YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION NEWSLETTER 97 LATE SPRING 2016 (website edition - this edition is incomplete as some items/illustrations from the original newsletter are not available electronically) EDITORIAL

We have come to the end of the first lecture series to be held at our new location at Swarthmore and I hope those members who have attended the lectures have found it a suitable venue. The only adverse comments I have received relate to the new screen in Room 3 which is in fact a smart form of a whiteboard (but it is black) and has proved too low down on the wall for those at the back of the room to see the presentations properly. As it turned out, delays to the completion of the sale of Claremont has meant in principle we could have stayed at Claremont for the 2015/6 season but the lecture room has been used for sorting and storage of material due to be moved, it would have been colder and less welcoming than before. The good news is that our Lecture Programme Secretary Jane Ellis has finalised the details of the 2016/7 programme, the dates and details are given later in the Newsletter and the full programme will be distributed with the Autumn Newsletter and be available on the YAHS website. The 2016/7 programme will continue to be held at the Swarthmore starting on 15 October.

The Section’s AGM was held on 16 April and was attended by 15 members, the minutes will be circulated with the Autumn Newsletter. The Officers were all re-elected and I was nominated and approved as the section representative to be put forward for the Management Board at the Society’s AGM likely to be in June/July. The Section Annual Report was discussed and approved and a copy is enclosed for information to those members unable to be present. I was pleased to report that the Section’s finances appear to be on an even footing with the income from subscriptions showing a slight surplus over our expenditure in producing Newsletters and the events programme, thanks go to all who give up their time to help the Section. More savings could be made on postage/envelopes if members preferred to receive Newsletters etc. electronically, although we do make savings by using the franking machine at Claremont, sending something second class using the machine costs 37p instead of 53p. If you are willing to receive the Newsletter electronically please let Robert Vickers know. Robert gave a brief update at the AGM on the good progress being made on the development of Yorkshire Industrial History Online, a fuller update is included later in the Newsletter.

I was also pleased to report that we have two excursions lined up over the next few months. Robert Vickers has arranged a visit to Queen’s Mill in Castleford on 26 May. The mill was previously known as Allinson’s Mill and was the world’s largest stone grinding flour mill with 20 pairs of grinding stones. It closed on 2010 but was subsequently bought by the Castleford Heritage Trust and re-opened in 2013. If you can’t make this date, the Mill has regular Open Days during 2016, for details see the website www.castlefordheritagetrust.org.uk. A photo of the interesting roof trusses in the Mill appears in IA News 176 p17. At the AGM Robert reported that 10 members/friends had signed up for the visit, so there is room for a few more. Our second visit has been organised by Jane Ellis and is a walking tour of Lawnswood Cemetery in Leeds on Thursday 1 September to discover the graves of many notable Leeds industrialists. See Forthcoming Events for details.

At the AGM I reported that our membership was stable with 78 members compared to 79 at the time of the 2015 AGM and would like to welcome four new members who have joined since the last Newsletter – Mr P Robson, Mr M Turpin, Mr J Whitaker and Mr A Garford. I hope you will be able to join us for the two excursions we have arranged and if not, will be able to get to our 2016/7 lectures. The main Society will be discussing a possible membership campaign once we know where our new home will be but that doesn’t stop Section members encouraging others to join.

I shall be producing the next Newsletter in early September in time for the first lecture on Saturday 15 October. Please let me have any news/information as soon as possible and by 9 September. I hope you all have an enjoyable summer and maybe see some of you at the AIA Conference in September.

Margaret Tylee

MAIN SOCIETY NEWS

Yes it’s time to change this heading, although at time of writing Claremont is still occupied and remains the formal registered office, the sale is still proceeding albeit slowly. The planning application was published on 15 April and I was surprised to learn that it is for a conversion into 16 flats, according to the plans the majority will be one room only with a fold down bed and a separate bathroom. It doesn’t seem like the “high end” residential accommodation that was originally indicated but I suppose they may be affordable, you can view the details of the plans on the Leeds Council website (www.leeds.gov.uk) follow the link to planning applications and the reference number is 16/01802. Closing date for comments was 6 May and it is expected that the plans will go before the planning committee some time after that. Meanwhile investigations will be underway to identify a suitable home for the Society after Claremont is vacated. It is likely to be rented office accommodation in Leeds initially for 2 or 3 years until we have a better idea of how the Society’s finances and new arrangements are working out.

