NEWSLETTER 79 Spring 2010

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the latest Newsletter. Finally we are seeing the signs of spring and it really is late this year. Another lecture programme has come to an end with the holding of the AGM on 10 April and many thanks to Jane for organising another successful and varied programme. I am pleased to report that Jane has agreed to continue as Lecture Programme Secretary and even before this was confirmed at the AGM, she had already organised the 2010/11 programme. Outline details of the lectures are shown later in the Newsletter, with fuller descriptions being circulated with the Autumn Newsletter in September, but put the dates in your diaries now.

The AGM was attended by 14 members and received my Annual Report, a copy of which is enclosed with this Newsletter for information to members who were unable to attend. You will see that membership has increased slightly during the year, which is very good news. At the AGM the officers were re-elected unopposed, so I continue as Chair and Newsletter Editor, Robert Vickers as Vice Chair and Membership Secretary and Jane Ellis as Lecture Secretary. Contact details are given at the end of the Newsletter. As usual the minutes of the meeting will be circulated with the Autumn Newsletter, but there are a couple of points to note here. In a discussion about the increasing use of the section pages on the YAHS website, it was suggested that an email mailing list of members would be useful to enable documentation to be sent to members electronically and to inform of events and activities that were not able to be included in the Newsletters. It was appreciated that not all members would want contacting in this way but a request for email details could be included when issuing membership renewal forms. Also suggested was the setting up of a members’ register of interest which could be of help when receiving queries from the public via the website. Members’ views on these suggestions would be welcome.

Chris Rule, who is also a member of the Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society (GLIAS), asked whether the Section would be interested in developing a database for sites of industrial history in Yorkshire using the software developed for a similar database that GLIAS used. It was recognised that this could involve a lot of work with questions such as coverage, editorial policy, currency and resources but the meeting felt it was worth exploring further with Chris to have a demonstration of the GLIAS database. Watch this space for developments.

After the formal business of the AGM finished, we had presentations from Robert Vickers, Bill Jagger and Jane Ellis. Thanks to all for the interesting presentations. After lunch Robert led a party around East Hunslet and the riverside, the fourth in his series of walks exploring industrial Leeds. Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to having to travel south that afternoon to start a holiday in the Scilly Isles. I was also unable to attend the walk around Saltaire on the 18th April due to having just returned from the same holiday – I must plan my holiday better in future! However a reminder that Robert is leading another Section walk this time around Wakefield on Sunday May 9th, meeting at 11am at Wakefield Westgate Station; details were given in the last Newsletter. Jane Ellis has suggested that the speaker for the lecture on mining in the Boulby area of North East Yorkshire may be prepared to guide a walk around that area, also Keighley has been suggested, so some possibilities, but ideas from members for future walks would be appreciated.

When looking up information about the early history of the Section I discovered that May 2010 will be the 40th anniversary of the Industrial History Section, it is appropriate therefore that we have an event in May.

Welcome to new section members who have joined since the last Newsletter: Ms R J Johnson, Ms M A Marshall and Mr K F Wilde; I hope you will be able to join us at future events.

I shall be producing the next Newsletter at the end of August, so please send me items to include, particularly news items which are a bit short this time. I hope to see some of you on May 9th and look forward to the first lecture in October.

Margaret Tylee

NEWS FROM CLAREMONT

In the last Newsletter I gave details of the appeal to sponsor the repair of the windows at Claremont. I am pleased to report that over £2,500 has been received so far which has enabled work to start on the main Library room, other rooms will follow including the Lecture Room and the Archive room. While the work is going on there will be some restricted access to the collections. It may be wise to phone ahead on 0113 2457910 if you are planning a visit to check on the access to material. It is not too late to donate to the windows appeal - cheques made payable to the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society can be sent to the Treasurer at Claremont. Also underway is the repair of the Victorian tiles in the vestibule at the front door of Claremont, access whilst this is happening will be signed via the side door. Members attending the AGM will have noticed that at long last repairs have been made to the walls of the Lecture Room and it is looking much better.

