Welcome to the Industrial Heritage Networks and Support website. This site is maintained and updated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust who run the project and the networks. We aim to support industrial heritage in England through networking, information exchange, guidance, and training. Please explore the website and please contribute! For more information you can … Read more Welcome to the IHNs website!
A record number of industrial heritage sites are opening for free as part of the 2026 Heritage Open Days running between the 11 and 20 September. Amongst the more than 250 industrial archaeology and heritage sites opening to the public are three newly renovated museums run by the National Trust in the Ironbridge Gorge (Broseley Clay Pipe Works, Jackfield China Works, The Old Furnace). The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings is also opening for free its Kibworth Harcourt Windmill, whilst English Heritage is making available Sibsey Trader Mill, and the Iron Bridge at Ironbridge.
This year’s Heritage Open Days theme highlights the extraordinary in our ordinary working lives, with more industrial sites open than ever, along with hundreds of exhibitions, walks, and talks on industrial subjects. Those sites open include more than 70 water and wind mills, more than 50 metal working and textile mill sites, and over 30 ceramic, chemical and mines sites.
There are also nearly 100 transport heritage sites open for free to visit (from canals, and railways to tramways), and nearly forty pumping stations and maritime sites.
To find an event, and an industrial site, near you, follow this link: HeritageOpenDays2026
The newly refurbished Old Furnace and its museum building at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, which has been re-opened by the Natioanl Trust for Heritage Open Days. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.
The National Trust will be re-opening two more Ironbridge Gorge museums in September, as part of the Heritage Open Days events.The Broseley Pipe Works and the Coalport China Museum will be free to explore everyday working lives in partnership with Findmypast as part of the Industrious Women theme. The female work force played an integral part in the ceramic industries, and this event will allow you to not only explore the lives of ordinary working women but also access the Findmypast website to begin to explore your own family history.
Broseley Pipe Works will be open on 11-13 September and 18-20 September for pre-booked guided tours. Guided tours will run on the hour from 11 – 3pm. NT Ironbridge Gorge will also have a copy of a wages ledger from the early 20th century on display along with other archive material. Pre-booking is essential as car parking spaces are limited.
The Coalport China Museum will open 11-13 September and 18-20 of September for pre-booked visits from 10am to 4pm and there will be curator talks and demonstrations, as well as the opportunity to see archive material. Pre-booking is essential as car parking spaces are limited.
A new report on Industrial Heritage Sites in England in 2026, commissioned by Historic England and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, has been published. This report, by Heritage Innovation, examines the resilience and sustainability of designated industrial heritage sites across England.
Focussing on designated industrial heritage sites that are accessible and interpreted to the public in England, it is a major update on two previous English Heritage (now Historic England) commissioned reports, carried out in 1998 (by PLB Consulting Ltd) and 2008 (by the late Sir Neil Cossons). Drawing on desk-based research, questionnaires and interviews, its emphasis is on industrial sites open as heritage attractions, including both museums and monuments. There are sections on:
ownership
governance
function
finance
management
access
conservation
interpretation
and marketing
Having considered the findings, it concludes with a series of ten recommendations. These include strengthening advocacy, increased support for the IHSO project, revitalising volunteering, developing technical skills, continued sector monitoring, exploring new approaches to governance and funding, and researching heritage fuels. It also calls for a strategic review to set priorities for the industrial heritage sector over the next 25 years.
Dr Mike Nevell, IHSO, thanked Heritage Innovations for their hard work in pulling together data from a very varied sector, noting that ‘this is the first study of the industrial hertiage sector in a generation. Its findings and recommendations will be of considerable interest to all those involved in the care and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage, especially local authorities and other public bodies, charitable trusts, and volunteer groups’.
The Longwarehouse and Museum of Iron, part of the National Trust Ironbridge Gorge sites taken over in March 2026 from the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has worked with Canal & River Trust (CRT) to help improve its revised Restoration Delivery Plan (RDP), published 28th July. This document will provide the framework for future restoration of canals not currently open to boats and managed by the CRT.
The Restoration Delivery Plan is intended to set out how the CRT will work with restoration promoters and other partners to deliver the restoration of waterways across England and Wales. As a critical friend to CRT, IWA has engaged constructively with the Trust’s senior management to ensure that restoration receives the support and strategic priority it deserves. By reinforcing the importance of a friendly approach to waterway restoration and encouraging CRT to consider restoration as a core charitable objective rather than a secondary priority, the IWA has helped move the document towards a more positive, practical, and delivery-focused one.
The IWA noted that the discussions between the IWA and CRT have also led to improvements in CRT’s internal restoration processes and a better mutual understanding of how restoration activity should be managed across the Trust’s network. This, however, needs to be matched by restoration groups becoming increasingly professional when undertaking construction work, both onsite and with design and Health & Safety paperwork.
Walsall Council has abandoned plans to relocate the Walsall Leather Museum, closed in April. The new Reform council administration agreed on 24 July to reverse the previous admistration’s decision to relocate the Walsall Leather Museum to the centre of town. Instead, the new council voted to reopen the museum in its current home, a Grade II listed 19th-century leather factory.
The council said that: “The existing museum building is itself a key component of the heritage offer, providing authenticity, historical context and a visitor experience that would be difficult to replicate through relocation. Retaining the museum in its current location presents a strong opportunity to enhance Walsall’s cultural offer while maintaining a direct connection to its industrial heritage.”
