Newsletter No. 71 Autumn 2007 Editorial
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NEWSLETTER NO. 71 AUTUMN 2007 EDITORIAL Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter. I hope that you all survived the very wet weather and flooding that we had in June and July. My area of South Yorkshire was particularly badly affected. Wortley Top Forge which is situated literally at the bottom of my road was flooded by the River Don and part of the miniature railway that runs round the site was washed away. When we arrived back from our holiday in Devon at the end of June we found a message on our answerphone from a neighbour who had spotted some of the carriages down stream caught on the bank. Fortunately they had been rescued by the time we got back from Devon (to a rather damp house). Thanks to hard work from the volunteers, the railway was back in operation two weeks later. Also badly flooded was Kelham Island Museum - again situated near the River Don. Photos of the flooding can be found at www.simt.co.uk. Unfortunately the museum is likely to be closed for some time while repairs are carried out and the popular annual ‘Down by the Riverside’ event celebrating the use of the waterways in Sheffield originally planned for 22 September has had to be cancelled. I attended part of the annual AIA conference which this year was held at Preston in mid August and focused on the IA of Lancashire. A full report will be included in the next Newsletter but David George, who was one of the organising committee, has sent in a report of the pre-conference seminar on Urban Regeneration and the adaptive use of industrial buildings. It was good to see the Industrial History Section was well represented. The 2008 conference will be based near Chippenham in Wiltshire; details of the programme will be available early next year. As usual enclosed with the Autumn Newsletter are the minutes of the Section AGM held on 21 April. The main points were reported on in the last Newsletter and if any member wishes to propose an amendment to the minutes please let me know. Also enclosed are details of the 2007/8 Lecture Programme which starts on 6 October. Many thanks to Jane Ellis for arranging what promises to be a very interesting programme. Unfortunately the Section will have to accept my apologies for the first meeting as it clashes with my niece’s wedding in London and I didn’t want to miss out on a family get together. Having done the job myself I know that arranging the programme is not always that easy – what helps enormously is to have ideas and better still suggestions for speakers, so if members know of speakers either from experience or reputation, please let Jane know – her details are at the end of the Newsletter. One speaker that Jane has already booked for the 2008/9 Programme is section member Professor David Perrett. Congratulations are due to David who had been elected as President of the Newcomen Society from October 2007. His term of office runs for two years and he has agreed to speak to the Section in October 2008. I have included a new section in the Newsletter giving information about members’ interests. If you are carrying out research or have recently published something and would like to publicise this via the Newsletter let me know. We have a number of member institutions such as local libraries, the AIA and English Heritage so your information has the potential to reach a wider audience than just individual members. I also welcome short items describing visits or recommendations to places of industrial interest; David George is a regular contributor and has contributed again to this Newsletter. New members who have joined since the last Newsletter are Mr T Duffield, Mr S Leonard and Mr C Lloyd – welcome to you all and I hope that you will be able to join us over the coming months at Claremont. The deadline for the next Newsletter will be early January, so let me have any items of news, research interests or any other information early in the New Year and I look forward to a successful Lecture season. Margaret Tylee NEWS FROM CLAREMONT It was disappointing to learn that yet again the AGM of the main Society due to have been held at the end of June was postponed – I understand due to difficulties in finalising the accounts. The new date was set for 1 September and main Society members will have received their invitation to attend along with the Report and Accounts for 2006. Due to a prior engagement, I was unable to attend so can’t provide a report of the proceedings. I can provide an update on the Section’s financial position from the information contained in the Annual Report and Accounts which shows that as of 31 December 2006, the Section had a balance of £4,183, a surplus of £32 over the 1 January 2006 position. The 2008 AGM is due to be held on 21 June and nominations for the Management Board and Council should be submitted no later than 31 March 2008. Nominees must be members of the main Society. News comes from David George who reports that he has deposited all the Textile Mills Regeneration Conference papers from 1992 to present at Claremont for use in the Library. This year’s conference was due to be held in Birmingham but was cancelled due to lack of support. A useful point to note is that if you have a collection of papers that may be of wider interest, rather than have them occupying space in your house, contact the Librarian to enquire whether there would be space at Claremont and therefore become available to all Library users. The same applies to any unwanted books, particularly those with a Yorkshire theme. If the books are already held in the Library they could be made available in the regular book sales held at Claremont, go to good homes and raise funds for book repairs. Main Society members have been reminded that it is important that they bring their membership card when visiting Claremont – it needs to be produced when you sign in and if you want to take advantage of membership benefits. Section only members should also bring their section only cards with them. The YAHS Management Committee have agreed that the Society’s website needs expanding and updating and as one way of publicising the Section more widely and encouraging new members, we have added details of our lectures to the website (www.yas.org.uk). So, if you lose the lecture details sheet you will know where to look. Later, we hope to provide a link to the membership leaflet so that it can be downloaded and completed. Other ideas for publicity are always welcome, just let me know. The Book Repair group which meets regularly at Claremont on Thursdays is looking for additional help. Previous experience is not necessary but it is essential that you can work neatly and with care. If you are interested contact the Librarian. MEMBERS INTERESTS Section members Alan and Janet Tomlinson have sent me an article they have written on the Ferrybridge Pottery site (The Development of the Ferrybridge Pottery Site 1793- 2004. Northern Ceramic Society Journal, Vol 23 2006-2007, pp17-58). The article is a well researched and illustrated study of the site situated on the south bank of the River Aire between Ferrybridge and Knottingley. They were wondering if there were other Section members who were actively interested in potteries and suggested that it would be useful if there was a Members Interests section in the Newsletter. I am always happy to hear about members’ industrial history interests and to share these via the Newsletter, so if you do have an interest in potteries contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Alan & Janet. If members have a special interest and would like to include this in the Newsletter, please let me know and I can add this to future issues. NEWS ITEMS Work has started to develop the historic Kirkstall Forge site in Leeds. This was the home of England’s oldest ironworks with over 750 years of operations. It was run for generations by the Butler family and at its height employed nearly 2,000 workers. Ironworking ceased in the 1920s and the Forge moved over to the production of axles and heavy steel drop forging. The project is estimated to cost £240m, will provide 1,400 new homes, shops, offices, leisure facilities and green spaces and will take 10 years to complete. English Heritage has published the 2007 Buildings at Risk Register. The Register lists 1,235 entries of grade I and II* listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments that are deemed to be “at risk”. The list is gradually decreasing with 88 entries removed and 52 added this year. The full list together with details of the present condition can be found on the English Heritage’s website (www.english-heritage.org.uk).Looking through the list there are several industrial buildings including as follows: North Yorkshire • Lead cupola, flue and Chimney, Grassington • Dale End Mills, Lothersdale • Providence Smelt Mill, Bewerley, near Harrogate South Yorkshire • Low Forge, Wortley • Bower Spring Cementation Furnace, Sheffield • Wicker Arch and adjoining viaduct, Sheffield West Yorkshire • Lumb Mill, Wainstalls • Waterloo Mill, Silsden • Manningham Mill, Bradford • Hunslet Mill, Leeds • Temple Works Gate Lodge, Holbeck, Leeds The new engine house at the Middleton Railway is now open. Built with the aid of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the hard work from volunteers it houses the railway’s collection of Leeds built locomotives together with a café area and shop.