There has been a good take up of the offer of free back issues of the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal if you can collect from Claremont. The contents pages of the YAJ are now available on the YAHS website (www.yas.org.uk), so take a look.

From January 2010, the Management Board agreed to increase the hours of Kirsty McHugh who works in the Archive and Library. This has enabled Ms McHugh to spend time on promotional activities, which have included increasing and improving the website content, producing new publicity leaflets and investigating possible funding sources. Work on this will continue as YAHS nears its 150th anniversary in 2013.

HELP WANTED

I have been contacted by a freelance journalist who is researching the history of glass working in Yorkshire. I have given her some information about South Yorkshire and pointed her in the direction of sources for the Castleford and Glass Houghton areas. She would like to speak to any members who have a particular interest in the history of glass working. If you think you could help, please contact Helen Johnson, 5 Hunters Ride, Appleton Wiske, Northallerton DL6 2BD. T 01609 881584.

NEWS ITEMS

The centenary of Harry Brearley’s discovery of stainless steel will be in 2013 and the building in which he made the discovery has been listed. It is the former Firth Brown Research Laboratory in Princess Street, Sheffield built in 1908 and is now occupied by a pewter firm but carries a plaque about Brearley. Sheffield City Archives have been awarded £35,000 by the National Archives to open up to public access its extensive Firth Brown collectionwhich covers 125 years from 1842 and is one of the largest business archives in Sheffield. The project is due to be completed by January 2011.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has made a grant of £38,000 to the South Leeds City Learning Centre to support a project to record the social history of Yorkshire’s textile mills. The project will involve the Leeds and Bradford Industrial Museums, Thwaite Mills and the Hainsworth woollen mill at Stanningley, which has been in operation since 1783 and makes woollen cloth for uniforms and snooker tables.

A water turbine has been installed at the High Corn Mill, Skipton at a cost of £35,000 to supply water power to up to twenty houses. An application has been made to install a 120kW hydro electric power station at Linton Falls, Grassington, on a site that was used for a similar purpose for over 10 years from 1909 by the Grassington Electric Supply Co. With reference to the last item, members may like to refer to an article written by section member Herbert Masterson in the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol 71, 1999, p237 on “An Electrical Undertaking in Upper Wharfedale in the Early 1900s”.

Gayle Mill, near Hawes has published its 2010 programme. The three storey mill built in 1784 that still uses water powered woodworking machinery installed in 1879, offers demonstration days on the first Sunday in the month when the machinery will be in action and guided tours are available. The tours on these days last two hours, (starting at 11am & 2.30pm) include light refreshments and cost £10 for adults and £5 for children. The mill is open Tuesday – Saturday, Bank Holiday Sundays & Mondays for one hour daily tours (11am, 12.30pm, 2pm & 3.30pm) price £5 for adult, £2.50 for children, free for children under 7. Tickets can be booked in advance from Gayle Mill T 01969 667320 or from the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes T 01969 666210. The present owners of the Darley Mill Centre at Darley near Harrogate have restored and renovated the mill machinery with the help of Northern Millwrights. The mill was originally a corn mill powered by a locally manufactured waterwheel from 1874, an auxiliary steam engine was later installed to use when the water in the Darley Beck was too low for the wheel. The pitch breast shot wheel ceased to operate in the 1950s but is now working again and the building contains much of the original machinery. The Section’s November 2010 lecture will be given by representatives of the Northern Millwrights describing their work.

The last Newsletter contained a question from David George concerning a bibliography of the Yorkshire textile industry. Section member Gill Cookson wrote to say that she recalled using a privately published bibliography when carrying out research for the RCHME survey of Yorkshire textile mills in 1985-7, but unfortunately can’t recall the details. I looked through the bibliography of the published book but couldn’t see a reference. However Gill did point me in the direction of an on line bibliography of North East history which contains some Yorkshire references to industry. This can be found at http://ne-biblio- web.sunderland.ac.uk/ahome and could form a model for something similar for Yorkshire textiles.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

9 May Discovering Wakefield. Industrial History Section walk led by Robert Vickers. Meet 11am Wakefield Westgate railway station with pub lunch. Contact Robert Vickers, details at end of Newsletter.

