NEWSLETTER 89 LATE SPRING 2013
EDITORIAL
I hope you all enjoyed the summer and made the most of the wonderful weather we have experienced in being able to visit some IA sites. I am now looking forward to our next Lecture programme and another year of activities. Details of the lectures and events are enclosed with this Newsletter and are also available on the YAHS website. Don’t forget to check the website regularly for details of other events and news throughout the year and a reminder that you can also use the website to order publications from the online shop. Also enclosed are the minutes from the April AGM, please let me know in writing or email if you have any corrections to propose to the minutes.
We are now three quarters of the way through the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society’s 150th anniversary year and I hope that some of you have been able to attend some of the events that have been organised to celebrate the year. Highlights of the events are available on the YAHS website and include the Section walk on 12 May led by Robert Vickers. A more extended report of this event is included later in the Newsletter, the weather could have been better but the small group who attended were appreciative of Robert’s efforts in researching and leading the walk. The Section’s next event as part of the celebrations will be held on Saturday 21 September with the day school at the National Coal Mining Museum and I hope this will be well attended.
During the spring and summer I have been working with a researcher who was preparing a series of articles on Yorkshire Textile Mills for the Dalesmanmagazine. He was keen to include a list of twenty of the best textile mills as a key part of the approach. As you can imagine it was a pretty daunting task to produce this list and I am well aware that the final selection will have omitted several mills that members will feel should have been included. The first of the three articles appeared in the September issue of the Dalesman (including a photo of me!), so keep an eye out for it and any feedback and your views on what was eventually included in the list would be welcome. The good news is that the society has already received one request for more information about the YAHS as a result of the article. The next two instalments will be appearing in the October and November issues.
I reported at the AGM and in the last Newsletter that work had been slow on developing the Industrial History database, the small group has met recently to discuss the best way forward and we now know how to add images to the database which is a small step forward. At present we are still waiting for the information regarding how to involve more people remotely in adding information to the database I have included a lengthier summary of the current position later in the Newsletter and will be able to update members at the first lecture meeting on 5 October. A welcome to new members Mr & Mrs J Watkinson who have joined the Section since the last Newsletter.
The News Items section is a bit short this time, so a reminder that information about events and news with an industrial theme across Yorkshire is welcome at any time from members. Living in South Yorkshire means that I often miss information from the rest of Yorkshire unless members send it to me. I have recently been approached by the Association for Industrial Archaeology to be the reporter for Yorkshire; this will involve sending the editor for the Industrial Archaeology News short pieces of information from the region, so any information of an industrial history nature will be gratefully received. I shall be producing the next Newsletter in early January 2014, but please send any material as and when you can before then. I hope to see many of you during the coming months.
Margaret Tylee
Celebrating 150 years of the YAHS
NEWS FROM CLAREMONT
The AGM of the main Society was finally held on Saturday 10 August after being postponed twice due to the annual accounts not being ready and signed off by the auditors. This was partly due to problems with reconciling the membership figures with membership income since the computer holding the previous membership information finally stopped working and the replacement database which has been being developed for at least two years was still not fully working. At the meeting most of the discussion on the Annual Report for 2012 centred on the Society’s financial situation. The accounts showed the main Society’s deficit had reduced from £106,516 in 2011 to £39,780 for 2012; when the individual sections’ deficit was included this rose to £58,000. The accounts for the individual sections are not shown now in the Annual Report but I have asked the Treasurer for the breakdown for our section. The main reasons for the reduction in the deficit were an increase in value of the Society’s investments and less money having to be spent on maintenance of the building. It was pointed out that the accounts do not take into account the value of the building or the collections held within it. However clearly something has to be done to improve the finances, several suggestions were put forward and it was reported that the Finance Committee was due to meet on 13 August to review all possibilities and to produce a document for the Management Board to consider at its September meeting. The President made a request for anyone who had accounting experience to offer to help the Treasurer and be able to cover for him when he was away.
At the end of the meeting there was a presentation to the outgoing Hon General Secretary Jo Heron who was retiring from the post after 17 years. Earlier in the meeting Paul White had been elected as the new Hon General Secretary. Jo was presented with flowers, a small gift and a cheque. If you look on the YAHS website you will find a report of the presentation. In Newsletter 88 I mentioned the appeal going out to Society members asking them to consider making a donation or to leave a legacy to the YAHS in this anniversary year. A special legacy leaflet has gone out to all main Society members and enclosed with this Newsletter is a copy for those who are section members only. The President reported at the AGM that anonymous donations of £1,000 and £3,000 had been received and the Parish Register Section, which was closing at the end of 2013, had donated £20,000 to the Society specifically for the improvement of security at Claremont. Please consider making a donation, however small, by sending a cheque made payable to the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society to the Treasurer at Claremont.