The current Treasurer Brian Barber has given notice that he intendeds to give up the post at the forthcoming Society AGM, a new Treasurer will therefore be required. The Society is also looking for a new Excursions Officer since Louise Thomas-Philips will be standing down. We are still looking for someone to become the Society’s Newsletter Editor who can revive the production of the hard copy and electronic newsletters. If anyone who is a main YAHS member is interested in these posts please contact David Buck.

Initial discussions are taking place to consider the production of a revamped website for the Society, in the meantime pages of the current website are being updated or deleted to reflect the current arrangements. Don’t forget to read the President’s Blog which is where you will find all latest information and news.

YORKSHIRE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY ONLINE (YIHO)

YIHO has made considerable progress since in the last year. After some 12 months hard work the YIHO project has become an active collaboration that currently includes YAHS, Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society, South Yorkshire Industrial History Society, Northallerton & District Local History Society, Halifax Antiquarian Society, and Keighley & District Local History Society. Efforts are on-going to expand the collaboration – there is positive interest from East Leeds History & Archaeology Society, Local History Society, Nidderdale Iron Age Project, South Leeds Archaeology, Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group, amongst others, as well as several Yorkshire industrial and local museums.

John Suter has undertaken a considerable amount of work on the software in the light of suggestions by the project team with the result that: the software is much more robust; the appearance of the pages and functions has been aligned so that there is consistency across all the screen displays; it is now possible to add scanned images of photographs and documents.

The project team has continued to add records to the database and to date over 2400 site records have been collated by members of the team and others. A work placement student from Huddersfield University input records of c750 sites from record cards donated to us by architectural historian Jane Hatcher. Two members have begun to add scanned images of their original research notes and we are exploring the possibility of digitally scanning Jane Hatcher’s photographs and other collections we know of. A significant recent development has been the creation of a training module to use for group training or for self-teaching to increase the number of people involved in data entry.

Once the initial data entry phase has been completed, expected later this year, and greater digital storage capacity has been acquired it is proposed to make YIHO visible to the general public.

Robert Vickers

OTHER NEWS ITEMS

The Yorkshire Dialect Society together with the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition at the University of Sheffield are recording dialect words and expressions used in Yorkshire before they are lost. There will be many dialect terms used in industry, for example when mechanisation was introduced the names of parts of machinery would be new and perhaps later superseded. There are no doubt words used in the textile industry which have passed into history. Information and contributions are welcome and can be sent to [email protected] or to the Centre for English Traditional Heritage, Spring Hill, Edale, Hope Valley S33 7ZB.

Our November lecture will be given by Geoffrey Snowdon on the subject of the excavations at Yearsley Mill, near Helmsley. The work has been carried out by a community group having discovered the remains of a medieval/post medieval watermill site which probably went out of use in the mid 18th century. The group has discovered many finds and the outline of watercourses which had powered the mill. The excavations continue and if anyone is interested in helping out there will be digging at the Mill between 23 May and 10 June. Please contact Geoffrey Snowdon for more information.

A report from the North York Moors National Park Archaeology Group was given to the YAHS Council meeting in April. Financial support for the National Park as a whole has been reduced and this has resulted in a reduction of conservation activities with archaeology staff working a 4 day week and dependent on external funding for various projects. Stage 1 of a project which focussed on the 19th century ironstone industry and railways of the North York Moors was completed with a survey of industrial monuments being submitted in October 2015 to secure funding to carry out stage 2 to conserve historic structures and provide interpretation and access. A budget of £1million will be used to consolidate structures at the Rosedale kiln sites, Warren Moor mine and Grosmont Iron Works. A report on a project to investigate the coastal alum works has been completed and a seminar at the Whitby Museum is planned to consider the next phase of the project. Other projects include surveys of hillforts, earthworks and other scheduled monuments.

The same meeting received a report from the Historical Society on a project to research various aspects of the history of Wakefield Kirkgate Station and its environs, the papers will eventually be published in a special issue of the Wakefield Historical Society Journal.