11 May National Mills Regeneration Conference Pennine Lancashire.Clayton Park Conference Centre, Junction 7 Business Park, Accrington, Lancashire. 10am – 4pm. Lectures in the morning followed by a coach tour of the mills of Pennine Lancashire in the afternoon. Cost for members of voluntary organisations: £60. For details and booking contact [email protected] or T 07798855494.

13 May The Railway & Canal Infrastructure of Retford. Railway Ramblers/RCHS NE Group joint walk led by Brian Slater and Kenny Bignall. Meet Retford Station booking hall at 11.30am and bring packed lunch. For more details contact Jane Ellis T 0113 2659970.

17 May Cravens of Darnell: 100 years of history – Howard Turner. South Yorkshire Industrial History Society lecture. Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield. 7.30pm. £1 for non members.

22 May EMIAC 79: Swanning around Swannington. Day School hosted by Leicestershire Industrial History Society at Swannington Village Hall. Lectures include Leicester to Swannington Railway and the restoration of Hough Windmill. Also includes a visit to coal mine excavations. Further information and booking forms from Alan Britton T 01773 710133 or email [email protected] 5 June Chesterfield to Renishaw. Railway Ramblers walk along the towpath of the Chesterfield Canal, viewing parallel railways. 7 miles linear with pub lunch led by Brian Slater. Meet in the booking hall of Chesterfield Station at 10.15am, bus back to the start. For more details contact Jane Ellis as above.

22 June Railway Ramblers Evening walk exploring the railway remains around Tadcaster led by Douglas Robinson. 4 miles including a walk across the Tadcaster Viaduct and a look at Stutton Station. Meet at Tadcaster Bus station at 6.30pm. For more details contact Jane Ellis as above.

1 August Marsden Moor Heritage Trail National Trust Guided Walk. Meet at Marsden Railway Station at 10am for an 8 mile walk discovering the history of the Upper Colne Valley. Details from Marsden Moor Estate Office T 01484 847016.

3-9 September AIA Annual Conference, Penryn, Cornwall. Hosted by the Trevithick Society. Further details given below.

22 September Historic Marsden. National Trust Guided Walk. Meet at Marsden Railway Station at 1.15pm for an easy 2 mile stroll around this textile town to learn its history from medieval times. Details as 1st August above.

Heritage Walks in Calderdale 2010

A programme of 42 walks exploring the history and heritage of Calderdale with experienced and knowledgeable guides. Most walks are around two hours and there is a charge of £3 per person. Copies of the brochure are available at Claremont or from the website www.CalderdaleHeritageWalks.org.uk Below are details of walks that have a more industrial theme.

23 May Lumbutts & Mankinholes. A walk through these twin villages, looking at their history. In particular 500 years of textile working. Meet David Nortcliffe at 2.15pm by Lumbutts Chapel on the road linking the two villages.

30 May Ryburn Swifts & Stones. Explores the lower part of this valley with types of various industrial activity and several interesting buildings. There is one steep ascent, stout footwear and outdoor gear recommended. No dogs on this walk. Meet Anne Kirker at 2.15pm at Ryburn Reservoir carpark off A58, signed Swift Place approx 1.5 miles SW of Ripponden.

31 May Mills, Moravians and More. For over 135 years carpets were made here, but no more. The walk highlights changes from 1750 to the present day. Meet Mary Twentyman at 2.15pm outside the Punch Bowl Inn on A641 in Bailiff Bridge.

13 June Ryburn & Baitings. Part 2 of the 30 May walk, continuing upstream to take in farming, early industry, roads and more interesting buildings. Outdoor gear and no dogs as before. Meet David Nortcliffe at 2.15pm same place as 30 May walk. 20 June Clifton’s Railway. The social and industrial history of the former coal industry north east of Clifton and exploring the narrow gauge rail tracks. Stout shoes needed and no dogs. Meet John Brooke at 2.15pm in Armytage Arms carpark half mile north of Brighouse on A643.