Members whose YAHS subscription does not include the annual volume of the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal may be interested in several of the items included in the 2013 issue which is now available. There are two articles, one by John Collis and one by Brian Barbour, which cover the history of the YAHS, highlighting some of its personalities and its publishing activities which were written as part of the 150th celebrations. The article by David Hey on The Domestic Economy of the 17th & 18th century Holmfirth Textile Industry uses probate inventories to provide evidence of the manufacture and marketing of woollen cloth in the Holmfirth area. Robert Vickers has provided a communication describing the setting up of the industrial history database and I reviewed the Record Series Publication 162 on the Swaledale Lead Mining Dispute 1705-8.
OTHER NEWS ITEMS
On 27th June Barnsley’s first museum dedicated to the history of the Borough of Barnsley opened in Barnsley’s Town Hall. It is called Experience Barnsleyand also includes the Discovery Centre which houses the local studies library and archives which have moved from the Central Library. Many of the artefacts were donated by local people and cover a range of historical periods from a Stone Age axe head, previously used as a door stop to 1950s football rattles and leather jackets worn by the rock band Saxon. Of more interest to industrial historians are the displays highlighting the Barnsley industries of coal, glass and linen (although nothing on quarrying). The museum is free and open Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 11am - 4pm. More information can be found at www.experiencebarnsley.co.uk. There will be a YAHS visit to the Museum on Saturday 26 October at 2pm when there will be a short introductory talk about the Museum and the opportunity for members to see it for themselves.
The ground floor of Caddies Wainwright Mill, a 19th century former textile mill on the River Calder in Wakefield has been converted to a new arts space adjacent to the Hepworth Gallery. This will add 600sqm of exhibition and event space for the Hepworth which has already exceeded visitor expectations since it opened in 2011.
The annual English Heritage Angel Awards were launched on 13 March 2013. The awards celebrate and reward the efforts of local people in saving their heritage. Linked to the English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk Register, there are four categories, including one for the best rescue of an industrial building or site. The rescue must be of a listed building, a scheduled monument, a registered park, garden, landscape or battlefield, a protected wreck or a conservation area and must have been completed since 2008 or be well on the way to completion.. The South Yorkshire Industrial History Society and South Yorkshire Trades Historical Trust were nominated in the industrial building or site category for the work carried out to conserve and interpret the Hoylandswaine Nail Forge. The Forge is a rare example of an early 19th century nail makers’ forge and thought to be the only example in England with its hearth and hand operated bellows surviving in their original setting. Four applications have been shortlisted from each category; unfortunately the Nail Forge was not selected, although it was judged to be of high quality. The shortlisted entries for best rescue of an industrial building or site were: Low Slit Mill, Bishop Auckland; Porthmeor Studios and Cellars, St Ives; Shepherd Wheel, Sheffield and the Silk Mill, Frome. The closing date for public voting was 8 September and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in London in October.
A new arts and cultural centre will be opening in the 1930s Main Office Block of the old Tetley Brewery in Leeds later this year. A team based at the site are working on a project to explore the history of the Tetley Brewery, its people and the surrounding area. The Industrial History Section has been approached to work with the team on the project. Watch this space for further developments. More information about the centre can be found at www.thetetley.org.uk
Some of you may already be aware of the Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History website (www.gracesguide.co.uk). It contains 91,846 pages of information about industries, the companies and personalities involved with them, together with 121,899 images on early companies mostly from trade directories and company literature. The site is by no means completely comprehensive but worth a look. It also states that the content of the site can be copied and used provided the guide is acknowledged.
The 1st International Conference on Early Main Line Railways will be held 19-22 June 2014 in Caernarfon, North Wales. The theme of the conference will cover the period from the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1830 to the major consolidation of companies which had taken place by 1870. A call for 30 minute papers has been issued, the emphasis being on political influences, technical aspects, social and cultural impact and the international context. The idea is to alternate the conference with the existing Early Railways Conference. It may be too late for members to submit abstracts as the closing date for this is 30 September but look out for details early next year for the programme and booking form. For more information see www.erc5.org.uk or email [email protected].