One of the campaigners against the move, Lauren Broxton, is quoted by the Museum Association as saying: “After a gruelling 18 months campaigning, we are thrilled by these developments. It has been emotionally and mentally taxing on many of us and we appreciate every share, petition sign, letter, and collective support. On behalf of the campaign group, I want to thank you all for the amazing support you have given us during this time – it has been crucial to reaching this milestone. We still face challenges and obstacles ahead (we are not naive to the almost inevitable likelihood of the Conservative opposition calling this in for scrutiny) and are continuing to work hard to ensure the best outcome is secured.”
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, on the advice of Historic England, has approved an incease in protection for two industrial buildings: Low Mil, Bleasdale, North Yorkshire, and Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall, County Durham.
Interior of Low Mill, showing some of the machinery. Image courtesy of Historic England.
Low Mill, in Bleasdale, North Yorkshire, was listed at Grade II in 1990. Further research has now shown the mill is of more than special interest and deserves to be upgraded to II*, as it is a rare and remarkably complete example of grain watermill development in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The iconic miners’ hall, home to the ‘Pitman’s Parliament’, has been upgraded to a Grade II* listed building. It is believed to be the most outstanding example of trades union-inspired architecture in the country. Constructed between 1913 and 1915 with an Edwardian Baroque exterior, it was purpose-built as a place where the Durham Miners Association (DMA) could meet coal owners on their own terms.
The Grade II* listed Ellis Mill, in Lincoln, has been added to Historic England’s Buildings At Risk Register. The site is owned by Lincolnshire County Council. The brick-built tower windmill was erected in 1798 (although its not the first windmill on this site), and was restored in 1977-80. It contains mill machinery assembled from various local windmills.
The windmill is the last of several windmills that once stood on the hilltop north of the city of Lincoln, and is named after the last miller. It operated as recently as 2020 during the COVID pandemic. A survey carried out in 2021 noted more than £500,000 of repair work required, mainly to the roof and sails. According to the BBC, a public meeting held by The Ellis Mill Rescue Group on Thursday 30 July attracted around 150 people. The Ellis Mill Rescue Group submitted a business case for taking over the windmill to the council in March.
Rob Gibson, deputy leader of Lincolnshire County Council, is quoted as saying: “The council owns four windmills – each one is in a different condition with different management arrangements. We are looking at what the options are for each of these sites. We’ve been pleased to have been in talks with interested groups to give the mills a sustainable future and this work is almost completed. A windmill strategy will be proposed for further engagement in the coming months and we will then be in a position to take decisions on how we progress.” The council’s three other windmills are located in Alford, Heckington, and Burgh-le-Marsh.
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and CBA East Midlands are jointly hosting a weekend of archaeology and heritage activity across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in the English East Midlands on 26th and 27th September.
On Saturday they will be visiting Cromford Mills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the first water-powered cotton spinning mill, and Cromford Village in Derbyshire. On Sunday, in Nottingham, members will explore the UK’s largest network of caves, their changing uses, and their industrial features. There will also be a visit to Brewhouse Yard to discover the stories of Nottingham’s social history and lace making. The weekend will finish at Nottingham Castle, a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion, and Mortimer’s Hole, a human-made cave beneath the castle.
The cost is £90pp for the weekend (with people sorting out their own accommodation and transport, though some car-sharing might be possible for anyone arriving by public transport), with tickets limited to 30.
The Boiler and Engineering Skills Training Trust (BESTT) has announced new courses for 2026. BESTT is a partnership of steam heritage organisations representing railways, ships, and traction engines, and is developing a range of training courses on boiler repair (based on demand), maintenance, and the mechanical overhaul of steam engines – on rails, land, or water.
The courses arranged for 2026 are as follows:
STAYS and PATCHSCREWS 15th August practical day (plus 2 evening zoom lectures) at Cheltenham Workshop with Colin Hatch and Sam Thompson;
SMALL DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR 12th September practical day (plus 2 evening zoom lectures) at Derwent Valley Light Railway, Murton Park;
RIVETING 12 October 4 day course at Stephenson Railway, North Tyneside with Michael Wortley and Gordon Newton.
It is also hoped to offer a Boiler Washout and Examination Course in October 26 – January 27 period, dates, and location to be confirmed.
For further information and to book please email enquiries@bestt.org.uk
As the summer holidays approach, and the festival of archaeology begins, there are many exhibitions at industrial heritage sites and museums available to visit. Here are three industrial heritage sites showcasing restored buildings, images of industry, and local communities.
Shuttles, Steam and Soot premiered at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum from 8 July 2026 before touring to other Lancashire locations. This facsimile exhibition recreates an original touring show from the 1970s, when these extraordinary photographs were taken, documenting working life in Queen Street Mill, Bancroft Shed in Barnoldswick and even atop a 150 foot chimney stack! Follow this link: Daniel Meadows: Shuttles, Steam and Soot – Pendle Radicals
The Staffordshire Potteries Water Board and Potteries Central Savings Bank is hosting pop-up exhibitions, beginning with artwork produced by students from Pinc College, which runs creative study programmes for neurodivergent young people. Known as One Bethesda, building restoration charity Re-Form Heritage, which runs Middleport Pottery, is working with its owner on future possible uses. Further details here: One Bethesda comes to life with Free Pinc College Pop-Up exhibition this Summer!
The Lion Salt Works is presenting an online exhibition about the history and uses of salt, A Brine Romance. To visit the exhibition follow this link: A Brine Romance | West Cheshire Museums
One of the preserved open pans at the Lion Salt Woks, Cheshire. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell.
Industrial Heritage Networks 