27 June Cragg Vale. Explore 900 years of history covering coiners, mill owners, interesting buildings, frauds and scandals. Meet Pam Jordan at 2.15pm on B6138 in Cragg Vale by the junction with the road to the Church.

18 July Dean Clough & North Bridge. The walk will look at the importance of the North Bridge area and the fortunes of the Dean Clough site from its origins to the world’s largest carpet makers to the current centre for business and the arts. Meet Ed Westbrook at 2.15pm by the entrance to north Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax.

5 September North Elland. In 1750 this area was almost all open land, see how the canal, railway, roads, industry and housing changed that. Meet David Nortcliffe at 2.15pm by the top entrance to Southgate carpark, Elland.

12 September Mid Rastrick & How it Grew. Rastrick was a separate authority until 1893. The walk will look at 19th/20th century developments to see how the area changed. Meet David Nortcliffe at the Sports Centre carpark, Rastrick High School, Field Top Road.

Association for Industrial Archaeology, Annual Conference, Cornwall 3- 9 September 2010

The 2010 conference will be based at the Tremough Campus, University College Falmouth at Penryn north of Falmouth. The conference will focus on the mining and other extractive industries of Cornwall together with associated engineering and transport needs. The main conference starts on the Friday evening with a history of the Trevithick Society who are the hosts for the conference. There will be the usual lectures by local experts on the industrial history of Cornwall and since 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tom Rolt, instead of the traditional Rolt Memorial lecture there will be a symposium on the theme of ‘Remembering Tom Rolt’. The speakers are expected to include Sir Neil Cossons and Keith Falconer. Again there will be no excursions for the main conference weekend but a series of excursions are included in the additional programme. These include visits to several mine sites, china clay workings, ports and harbours, railways and the Museum of Submarine Telegraphy.

The cost of the conference varies according to whether you are residential or non residential on campus, how long you wish to stay and how many excursions you choose. For example the complete residential stay (excluding excursion costs) is £477. Individual excursion costs vary between £12 - £24. You will need to book before 30 June to avoid a late booking surcharge of £15. Full details and booking form are available from the Chair and are available on the AIA website www.industrial-archaeology.co.uk. Industrial History Section Lectures 2010-11

Book the dates in your diary now; Jane Ellis has already arranged the next lecture series and a full description will be in the programme circulated with the Autumn Newsletter and on the YAHS website. Some members have commented that it would be helpful to have a regular monthly slot for the lectures e.g. every 2nd Saturday. Unfortunately we have to juggle dates for when the Lecture Room at Claremont is available and as far as possible when the Section Officers are free to introduce and generally support the speakers. All are Saturdays starting at 11am with the exception of the AGM which starts at 10.30am. I hope you will be able to make some if not all of them.

2010 16 October Gritstone Through the Ages – Geoff Boswell 20 November Title to be confirmed - Northern Millwrights 4 December Water Power on Sheffield Rivers – Christine Ball

2011 22 January Mining in the Boulby area from Alum to Ironstone and Potash – Neil Rowley 19 February The Restoration of a Leeds Horse Tram – Jamie Guest 12 March The Cromford & High Peak Railway – John Holroyd 2 April AGM and Members’ Session

FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF

Yorkshire West Riding : Leeds, Bradford and the North. Peter Leach and Nikolaus Pevsner. The buildings of England. London, Yale University Press, 2009. ISBN 978 0 300 12665 5. £29.99

The previous, second, edition of Yorkshire West Riding published in 1967, covered the whole of the county in 654 pages. Like all the early Pevsner guides it said very little about industrial buildings; industrial archaeology was in its infancy in the 1960s. The new volume covers about half of the West Riding in 824 larger pages, with much about industrial and commercial buildings. The first 88 pages give an introduction to Yorkshire’s geology and building stones, building design and architects from prehistoric and Roman times through to the early 21st century. There is a greater appreciation of, and more information about, Victorian urban planning and buildings which shaped all the West Riding’s larger towns and cities. Despite demolition, the volume shows that much is visible today.

