspective from Archaeometallurgy”
Rhys MORGAN (Black Mountains Archaeology, Britain): “Rediscovering Copperopolis: The Hafod Plate Rolling Mill, Swansea”
María Isabel PAYER IBÁÑEZ (Payer Arquitectura / University of Seville, Spain): “Metallurgy as Industrial and Urban Development in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Spain”

DATE & TIME

10 May 2025, Saturday. 10.00-12.00 (London time)

BOOKING

Zoom (online meeting). More info and free registration:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/8th-east-west-workshop…

Videos of all the workshops are available on the AIA’s YouTube Channel, including the latest event from November 2024 on ‘Weaving the Industrial Period’. Follow this link to view the workshops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCILr2TkRAOIfk_NKchshwZQ

English Heritage Hunting for Shrewsbury Flaxmill Bell as Site Opens to the Public

April 7, 2025mikenevell

As English Heritage prepares to welcome visitors to the Flaxmill Maltings building in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, a hunt for the missing bell has been launched. Matt Thompson, the curatorial director of English Heritage, commented that “we believe the bell went missing in the late 1980s or early 1990s, when Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings was left derelict. Whilst it is possible that the bell could have been melted down, it is more likely that someone took it as a souvenir of this imposing, historic building which – at the time – looked close to ruin”

The empty bellcoate at Shrews Flaxmill Maltings. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is known as the grandparent of the skyscraper, the building being the world’s first multistorey, iron-frame building, with the design paving the way for modern high-rise buildings. The site opened in 1797 as a flax mill and then, from 1897 to 1987, was used as a maltings. It also served as a temporary army training unit and barracks during the second world war. A third of the 800 workers at the flax mill were under 16 and some as young as nine. Shrewsbury itself was too small to provide that number, so children were brought in from as far afield as London and Hull, mostly from the workhouses. Often orphans, the children were given housing, food and clothes but not paid wages. The missing bell would have called the children in from the apprentice house nearby.

Originally operated by a pull rope, the bell changed to an electric chiming mechanism after the second world war, but was lost when the building was left derelict after the closure of the business in 1987. Believed to be around 60cm (24in) high, the bell is cast with the year “1797” on it. The bellcote has been restored but remains, for the moment, empty.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings opened on 1st April 2025 as English Heritage’s first new paid-for site in 21 years.

Morte details here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/shrewsbury-flaxmill-maltings-bell-return-appeal/

*Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is open to the public as an English Heritage site from April 2025. Image copyrigth Dr Michael Nevell.*

Science and Industry Museum in Manchester to Add New Galleries as Transformation Plan Extended

March 12, 2025mikenevell

Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has revealed plans for new permanent galleries and a new railway visitor experience as part of the next phases of its redevelopment. The museum plans to create a new Wonderlab gallery, similar to that in other Science Museum Group museums, such as the Science Museum in London and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.

The new gallery will explore Manchester’s history of science and invention, drawing on the architectural features and history of the site to reflect the city’s creativity and innovation. It will be aimed at a target audience of ages four to ten, plus access for early years. An open competition to design the gallery has already opened.

In addtion, feasibility work will begin this year on a new free Technicians interactive gallery for 11-16-year-olds. The museum said it is looking to ascertain whether there is potential for the gallery to open towards the end of the decade. It would be housed within the arches of the museum property’s viaduct, and would mark the first time this space would be used as public galleries.

The museum is also planning a new gallery and static rail experience at the 1830 station, which is set to re-open in 2030 in time for the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.

Finally, feasibility work is also set to commence “in the near future” on landscaping and improving access in and around the museum’s Lower Yard, to create a new science playground and open the museum site, providing more access from other Manchester locations and attractions.

Phase One of the Museum’s Transformation Plan, improvements and extensive repairs to the Power Hall, will be completed this summer. By the end of 2025, half of the museum’s site will have been restored over the last five years, following an investment of more than £40m from national government, charitable trusts and foundations, and philanthropists. The second phase will be completed in 2027.

For more details follow these links:

https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/about-us/we-are-changing/revolution-in-progress

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/03/science-and-industry-museum-plans-wonderlab-gallery-as-it-extends-revamp/#

The entrance to the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester. Image courtesy of
The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum.