A £2million scheme has been approved to convert the Clementhorpe Maltings in Lower Ebor Street, York into housing, despite some local objections who wished to retain the building for community use. The Maltings are grade II listed as being a good example of a small, urban 19th century maltings which had retained examples of rare malting machinery. It was built in the late 19th century and used by the Tadcaster Tower Brewery Company from 1895 until the late 1950s and has been disused since the 1960s, gradually becoming derelict. The developer apparently plans to re-use original features such as timber trusses, malt bin doors and the steel mesh used on the drying room floor as part of the development.

Another familiar story from a local authority, Council is deciding which of its museums needs to be closed to save money due to budget cuts, the Tolson Museum in Ravensknowle Park, Huddersfield seems the most likely as the Council estimates that it needs £4.2million for repairs. The Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle say that £275,000 is needed for the most urgent repairs and that repairs to the other structures in the park can be phased over several years. The Museum was bequeathed to Huddersfield by its then owner Legh Tolson in memory of his two nephews who had died in the 1st World War. A local visitor has set up an online petition to save the Museum and all are requested to sign in support at www.change.org/p/kitklees- council-save-the-tolson-musem.

Better news from Hull, the Springhead Pumping Station near Willerby is undergoing a £2.5 million renovation. The grade II listed building was built in 1863 by Thomas Dale with the addition of an engine house in 1876. The single action Cornish beam engine worked from 1876 to 1910 and is still in situ. Water is still pumped by electric pumps from a borehole to the treatment works at Cottingham and provides a third of the daily water supply to Hull and the East Riding. It was used as a waterworks museum for Yorkshire Water but has been closed to the public for many years and since then had been a target for vandals and thieves. Yorkshire Water agreed to a renovation of the site and work started in the autumn of 2015 due for completion in summer 2016. It is not known whether the building will be re-opened to the public. If you search the internet for Springhead Pumping Station you will see that it is a fine building worthy of renovation.

The fashion brand Burberry has chosen architects Stanton Williams to design a new manufacturing and weaving facility in Leeds. The architects, winners of the 2012 Stirling Prize, will bring together two existing factories in Castleford and Cross Hills to a brownfield site in Holbeck. The last stage of the development will be to restore the empty grade 1 listed Temple Mills which previously featured on the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list.

Section member Brian Freeborn is also the Secretary of the North East Group of the Railway & Canal Historical Society (RCHS). He has asked me to publicise two events being held by the Group later this year (See below) and for those members who are unfamiliar with the RCHS I have given a bit more information here. The RCHS is the leading transport history society in the UK founded in 1954 originally to encourage the study of railway and canal history it now covers many aspects of transport history including river navigations, shipping and aircraft. Members receive a Journal three times a year and a bulletin six times a year, meetings, conferences and visits are also arranged The North East Group holds meetings in York on the first Saturday of the month during the winter starting in October. Individual membership costs £20 pa and applications should be made to the RCHS Membership Secretary. More information including can be found on the RCHS website www.rchs.org.uk

I reported in the last Newsletter that the nationally important Queen Street Mill in Burnley and the Helmshore Mill Museum were under threat of closure on 31 March 2016 due to cuts in the Lancashire County Council budget. I, along with many other organisations and individuals, wrote on behalf of the Section to the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Council to object to this and request more time to consider options available to keep the buildings open. To date I have never received a reply but the good news is that the Council have decided to keep all five museums affected by the cuts open to the public until 30 September. This is to allow potential bidders interested in operating each museum time to submit proposals to enable the Council to decide on the future of each museum. It is still possible that some or all of the museums will eventually close so we will know in the autumn.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

21 May Skelton Park Pit. Open Afternoon at this ironstone mine site which closed in 1938. Organised by the Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society. Meet Simon Chapman of the Cleveland Heritage Mining Society at 1.30pm. The site is situated on the hillside at Park House off the A173 Guisborough to Skelton on Cleveland Road.

21 May The Loxley Valley Revisited: Water Power and Fireclay. South Yorkshire Industrial History Society linear walk in the Loxley Valley, Sheffield looking at remains of water-powered industry. Walking boots or boots essential. Meet Graham Hague at the Malin Bridge tram terminus at 2pm for bus to the start at Stannington. Finish at Malin Bridge at 4pm. Details from Graham Hague.

26 May Industrial History Section visit to Queen’s Mill, Castleford. Meet at 10.30am at Queen’s Mill, Aire Street, Castleford WF10 1JL. Parking available on site. Cost £3 payable on the day. Book a place by contacting Robert Vickers.