The gazetteer, the bulk of the book, gives rather more information about the places covered than previously. In 1967 Glasshouses, an industrial settlement, was omitted - now it merits half a page; Morley rated 12 lines, and the mills were dismissed in a sentence – now it gets almost 3 pages and the commercial and mill buildings are included. Bradford and Leeds are dealt with comprehensively. There is some overlap with the Leeds volume but not sufficient to detract from either. The new West Riding volume shows how the knowledge and appreciation of architectural and industrial history, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, has developed over the last 40 years. For me it is an essential reference work and I look forward to the publication of Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South which is promised during 2010.

Robert Vickers

REPORTS OF LECTURES, EVENTS ETC Reports from 2009/10 Lecture Programme

Waterways heritage - Judy Jones 3 October 2009

Judy Jones is the Yorkshire Regional Heritage Advisor for British Waterways. She explained that she covers Yorkshire and beyond, up to the Tees, and is the only person dealing with “heritage” - heritage awareness and asset management - for BW in Yorkshire.

Judy began by giving examples of the range of structures for which BW is responsible. All locks and channels on canals, dating mainly from the late 18th - early 19th centuries; bridges, tunnels, aqueducts; warehousing, wharfs, industrial sites; historic bollards e.g. on the Selby Canal; reservoirs for canal water supply and the associated stone quarries for reservoir walls. Each canal is different. In BW’s Yorkshire Region there are 340 listed structures - Leeds Lock is listed grade 2*, Bingley Five Rise is grade 1 - 7 scheduled ancient monuments, 38 conservation areas and a World Heritage Site – Saltaire. Any work on grade 1 and grade 2* structures must be referred to English Heritage. Maintenance takes time and money and involves dealing with much legislation and administration. There are separate processes for dealing with listed and scheduled structures. Canal reservoir repair is BW’s responsibility but access is not straight forward since it requires planning permission, the peat moorland being protected in the National Park. Yorkshire is representative of all BW areas throughout UK.

To repair structures the appropriate stone must be found and masons trained in dressing stone and use of lime mortar. Fines are imposed if the correct materials not are used. The unexpected has to be expected. The Bingley 3 Rise locks, grade 2* listed, were repaired during 2007. It was found that the bottom lock had a timber floor, the middle had stone setts and the top lock had stone slabs. Each needed appropriate treatment.

Working with partners, e.g. the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society is important. Many mile posts along the L&LC had disappeared. With BW’s agreement the Society is gradually replacing them. Judy explained the value of management / partnership agreements for working with others like English Heritage, local authorities, societies etc. to manage canal maintenance. The Pocklington Canal agreement will be the pilot. The Canal includes 4 scheduled road bridges, 9 locks 8 of which are listed, and an SSSI. George Leather surveyed the route in 1812 and the canal was opened in 1818. Having been acquired by the York & North Midland Railway it slowly declined and was closed in 1932. In 1959 it was proposed to infill the Canal but a local group objected. It is now gradually being repaired and is navigable for half its 9½ mile length. The Canal is a remainder waterway and BW has no statutory obligation to maintain it for sailing. Each partner in the work - BW, East Riding Council, English Heritage, Pocklington Canal Society - has different views about the Canal’s future. The agreement will provide the framework for cooperation. The next agreement will be for the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and will be important for managing development along the Canal. Agreements will reduce the effort of checking whether or not consent to undertake work is needed and records of work done and materials used will be kept, not always done in the past.