Railway 200: Celebrating the Birth of the Modern Railway in 2025

January 9, 2025January 10, 2025mikenevell

2025 marks the bi-centenary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825 connecting places, people, communities, and ideas, and ultimately transforming the world. To celeberate the birth of the modern railway, three councils, Darlington, Durham, Stockton-on-Tees, and Tees Valley Combined Authority, have joined forces with a range of local, national, and international partners, to deliver a nine month festival of internationally significant projects throughout the bicentenary year.

The ‘Railway 200’ events are designed to showcase how the railway shaped and continues to shape national life, as well as inspiring a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail. Events across the year will build to the main celebration on the 27th September, the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

A Global ‘whistle-up’ on New Year’s Day 2025, with more than 50 hetritage railwys blowign the ihsiltew son their engiens at the same moment, signalled the start of rail’s 200th anniversary. From January to September a wide variety of activities and events are planned to celebrate rail’s remarkable past, its role today, and its importance to a sustainable future.

For more details on these events follow this link: https://railway200.co.uk/

Getting Involved With the Oral History of Birmingham’s Canal Restoration

December 19, 2024mikenevell

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) is looking at gathering oral histories about the people who were involved in the post-Second World War restoration of canals in Birmingham and the Black Country.

The aim is to record this important period in the history of Britain’s canals by talking to the people who worked on the restoration projects. CRT are looking to record personal stories to find out which canals people worked on, what they did to restore the canals, their motivations for being involved, the impacts the restoration work had on them, and information about restoration techniques.

This work is being undertaken with inHeritage. inHeritage is a heritage interpretation consultancy delivering innovative and accessible opportunities to communicate your key messages to your target audiences through a range of traditional and new media. They also manage interpretation, community archaeology, and oral history projects.

If you would like to get involved with this project please email Bill Bevan at: bill@inheritage.co.uk

*Birmingham canals post restoration. Image courtesy of CRT.*

Online Petition Started to Save Museum of Cannock Chase

December 9, 2024mikenevell

The news that Cannock Chase Council is proposing the closure of the Museum of Cannock Chase in April 2025, as part of proposed budgets cuts for 2025/2026, has led to the establishment of an online petition against the closure.

The Council is holding a public consultation on the closure of the museum, and the council’s Prince of Wales theatre, which runs from the 29 November 2024 to the 2nd January 2025. The council released a report in November regarding the closure of the msuem and theatre which estimated that closing the two cultural venues would save £350k per annum. This report can be download by following this link (see pages 179 – 187):
https://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/council/meetings/agendas-reports-minutes/cabinet/2024-11-28

The Museum of Cannock Chase first opened in 1989 on the site of the former Valley Pit, a training pit for young coal miners. It covers the history of the Cannock Chase area across four galleries and also hosts a number of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Although council-owned, it is operated by the charity Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles (IHL), who who also run the theatre, with a contract until 2027. Vistor numbers to the free musuem, before COVID, reached 46,500 in 2018/19. The number of visitors since the pandemic initially fell to 10,500 in 2021/22, but partially recovered to 21,000 in 2023/24.

The online petition notes that: ‘The museum’s collections tells over 300 years of history of the district and wider area and have become cherished resources. They have collected and safeguarded not only our industrial history but our social history, presenting and preserving the stories of people past and present – of those people who worked to create and shape our communities, and of the people who continue to do so. This entire collection is now at risk of being lost.’

The petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-museum-of-cannock-chase-protect-our-mining-heritage

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre & Museum Awarded £1 Million NLHF Grant

November 25, 2024mikenevell

The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Widnes has been awarded a £1 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is to help it educate and excite an even wider audience about the relevance of chemistry, the town’s chemical heritage, and how this has shaped modern life today.

Delegates catching up at the North West IHN, October 2024. Copyright: Dr Michael Nevell

Half of the £1,009,930 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant will be used to refurbish two floors of the museum in order to showcase the history and heritage of the chemical industry from the 1800s to the present in a fresher, more engaging, and more accessible way. This includes the top floor Observation Gallery with its 360° views of the surrounding area including the River Mersey and two Halton bridges, which will be revamped with brand new interactive exhibitsd and audio handsets.