28 May Pleasley Pit and Trails. Railway Ramblers visit and walk. Meet at Chesterfield Railway Station at 10.10am to catch bus to Peasley and the Peasley Pit Mining Museum for a tour of the Museum followed by lunch in the café. At approx. 1pm Peter Martin will lead a 5 mile walk on the Midland Railway trackbed from Pleasley to Teversal visiting various sites. Return by bus from Treversal to Chesterfield. Free admission to the Museum but donations for the Museum tour welcome and payable on the day. Details from Jane Ellis. For information about the site see www.pleasleypittrust.org.uk

30 May Brewery, Mills & Railway. Heritage walk exploring the mid Hebble Valley where industry and transport have been superseded by leisure and residential development but where there are still industrial remains. There will be some uneven surfaces and one steep climb, strong footwear needed. Meet Iain Cameron at 2.15pm at the junction of Brackenbed Lane and Hebble Lane, Wheatley. Cost £3 per head, no need to book just turn up. More information at www.calderdaleheritagewalks.org.uk

1 June Little Known NER Branches around Castleford. Railway Ramblers evening walk. Meet at Castleford Station at 17.40 for a circuit of the town taking in trackbed sections of the Castleford East and Whitwood branches closed in 1973 which both served the chemical industries. Also the canal towpath and the landscaped Cutsyke line. Return from Glasshoughton or Castleford. Walking boots recommended. Pre-bookings only via walk leader Gas Hill..

16 June Stocksbridge to Oxspring. Railway & Canal Historical Society 6 mile walk from Stocksbridge via Deepcar to Oxspring, South Yorkshire. Walk will follow part of the Stocksbridge Railway and continue onto the trackbed of the MS&LR which is now part of the Transpennine Trail. Meet Graham Hague and Peter Martin at Sheffield Station Tram Entrance Hall on the east side of the station (over the footbridge from the main concourse) at 10am for tram and bus link to Stocksbridge. Return by bus from Oxspring, probably via Barnsley. Bring packed lunch. Details from Graham Hague..

25 June Farndale Head Railways. Railway Ramblers 8 mile walk led by Jane Ellis and Bill Jagger. Meet at 10.30am at Blakey Bridge (GR 684989 parapet remains only) on the Hutton-le-Hole to Castleton road where there is room to park cars. Two out and back walks, the first exploring the NER branch from Blakey Junction and an incline to Blakey Mines – walking boots essential for this walk, then returning to cars for picnic lunch. After lunch the second walk follows the westwards around the head of Farndale. After the walks there is the option of having a meal at the nearby Lion Inn. Contact Jane Ellis..

23 July Lower Colden. Calderdale Heritage walk visiting the sites of early water powered textile mills, some of which were converted to steam. Meet Justine Wyatt at 2.15pm by Hebden Bridge Parish Church. Details as for 30 May walk.

23 July Denby Dale to Berry Brow. Railway Ramblers walk from the Penistone to Huddersfield line. Full details from Jane Ellis.

31 July Dobroyd Castle. Calderdale Heritage Walk to, around and inside the “Brass Castle” built by John Fielding Jnr in 1869. Meet Linda Croft at 2.15pm at the entrance to Todmorden Railway Station for a half mile walk to the Castle, strong shoes are advised. The visit is by kind permission of the owner and pre-booking is essential. Booking opens on Monday 27 June at the Visitor Information Desk at Central Library, Northgate, Halifax, HX1 1UN. Bookings can be made in person, by phone on 01422 368725 (fee for card transactions) or by post with full payment and a reply paid envelope (cheques payable to Calderdale MBC) The cost is £4 per head for all ages. The Library is closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.

14 Aug A Delve into the Past. Calderdale Heritage Walk exploring the Bank Top area of Southowram with its mixture of stone extraction, farming, textiles and buildings. Meet Iain Cameron at 2.15pm by the War Memorial, Pinnar Lane, Southowram. Details as for 30 May walk.

18 Aug Mam Tor Turnpike Road. Railway & Canal Historical Society walk on the former Mam Tor turnpike road near Castleton, Derbyshire, returning to Castleton via Winnats Pass or Treak Cliff Cavern. Full details from Brian Freeborn RCHS North East Group Secretary.

