The Leicestershire Industrial History Society
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THE LEICESTERSHIRE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SOCIETY Website: http://lihs.org.uk Autumn 2015 Newsletter Volume 2 No 11 In this Issue…. A tribute to the late Jon Goodall, an MBE for Professor Marilyn Palmer ,articles on the SS Yavari, the Cattle Arch Bridge at Swannington, the Cliffe Hill Mineral Railway, Brush Coachworks Clutsom & Kemp, Wildt & Co, Leicester memories ……..and much more. Leicestershire Industrial History Society Newsletter Autumn 2015 The Leicestershire Industrial History Society Founded in 1969 Contents 3 A View from the Chair, Autumn 2015 5 Jonathan (Jon) Goodall 1948-2015 6 The Draughtsmanship of Dennis Calow 7 Brush Coachworks Output in WWII 10 From the Archives: H.H. Wildt & Co. 12 The Train Now Departing……. 13 A Walk on the former Cliffe Hill Mineral Railway Line 15 The Fall & Rise of the Cattle Arch Bridge 17 Clutsom & Kemp Ltd (Part 1) 20 Restoration of the SS Yavari 23 A Walk Down Memory Lane 25 New Publications 27 Dates for Your Diary 2 Leicestershire Industrial History Society Newsletter Autumn 2015 A View from the Chair, Autumn 2015 Chris Hossack Work continues at Swannington with our I am writing this at a time when we have just partners the Swannington Heritage Trust on the taken over 400 people of all ages four hundred excavation work on the second Tuesday of each yards into the Glenfield Tunnel during the month, and again if you would like to get your Heritage festival, and before we take sixty-five hands dirty you are most welcome to join us. Year 10 students from the Hall School which is Interpretation of what we have found and even above the Tunnel to explore what lies beneath what we think we might have found now needs their feet. This is in addition to the 352 who to be written up on display boards so that came to the Tunnel in July as part of Archaeology others visiting the site can unravel the various Fortnight. And we mustn’t forget the 50 cyclists buildings and tunnels. who also came along on August 23�� to enjoy the This autumn’s programme has some excellent experience! That is over 800 people in 2015, a speakers coming to our meetings at tremendous achievement and many thanks to Braunstone St. Mary’s Community Hall LE3 3FT, those that spread the word including our friends starting with Mike Beech on the Foxton Story at both the Leicester Mercury and Radio Update on October 20��, so I do hope that as Leicester. many of you as possible will attend. We have Our team of guides and stewards from LIHS have certainly seen a steady increase in numbers, done valiant work to not only ensure the safety and we are delighted that the tunnel events of each of our visitors, but also to give them a are swelling our membership. brilliant experience of early railway engineering and to learn about one of Leicester’s hidden Finally, it gives me the greatest of pleasures to gems. We are always happy to welcome new say a word or two about someone who has members to help us on these very worthwhile done more than most to promote Industrial activities, not only do we inform the public but Archaeology both nationally and locally: we learn new facts ourselves from those who Professor Marilyn Palmer, Vice Chairman of our attend. Society, President of the Association for Industrial Archaeology, who was awarded an Working with schools has to be one of our MBE in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours priorities as a Society in order to share the value for ‘Services to Industrial Archaeology and of our heritage with the next generation. Our link Heritage.’ Heartiest congratulations! David through Historic England and their Education Lyne, Alan Brittan, the late Dick Thomson and Officer has led to English Martyrs School showing I were all in the class of 1980 held at Vaughan the film they researched, scripted, acted and College for the Certificate Course in Industrial filmed in their different departments at our East Archaeology. Midlands Industrial Archaeology Conference at Swannington on October 10��. For further details, Marilyn Palmer read history at St Anne's please go to www.lihs.org.uk College, Oxford, but came across Industrial Archaeology there at the same time that the It is with great sadness that we carry the CBA recognised the discipline and set up the obituary of our friend John Goodall in this Industrial Monuments Survey in the 1960's. edition of the newsletter. Not only was he a After working in teacher training at committee member and treasurer of LIHS but Loughborough College of Education she joined devoted many years with the Victorian Society the History Department of the University of having an amazing knowledge of buildings and Loughborough, becoming its Head in 1983. She transport. His wry sense of humour and transferred to a joint appointment in both the devotion to his favourite football club will be History and Archaeology departments of the badly missed. University of Leicester in 1988, eventually moving solely to Archaeology. 