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
21 Coal and its By-Products. YAHS/NCM Day School National Coal Mining Museum for September England, Caphouse Colliery, Overton, Wakefield WF4 4RH. Organised by YAHS Industrial History Section as part of the YAHS 150th anniversary celebrations. 09.45am – 4.20pm. £16 for YAHS/HIS members, £18 for non members (includes refreshments and lunch). Booking details and programme on YAHS website (www.yas.org.uk). 21 Fustian Cutters of Hebden Bridge. Heritage Walk in Calderdale. Meet Justine Wyatt at September 2.15pm by Hebden Bridge Visitor & Canal Centre alongside A646. Cost £3.
6 October Brighouse Circular. Walk with railway and canal interest. 10 miles circular led by Derek Mowbray with pub lunch. Meet at Brighouse Station 10.09am. Details from Jane Ellis (see contact details on page 8 of this Newsletter).
6 October A Delve into the Past. Heritage Walk in Calderdale. Exploring the Bank Top area of Southowram and six centuries of stone abstraction, farming, textiles and buildings. Meet Iain Cameron at 2.15pm by the War Memorial, Pinnar Lane, Southowram. Cost £3.
18 October Re-capturing the Past of Salford Quays. One Day Conference organised by Manchester Region IA Society at Ordsall Hall, Salford. Starting at 9.30am with morning lectures and a choice of guided walks in the afternoon. Cost £25 which includes refreshments and lunch. Details and booking from Tony Wright at [email protected] or from MRIAS website www.mrias.co.uk.
19 October Elslack-Thornton-Newton Circuit. Railway Ramblers walk. 9 mile linear. Meet Mike Warrington outside Skipton Station at 11am to catch bus to the Tempest pub near Elslack. Walking part of the former Skipton-Burnley Midland line to Thornton in Craven, then to Bank Newton Locks via Leeds - Liverpool canal. Return to Thornton for bus back to Skipton. Bring packed lunch. Details from Jane Ellis (see contact details on page 8 of this Newsletter).
19-20 100th Anniversary of Stainless Steel. Historical Metallurgy Society (HMS) Annual October Conference. Cutlers Hall Sheffield. Presentations on Saturday 19th on stainless steel, alloys and metal working techniques. Field trip on Sunday 20th. Cost including refreshments and lunch: £50 for HMS members, £60 for non-member. Details from www.hist-met.org/AC2013.html or email [email protected].
19 October West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service Annual Day School. Royal Armouries, Leeds. 9.30am – 4.35pm. Cost £15. Contact Marianne James T 0113 3939824, email [email protected] or go to www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk for booking and details.
26 October YAS visit to ‘Experience Barnsley’, the town’s new museum. 2pm at the Town Hall, Church Street, Barnsley, S70 2TA. Exhibits include displays of Barnsley’s industries. Further information at www.yas.org.uk/content/2013/expbarnsley.pdf. Admission free, but to book a place contact Margaret Tylee at [email protected] or T 0114 2830056 by 21 October.
26 October Rotherham Local History & Heritage Fair. Held in Rotherham Minster, Church Street, Rotherham, from 10am onwards. Free entry.
26 October Oil’s Well that Ends Well – EMIAC 86. An exploration of the East Midlands oil industry from 1919 to the present day hosted by the Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology held at Winthorpe Community Centre, Woodlands, Winthorpe, Newark, NG24 2NL. 9am – 4pm. Lectures and a visit to Duke’s Wood Oil Museum. Cost including refreshments and lunch £19.50 per head. Booking form available to download from www.lincolnshirepast.org.uk or contact SLHA T 01522 521337. 29 October Kingston upon Hull: the history & buildings of a European port- David Neave. Yorkshire Philosophical Society lecture. Temple Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York 7.30pm. £3 for non members of the YPS. Details from [email protected].
5 The History of the Water Supply of Leeds – David Burgess. Thoresby Society lecture. November Friends Meeting House, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds. 7.15pm. Details from [email protected].
9 Northallerton Junctions. Railway Ramblers walk 5 miles circular with pub lunch. Meet November Douglas Robinson at Northallerton Station at 10.00am. Viewing the town’s railway infrastructure including its stations and junctions. Details from Jane Ellis (see contact details on page 8 of this Newsletter).