20 Aug Thornton in Craven to Colne. Railway Ramblers walk. Full details from Jane Ellis.

1 Sept Walking tour of Lawnswood Cemetery. Meet leader from Friends of the Cemetery at the cemetery car park Otley Road Leeds at 3pm to see the graves and monuments of Famous Leeds industrialists of the past. A collection will be taken for the Friends of Lawnswood Cemetery. Details from Jane Ellis

8 Sept Wath Mill Open Day. Wath, Upper Nidderdale, HG3 5PP. 10.30-13.30. Visit a late 19th century mill built on the site of an earlier 16th century mill. Out of use since the 1930s with its machinery virtually intact. Currently being restored by the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership. Admission free. Please note that there are no facilities at the Mill and there is limited parking. See www.nidderdaleaonb.org.uk for more information.

8-11 Sept Heritage Open Days. The annual event when lots of interesting sites are open to the public. Details will be published in mid July, so note the date and check the website for the information www.heritageopendays.org.uk

9-14 Sept Association for Industrial Archaeology Annual Conference, Shropshire. Held at the Telford campus of Wolverhampton University. Lectures and excursions. Residential Conference attendance (Friday 9 September 5pm to Sunday 11 September 2pm) £239 includes accommodation, meals and excursion. Modular based payments for the rest of the time depending on days and excursions attended. For full details and booking see www.industrial- archaeology.org.uk

18 Sept Transportation in . Calderdale Heritage Walk exploring the development of transport in Brighouse from the 18th century to present day by road, river, canal, present and former railways. Meet John Brooke at 2.15pm by the junction of Huddersfield Road and Birds Royd, 200 yds up from Sainsburys in Brighouse. Details as for 30 May walk.

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION LECTURE PROGRAMME 2016/17 To be held at the Swarthmore Centre Leeds. Lectures start at 11am, AGM at 10,30am

15 Oct Matthew Murray and the Firm Fenton, Murray & Co – Paul Murray Thompson

12 Nov The History & Archaeology of the Yearsley Watermill – Geoff Snowdon

17 Dec 10¼ to 7ft: Industrial Transport in North Wales – John Meredith

14 Jan Scientific Reading, Self Education & manufacturing in Georgian Leeds – Dr Rebecca Bowd

18 Feb The Mining and Working of Jet – Carol Cook

18 Mar Preserving & Promoting Upper Nidderdale’s Industrial Past – Louise Brown

22 Apr AGM & Members’ Session

REPORTS OF LECTURES, EVENTS ETC

Reports from the 20i5/16 Lecture Programme

The Limestone Industry of the Yorkshire Dales – David Johnson 24 October 2015

Section member David Johnson gave the first IHS lecture in our new home for lectures to a packed room. His title was slightly different to that advertised on the programme but covered the same area. We were fortunate to have such an experienced speaker for the talk, David has written several articles and books on the subject, he lives in Settle and is active in the Yorkshire Dales Landscape Research Trust and the Ingleborough Archaeology Group. Members may recall an article written by David in Newsletter 92 (Autumn 2014) on research carried out at Threshfield Quarry, Grassington.

David started by describing a survey carried out in the Yorkshire Dales National Park which identified nearly 1500 lime kilns that were surveyed and recorded. Early kilns called clamp kilns were built into the hillside and consisted of layers of fuel, limestone, fuel, limestone etc. covered with turf and soil and left to burn for several days to produce lime for agriculture. Lime was also used in building construction and in the tanning process. David showed examples of various designs for field kilns, although from the exterior the kilns are square or rounded, there are variations in the details. Kilns were also found in areas away from traditional limestone region, e.g. in Ilkley kilns used limestone found in the river bed. Later kilns were substantial structures, an example from Markenfield Hall which had been recorded revealed an iron platform for setting the fire. Moving to the late 19th/early 20th century saw the development of large commercial quarries for the extraction of the limestone, which was subsequently processed. In the early 1900s, the Craven Lime Works employed 70 men and boys. A survey of Foredale Quarry which closed in 1958, revealed the site almost just as it closed with the remains of trucks and compressed air pipes. The talk moved to examples of how the stone was moved using large tipper trucks and shovellers. At Hall Bank Quarry, Skipton, the quarried stone was tipped into barges on the adjacent arm of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, other methods included overhead systems for transportation. Later developments included the Hoffman continuous kiln, an example at Langcliffe and the Spencer kilns used at Grassington, Giggleswisk and Swinden quarries.