A proportion of the grant will be used to digitise the museum’s nationally important, and extensive, archive to both protect and make it more widely available. The remainder of the grant has been earmarked for an extensive activity plan including workshops, events, open days, and resources aimed at connecting audiences to the chemical industry in a new and meaningful way.

The Catalyst charity was launched in 1987. It celebrates the local chemical industry heritage and its influence at home and around the world with unique initiatives, hands-on experiences, and rich industrial heritage archives. The Discovery Centre and Museum welcomes visitors from the local area and beyond, with special events for schools, families, and SEN groups all year round. The museum hosted the North West Industrial Heritage Network meeting in October 2024.

For further details follow this link: https://www.catalyst.org.uk/catalyst-lottery-fund-win/

*The Catalayst Science Discovery Centre andMseum, November 2024. Copyright: Dr Michael Nevell.*

7th East-West Workshop on Industrial Archaeology: Weaving the Industrial Period

November 5, 2024mikenevell

The production of fabric and its transformation into clothes was worldwide one of the first sectors to embrace modern industrialisation, even though continuities (of domestic working spaces, traditional production processes, manual technologies, etc.) often coexisted with changes (the factory, the factory system, the power loom). The 7^th East-West Workshop on Industrial Archaeology revisits the capital importance of the textile sector in the development of the industrial period.

The East-West series of workshops aims to exchange ideas and knowledge among Western and Eastern colleagues to build a more international and diverse industrial archaeology. This edition focuses on the heritage and archaeology of the textile industry from the East, the West, and the world to explore its commonalities (transfer of technology, building materials, typologies, etc) and singularities (chronological disparities, heritage practices, etc.)

The event is organised jointly by the Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology (USTB, China), and the UK Association for Industrial Archaeology with its Young Members. IOt will trake place on Staurday 23rd Novemebr, between 10am and 12pm (GMT). The speakers are:

Yiping Dong (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China): “Complexity of the Conservation of Textile Heritage in China”
Ian Miller (The University of Salford, Britain): “Salford Twist Mill: Uncovering an Iconic Textile Factory”
Mark Watson (Historic Environment Scotland, Britain): “Global Textile Industries and their Built Heritage”

To register for FREE workshop and to get the Zoom link for the event, follow this link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/7th-east-west-workshop-on-industrial-archaeology-tickets-1072988229679

New Dates Added for the Autumn 2024 Round of Industrial Heritage Network Meetings

October 29, 2024mikenevell

Three new dates have been added to the next round of in-person Industrial Heritage Network (IHN) regional meetings taking place this autumn. These regional network meetings take place twice a year in the spring (online) and in the autumn (in-person). They are a chance to bring together volunteers and professionals from industrial heritage sites around England to exchange experiences, catch up with the latest news and practices, and make or renew contacts. There are ten regional networks in England run by the IHSO project at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, and funded by Historic England, with the support of the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

The first of the free autumn 2024 in-person network meetings took place for the North West IHN at The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum, Widnes, on the 25th October. After a lively disussion ranging across volunteers, maintenance costs, and visitor numbers, a group of us were given a tour of the museum finishing at the observation room at the top of the listed museum block, with its impressive views of Widnes and the Mersey estuary. Many thanks to the museum and its staff for hosting an excellent day and the chance to re-connect with colleagues from across the North West region.

The dates for the five further in-person IHN meetings to be held this autumn are as follows:

Cornwall & Devon, East Pool Mine, Redruth, 7th November 2024.
South West, Westonzoyland Pumping Station, Bridgewater, 8th November 2024.
West Midlands, Claymills Pumping Station, Burton-upon-Trent, 22nd November, 2024
East Midlands, Heckington Windmill, Lincolnshire, 3rd December, 2024
Yorkshire, National Mining Museum, Wakefield, 6th December 2024

Further dates for other regions will be published in the new year. Regional network members will be emailed details of the venues and how to attend. However, if you would like to join the networks and take part in any of these meetings please email the Industrial Heritage Support Officer for England: mike.nevell@ironbridge.org.uk

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