12 Traditional Windmills- Peter Morgan. Northallerton & District Local History Society November lecture. Sacred Heart Catholic church Hall, Thirsk Road, Northallerton. 7pm. Contact Mr M Sanders T 01609 774662 for details.
15 Equal to Half a Man: women in coal mining – Rosemary Preece. Pontefract & District November Archaeological Society lecture. Central Methodist Church, Newgate, Pontefract, WF8 1NB. 7.15pm. Non-members £2. Contact lecture secretary T 01977 618327 for details.
23 South Yorkshire Archaeology Day, Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row, Sheffield. November 10am -4.30pm. Fee £10, concessions £5. Advance booking strongly recommended. Details and booking from David Marsh T 0114 2734223.
23 Symposium to Launch Volume 16 in the Wakefield court Rolls Series covering 1812- November 13. Organised by the YAHS Wakefield Court Rolls Section. Held at Northowram Methodist Church, The Green, Northowram, Halifax, HX3 7JE. 10.30am - 4pm. Cost £5 includes refreshments but not lunch. Cheques should be made payable to the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society and sent to Kate Taylor, 19 Pindars Grove, Wakefield, WF1 4AH.
2 The Scarborough to Pickering Railway – Robin Lidster. Scarborough Archaeological December & Historical Society lecture. Concert Room, Central Library, Vernon Road, Scarborough. Small charge for non-members. Contact [email protected].
8 Christmas at Wortley Top Forge, Forge Lane, Wortley, Barnsley. Santa, steam and December waterwheels. 11am - 4pm. Admission charge.
9 Leeds-Liverpool Canal – Mike Clarke. Upper Wharfedale Field Society lecture. December Octagon Theatre, Grassington Town Hall 7.30pm. Contact Sonia Wilkinson email: [email protected]
South Yorkshire Industrial History Society Programme 2013-2014
Sheffield Programme
Meetings held at Kelham Island Museum at 7.30pm. Unless stated, admission charge applies of £2 for non-SYIHS members. For more details contact Derek Bayliss T 0114 230 7693 or email [email protected]
18 The History of Old Sheffield Plate – Gordon Crosskey November 9 Five Generations of Knifemaking by the Don – Colin Barnsley. December
20 January Looking for Oil in Derbyshire – Cliff Lea.
17 From Spital Street to Stainless Steel: the world of Harry Brearley – Robin Fielder. February
18 March The Flying Corps at War: the early years and their legacy – David Rowland. 23rd Dr Kenneth Barraclough Memorial Lecture. Joint meeting with SMEA 5.30pm for 6pm at the Holiday Inn Royal Victoria Hotel, Sheffield. Admission free.
14 April The Evolution of the Flather Family Steel Companies from 1817– David Flather
19 May The Great Sheffield Flood – Martin Olive.
Barnsley Programme
2 The Domestic Woollen Industry in Penistone and Holmfirth in the 17th & December 18th centuries – David Hey. 7pm at Salem Wesleyan Reform Church, Blucher Street off Pitt Street, Barnsley.
24 March The Technology of the Country House – Marilyn Palmer. Joseph Bramah Lecture sponsored by Barnsley Council and presented jointly with SYIHS. 7pm Cooper Gallery, Church Street, Barnsley. Admission free.
Rotherham Programme
15 Exploring the Industrial Archaeology of the Rother Valley Part 2- Graham Hague. February Joint meeting with Rotherham & District History Society. Held at the RAIN Building, Eastwood Lane, between the Markets and Rotherham College. 10.30am. Admission free.
REPORTS OF EVENTS, VISITS ETC
Aspects of Industrial Leeds: a walk to discover more than 150 years of the industrial history of Leeds.
12 May 2013.
This was the first of two events organised in 2013 by the Industrial History Section to celebrate 150 years of the YAHS. It was based on previous walks for the Section researched and led by Robert Vickers with the aim of introducing members and non-members to the industrial history of Leeds through sites which can still be seen and also where they have long gone. 17 members and friends met our guide Robert Vickers in City Square, Leeds where Robert gave a brief overview of the development of Leeds as an industrial town. The Aire & Calder Navigation which opened in 1699 connected Leeds to Hull and the sea facing Europe and by 1816 the Leeds-Liverpool Canal made it possible for goods to travel westwards to and from Liverpool and the Americas. Then from 1834 onwards the railways enabled coal and other raw materials to reach Leeds and manufactured goods to be exported. The textile industry in the form of wool, cotton and flax prospered and led to the development of an engineering industry to supply engines, machinery and tools, which in turn led to a pioneering locomotive industry. The production of textiles declined by the end of the 19th century but new industries of clothing manufacture, footwear manufacture and printing grew alongside chemical and leather industries.