Today there is still a limestone quarrying industry in the Yorkshire Dales including those at Leyburn and Swinden, the lime kilns at Shap use a gas fired system. Threshfield Quarry is being developed as a heritage centre. Following the talk there was time to show a video showing quarry working in the 1930s, breaking the stone, filling a tub, moving tubs on a track and tipping stone into the kiln and a film from the Yorkshire Film Archive from 1949 filmed in Threshfield Quarry and the Settle Lime works which showed moving stone with a mechanical shovel, a crushing machine and loading the kilns.

As well as these fascinating moving images, the talk was well illustrated with archive photographs, David reported that his latest book Quarrying in the Yorkshire , an Illustrated History was in process of being published, publication date expected June 2016. Members are also referred to David’s book Limestone Industries of the Yorkshire Dales 2nd edition 2010 published by Amberley Publishing and his article on Lime Kilns in the Central Pennines: Results of a Field Survey in the Yorkshire Dales and Contiguous areas of North and . Yorkshire Archaeological Journal vol 82 2010 pp231-262.

Margaret Tylee

Co-operation Failures in the Yorkshire Water Industry and Hull’s Planned Reservoir at Farndale in the 1930s – Bernie Eccleston 14 November 2015

Calderdale Industrial Museum Works Again – Tim Kirker 12 December 2015

Tim Kirker is the Chair of the Calderdale Industrial Museum Association (CIMA) and he explained that when he agreed to give the presentation he had assumed that his title would reflect reality, unfortunately as he would go on to explain, a more accurate title would be the Calderdale Industrial Museum is not quite working again. The Museum originally opened in 1985 showcasing the rich industrial history of the Calder Valley and Halifax in a late 19th century warehouse close to the Piece Hall. In 1987 it was awarded National Museum of the Year and remained a popular attraction in Halifax. Unfortunately by 2000 it closed due in part to Calderdale Council’s financial problems. An enthusiastic group of volunteers were determined to see the Museum re-open and formed CIMA in 2011 with the support of Calderdale Council’s Museum Service and were able to open the Museum occasionally to the public. The open days proved popular with over 1,600 visitors attending on a total of eight occasions, proving there was a demand for learning about the area’s industrial history.

In March 2013 CIMA became a legal entity and in February 2014 obtained a licence to operate a Museum. It was also successful in obtaining funding from a number of sources to allow a project manager to be paid to manage the work to set up the new entity, plan the arrangement of exhibits, marketing etc. The artefacts from the original museum were still in situ and we were shown images of some fine examples of local industries including toffee making machinery, machine tools, a 1700 treadle lathe, water powered clock, an original Hargreaves Spinning Jenny and a Holdsworth maquette loom. One of the plans was to create a major exhibition of the development of the worsted cloth industry.. There were also a lot of machines in store that needed to be re-assembled and installed in the Museum. Other projects included repairs to the building, a new entrance, workshops and educational facilities. Development of the Museum would be taking place at the same time as the Council’s plans for a redevelopment of the adjacent site where a new library and archive centre was being built on the site of the old church graveyard and a new entrance into the Piece Hall. Tim showed slides of how that development was progressing.

Tim then described the current problem when it was discovered that repairs to the North wall of the Museum scheduled to take place in August/September 2015 were likely to be more expensive than originally anticipated and the Council felt it was unable to fund the work. The alternative may have been to demolish the building and move the collections into store. Both sides agreed that repairs were needed, the disagreement was about how to do it. The Council’s initial estimate was around £2million but CIMA commissioned an independent survey which estimated £300k would be needed to repair the walls, it was estimated that it would cost £600k to demolish the building and store or dispose of the collection. A Council decision was expected early in 2016. Tim was thanked for his interesting presentation which certainly wetted our appetite for any forthcoming visit. As a result of the concern expressed by the meeting, I wrote on behalf of the Section expressing our support for retaining the Museum and received a reply assuring me that the Council would be considering the matter carefully and recognising the importance of the collections

Since the talk, agreement was reached on a sum of £300k to be allocated to repair and refurbish the building which will take several months. CIMA will be working with the Council to enable an insurance structure to be put in place which will allow CIMA members to work in the building under CIMA insurance while the building is covered by Council insurance. Approaches will be made to the Heritage Lottery Fund to discuss the possibility of financial assistance towards the plans to develop the Museum. The latest news is that CIMA is due to take over the running of the Museum from Calderdale Council on 25 May with an Open Day planned for 16 June. It will probably be at least a year before the Museum will open regularly to the public while further work is carried out.