3 Leicestershire Industrial History Society Newsletter Autumn 2015 Marilyn served as Head of the School of LIHS Welcomes Bill Pemberton as its new Archaeology and Ancient History from 2000 to Treasurer 2006. Following the untimely death of John Goodall in She has taught industrial archaeology in adult May, we would like to welcome our new education for over thirty years and is concerned Treasurer, Bill Pemberton, who will be continuing to establish the discipline within mainstream the good work carried out by Jon in keeping our archaeology in academic departments hence finances in check. becoming Britain's first Professor of Industrial Archaeology in 2000. She has been President Bill Pemberton has been an active member of of the Association for Industrial Archaeology LIHS since 2010. He is a regular ‘digger’ at the and a commissioner with the Royal Commission Califat site, has given talks on various topics to on the Historical Monuments of England before the Society, has helped out with the visits to its amalgamation with English Heritage in 1998. Glenfield tunnel, and updates the Society’s She serves on committees concerned with her display boards. His main interest is railways, but discipline for the National Trust, English has wide knowledge of general Industrial history. Heritage and the Council for British He is married to Marilyn and lives in Ashby de la Archaeology as well as having edited Industrial Zouch. Archaeology for nearly twenty years and being Bill was born and raised in Leicester, and after on the Editorial Board of Post Medieval studying mathematics and Statistics at University Archaeology. in Wales, he joined the then National Coal Board In retirement she is now a Leverhulme Emeritus as an analyst in Doncaster. He them moved to Fellow, researching the social impact of South Wales before returning to the Midlands in technological innovation on country house early 1990s. He, like many others, was made estates, and continues the CBA's pioneer redundant from what by then was known as recognition of the place archaeology plays in British Coal, and joined an international the study of the modern world. consultancy firm. For the next seven years he worked and lived in various countries of the former Soviet Union, helping them adapt to the new economic systems. In 2000 he became self-employed and continued working abroad. His last major assignment was working in Hanoi with the Asian Development Bank assessing the viability of major investments in new power stations and HV transmission lines. Since retiring in 2008, he has pursued his hobbies of photography, travel and railways by travelling to various remote areas of South America, Africa and Asia photographing steam engines! Bill is also a member of the Management Committee of Swannington Heritage Trust (our partners in the Califat dig) where he also helps out at Hough Mill. He is also a keen walker and has completed several long distance walks. 4 Leicestershire Industrial History Society Newsletter Autumn 2015 Jonathan (Jon) Goodall 1948-2015 ‘A True Champion of Leicester’ These few heartfelt words were spoken by Peter Ellis, Treasurer of the Leicester branch of the Victorian Society and a long-time friend of Jon who died in May following complications after major surgery. Although a native of Derby, Jon represented the many local interest groups in and around Leicester and Leicestershire that collectively strive to unearth and maintain the rich heritage of the City and County for the benefit of future generations. Whether it was his first love, transport systems and in particular, buses, or our own industrial history, Jon was an avid supporter of our cultural inheritance. He brought his keen sense of history and the value of shared knowledge as Chairman of The Leicester Victorian Society, The Leicester Archaeology and History Society, The Leicester Transport Heritage Trust and the Friends of Welford Road Cemetery, amongst others, and where he brought his knowledge to the fore in various roles. He was also very active on the City Mayors A very private man and although unfortunately Heritage Partnership and the City Conservation a keen Derby County supporter, Jon was a Advisory Panel. His Knowledge of Leicester knowledgeable, sometime eccentric, but, Victorian Buildings and Transport was huge. He nevertheless, helpful and astute Treasurer of was a prominent figure and vocal spokesman on our Society. His trademark heavily bushy many of the issues surrounding the fight to eyebrows and calm outward appearance belied maintain the historic fabric of the City and the fact that he was a passionate supporter of County, but it is as Treasurer of LIHS for the past the industrial heritage of Leicester and in several years, and a member of our Glenfield particular, its Victorian buildings as evidenced Tunnel visit sub group, that most of you will early on in life when he was ‘outraged’ by the remember Jon.