City Square, the venue for the start of the walk, was laid out between 1893 and 1903 as a celebration of Leeds becoming a city promoted by T Walter Harding the Lord Mayor at the time. Prominent buildings around the square included the General Post Office, now a restaurant, built in 1893 on the site of the Mixed Cloth Hall and the Queens Hotel of 1937 built for the London Midland & Scottish Railway. We set off down Bishopgate Street onto Neville Street underneath the railway line leading to Leeds City Station which was redeveloped in 1967. The station was an amalgamation of several stations belonging to the North Eastern, London & North Western and Midland Railways. We walked through the Dark Arches over the River Aire on a cast iron bridge of 1900 onto Granary Wharf built from 1770 by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Company and noted the former warehouse, originally a grain store of c1776 now converted into offices and the Canal Office of 1846. Crossing over River Lock we walked to Globe Road to view the Tower Works. These were founded by T. R. Harding in 1864 to manufacture steel pins for carding and combing machines. It is famous for its three chimneys inspired by examples of Italian towers; the largest incorporates dust extraction filters. The works closed in 1980 and have recently been redeveloped for business units (see Newsletter 87 for more information on Tower Works). Back to Water Lane, we saw various buildings associated with Matthew Murray’s Round Foundry. Matthew Murray developed a flax spinning machine for John Marshall at Scotland Mill in Adel by 1790. Both men moved to the site in Holbeck and created a major flax/linen industry in Leeds, Murray went on to build steam engines, machine tools and locomotives for the Middleton Railway. Along Water Lane were various foundry buildings, one of which had a plaque of 1929 commemorating Matthew Murray. The actual Round Foundry was built in 1795-7 and is long gone, eventually replaced by the Round Foundry Media Centre but its site is marked on the ground by a cast steel circular inscription.
Moving on to Marshall Street we came to Temple Mills built in 1838-43 the third of the mills built for John Marshall in Holbeck. It was an integrated flax spinning/linen weaving mill, famous for the 2 storey office block designed by Joseph Bonomi in the Egyptian style. The adjacent weaving shed had a flat roof insulated by turf, reputedly grazed by sheep, with hollow cast iron columns which acted as drainpipes. North along Marshall Street were Marshall’s flax warehouse and three wings of his flax mill built 1817-30. Back to Water Lane we passed the closed works of Knight & Wilson, colour printers, who operated from 1896. Leeds became a major centre for printing, using equipment produced by the local engineering companies. On the left were Silver Street and the premises of Midland Mills / Midland Foundry established in 1793 as a flax mill but sold in the early 1800s to manufacture textile machinery. The site continued to manufacture textile machinery until 1981 and was the last survivor of the textile industry manufacturer in Leeds. Walking along a rather overgrown and rubbish strewn footpath we reached Globe Road and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Looking across the canal where there are now blocks of modern flats were the sites of Whitehall Mills and the Whitehall Soap Works, known locally as Soapy Joe’s. The Soap Works were built in 1861 by Joseph Watson and became one of the largest employers in Leeds, palm oil could be shipped in via the canal and the finished product dispatched via the adjacent railway.
The focus of the walk now turned to canal and railways. Walking along Globe Road we crossed Monk Bridge built in 1886 by Thomas Hewson over the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and descended onto the canal towpath. We passed under the truncated L&NWR & L&YR viaduct of 1846 which had led to Leeds Central Station and goods shed and the abutments of the railway bridge which led to the GNR and NER good sheds and arrived at St Ann Ings Lock, the third lock on the canal from Leeds. Alongside the canal was the railway repair shop of the Leeds-Thirsk Railway built in 1850 and noted the flues for the blacksmiths’ forges and water tank at the end of the building. Ascending to Wellington Street and turning left the walk took us to the Half Roundhouse of 1864 which was a combined engine shed and repair shop, now retail units. Alongside was the impressive full Roundhouse of 1850 which was designed to house up to 20 locomotives – the home of the Leeds & Thirsk Railway in Leeds. Returning to Wellington Road we crossed Wellington Bridge, the original bridge was designed by John Rennie and built for Benjamin Gott in 1817-19 to improve access to Gott’s Bean Ing Mills, the site now occupied by the Yorkshire Post building. Bean Ing Mills was started in 1792 as a steam powered integrated mill i.e. it incorporated the whole processes from taking in the raw wool to delivering the finished cloth. Later gas lighting was installed and a heated cloth drying house. It was demolished in the early 1960s and the only evidence left are the remains of the boundary wall at the edge of the Yorkshire Post building. One would hope that today more of this important building could have been preserved.