Margaret Tylee

York – Its Transport and Industry – John Meredith 23 January 2016

Investigation of the Tin Mill, Hunshelf – Barry Tylee 20 February 2016

My husband Barry is a member of Hunshelf Parish Council, the parish in which the site known as the Tin Mill is situated on the River Don between Wortley and Deepcar in South Yorkshire on land belonging to the Wharncliffe Estates. He had been interested in the site since moving to the area 23 years ago and wondered what the collection of some upright masonry and jumble of stones called the Tin Mill on the maps actually was and whether it did process tin. Research revealed that it was the third mill on the Don after Wortley Top Forge and Low Forge and operated by John Cockshutt the First from 1743. The site was not listed or scheduled. Although called the Tin Mill several references argued that it did not in fact use tin, although others did describe the tinning process carried out there and early maps showed the site called the Tin Mill quite clearly. Barry described the importance of tin plate in the 18th century and by 1783, 5.5 million tin plates were being exported through Hull. A key piece of documentary evidence came from Reinhold Angerstein a Swedish metallurgist and industrial spy who toured the UK in 1753-55 and produced a detailed travel diary. He visited the Tin Mill and provided a detailed description of its workings using tin.

The Parish Council were keen to find out more and in 2011 commissioned Wessex Archaeology to carry out a site survey to update earlier surveys that had been carried out by the University of Sheffield and the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society. The survey confirmed the existence of buildings and the water courses feeding the water wheels used to power the site. Following this up, the Parish Council were successful in a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for money to allow a two week excavation to be carried out by local volunteers and school children under the supervision of ArcHeritage.

The findings of the excavation were described and illustrated. Trench1 discovered the wheel pit for one of the water wheels which powered the rolling mill together with a large amount of rolling scale. After the dig had finished a number of volunteers returned and removed a large stone to reveal a curved stone believed to based on a design of John Smeaton from his 1794 patent for a crown to aid the flow of water for a high breast waterwheel. Trenches 2 &3 attempted to find the culverted large tail goit, but it proved too far down to find in the time available for digging by hand. Trench 4 uncovered a further tail goit and Trench 5 near the suspected tin house was opened when a high metal detection signal was received which turned out to be a piece of iron plate. Finds included clay pipes, 19th & 20th century pottery, bottles and toys indicating the area had been used as a rubbish dump from the nearby cottages which had existed on site until the 1970s. Census records were used to identify the inhabitants of the cottages and their occupations, most were related to metal working. Soil analysis was carried on samples taken from different areas of the site which showed high concentrations of tin, which was not usual for sandstone areas, this together with the description in Angerstein’s Travel Diary makes it fairly certain that tin processing was carried out on the site, although no tinned artefacts were found.

So what happened to the site? It continued as a tin mill until possibly 1782 but by 1793 had moved to only iron rolling. This continued under different ownerships until 1883 and by 1887 it was abandoned, sold for scrap in 1887 and the rolls were blown up. Barry felt there was need for further research e.g. where did the tin come from and how was it transported, no records have been found so far of the business operations, no photographs have been found of the site, even after it had been closed and why was the tail goit so wide. The talk ended with a 3D photogrammetry reconstruction of the main water management system and a 3D working simulation of the wheels operating the rollers. Copies of an industrial heritage walk leaflet which included the site were distributed. The Parish Council intend to make a case to Historic England to have the site scheduled.

For more information see R.R. Angerstein’s Illustrated Travel Diary 1753-1755 Translated by Torstein and Peter Borg. Published by the Science Museum 2001. ISBN 1-90074724-3. The 70 page ArcHeritage report of the excavation can be downloaded from https://www2.barnsley.gov.uk/about-us/how-the-council-is-organised/information-on-parish-and-town- councils/hunshelf-parish-council

Margaret Tylee

The Restoration of Historic Canal and Railway related Properties in Goole – Julie Duckworth 19 March 2016

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION OFFICERS 2016/2017

Chair & Newsletter Editor Vice-Chair and Membership Lecture Secretary Secretary Margaret Tylee Robert Vickers Jane Ellis