The group on the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath at Monk Bridge. (photo Jill Vickers)
We were now on the home straight along Wellington Street. The area has seen extensive development following the clearance of Leeds Central Station, 20 acres of former railway goods yards and warehouses. The Truck Lifting Tower of 1846 still remains, somewhat isolated in the Airedale Centre; it was built to move goods from a railway viaduct (long gone) and the Leeds & Thirsk depot below. Along Wellington Street there are still some impressive former warehouses, now mostly offices. These include Apsley House built 1903 as Crowe & Company’s drapery and haberdashery warehouse; Waterloo House of 1868 for Walter Stead a cloth manufacturer; 56 Wellington Street built 1853 for hide and leather manufacturer George Morrell, whose tannery was in Armley, and King’s House of 1861 for William Ledgard as a woollen cloth warehouse.
The walk ended at Leeds Station’s Art Deco style concourse adjacent to the Queen’s Hotel where Robert was thanked for leading the walk and providing an extensive, well-illustrated handout.
Margaret Tylee
Developing an industrial History Database for Yorkshire
At the Section’s AGM in April 2011, the Section agreed to investigate the setting up of an Industrial History database for Yorkshire based on the model developed by the Greater London IA Society several years earlier. The aim of the project would be to bring together information relating to industrial sites and buildings across Yorkshire and more importantly provide an access point for the storage of research and images created by members that otherwise could be potentially lost. After further discussion it was agreed to proceed, the necessary equipment was purchased, a copy of the empty database was sent by GLIAS and was loaded onto the computer which was housed in the Henry Jenkins Room at Claremont. A small team consisting of Robert Vickers, Graham Collett and myself got together to work through the electronic instructions which came with the database and adapt it for Yorkshire sites e.g. we have already removed references to London boroughs. The team decided to use the Gazetteers produced by the AIA for their conferences held in West and South Yorkshire as a starting point to load data and to familiarise ourselves with data input. Much of this data was potentially out of date since the gazetteers were produced held in 1989 and 1995 respectively; this meant checks had to be made against other sources for more current information. At this stage data could only be added to the computer at Claremont by one person and it proved a slow process. We did make progress in being able to add links from the database to external databases such as British Listed Buildings Online but more recently the group hit a problem in that we found we could not create links to images. This has now been eventually been solved but the problem of data entry remains. To date less than 100 records have been added and to make faster progress more people need to be involved in data entry, otherwise the project will take several years to become of any use!. This could be done with a group of members getting together at Claremont with their own laptops which has the advantage of being able to raise queries with other members in the group at the time (we understand that this how GLIAS get together in an individual’s house making a social occasion as well), However that is an easier situation in London, we have found that even with only three people involved it has proved difficult to find dates when we are all free (and we are all retired from paid work and live within 30 miles of Claremont!). It is perhaps more realistic for those members who are interested to add records at home, possibly concentrating on entering sites in their own areas. Either way good clear guidance will be needed to ensure consistency of data entry and prevention of duplication of records. The software does allow for remote data entry via email to the master database where it is held until it is checked and authorised by a central administrator before being added to the master database. Individual members would need a copy of the database loaded onto their computers and from time to time receive updated copies of the master database. We are now waiting for information from GLIAS as to how to proceed with this.
In the meantime the group has received some very helpful advice from section members Barry Carter and John Suter on possible ways forward in the future, bearing in mind that the original concept was developed some years ago and technology has moved on. A web based system would be easier to manage but we do not have the resources to develop this at this stage. We can however produce a simple guide for data entry to ensure consistency when we do eventually manage to get more members involved in the process. I shall also be contacting other IA Societies via the AIA to find out whether they are developing anything similar and what sort of problems (f any) they have found in the process. Needless to say we have found the development of the database somewhat frustrating but are not ready to give up on it – yet!
Margaret Tylee
INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION OFFICERS 2012-2013
Chairman & Newsletter Editor Vice-Chairman & Membership Secretary Lecture Secretary
Margaret Tylee Robert Vickers Jane Ellis