In discussion following her well illustrated talk, Judy mentioned other aspects of her work. Some lock gates on the Pocklington Canal had balance arms made from 1840s rail. When replaced by wood, as original, should the rail be preserved, and if so by the National Railway Museum? The Aire & Calder is still a freight-carrying canal and boats manoeuvring at Castleford Lock damaged the walls, resulting in its closure. As it is not listed, should it be repaired with original materials or strengthened to avoid future damage? Finally, Judy said desk based research of canals and related structures and archaeological surveys would be valuable but BW is unable to fund these. Assistance from voluntary groups would be very welcome.

Robert Vickers

The Quest for Coal – Outwood Community Group 7 November 2009

The Outwood Community Group are a video making club based in Outwood, near Wakefield. They were formed in 2001 with the aim of encouraging people to take an interest in film making, preserving archive film from the Wakefield area and filming local events for posterity. Tony Banks and Mike Hooley introduced the work of the group and described the making of the film we were about to see. The Quest for Coal was produced as a tribute to those who worked at Lofthouse Colliery and to those who died in the colliery disaster of 1973. Sales of the video/DVD provide funds to help upkeep the half pit wheel that has been erected near Outwood as a memorial to the disaster.

Memorial erected as a reminder of Lofthouse colliery. The pithead was located just off Potovens Lane, Outwood. The winding wheel came from the colliery.

© Copyright Mike Kirby and licensed for reuse under the Geograph Creative Commons Licence.

After Mike Hooley spoke about the making of the video, Tony Banks re-appeared dressed as a miner, explaining that he had spent 38 years as a miner in the Leeds area and came from six generations of miners. He pointed out that there were more pits in the Leeds area in the 1879/80s than in the Barnsley area, including those at Rothwell and Beeston and that many Leeds miners worked at Lofthouse. The group brought along several documents and artefacts, including lamps and a methanometer used for testing for gas. There were also several amusing anecdotes about life at Lofthouse. Turning to the night of the disaster on 21 March 1973, Tony described his own personal experiences as a miner working at Lofthouse at the time of the disaster, seven men died when an inrush of water from old workings flooded the pit, these including three who had swapped a shift with colleagues. 30 men were working underground when the disaster occurred, only one body was eventually recovered after six days of rescue attempt. The film was then shown. It was 40 minutes long with an introduction by John Goodchild describing the history of the colliery. It was sunk in the 1870s with the first coal raised in 1877, much of which was taken to Stanley Ferry where it was loaded onto Tom Puddings for moving to Goole. In 1973 there were over 800 men employed and it closed in the 1980s. Outwood developed as a community around the pit. From the history, which included underground footage from the Yorkshire coalfield and a visit to the National Coal Mining Museum, the film turned to interviews with Lofthouse miners, first hand accounts of the disaster and archive film reporting the disaster at the time. Finally the film showed the erection and dedication of the pit wheel memorial at Alverthorpe. Both the film and the first hand description of the disaster from Tony Banks were extremely moving and it was a first for the Section to have a film presentation complete with soundtrack. The documents and artefacts brought along were also of great interest. Copies of the dvd were available for sale at £10, I bought one and can recommend it. The Outwood Community Group have produced several dvds recording local life and events, most are of general rather than industrial interest and details can be found on the Group’s website www.outwoodcommunityvideo.co.uk. The Group are also putting together a digital database of film and photographs for future generations, if any members have old photographs of the Outwood area, the Group would be happy to hear from you. Contact Tony Banks on 01924 378527 or Mike Hooley T 01924 827608.

More information about Lofthouse and the disaster can be found in the following books: John Goodchild “Mine and Men: company, management & men at Lofthouse Colliery 1872-1921”. Wakefield Historical Publications No. 28, 1989 Ronald Swinden “ The Cause of the Lofthouse Pit Disaster”. 2001 Frank Poskett “My Life with Miners & Disasters” 2000

I also discovered a website which gave an account of the official inquiry into the disaster at www.dmm-pitwork.org.uk

Margaret Tylee

Regenerating Yorkshire’s Mills and Warehouses - Nigel Grizzard 5 December 2009

Nigel Grizzard is the Coordinator for the annual National Mills Conference. Between 1976 and 1988 he worked in Bradford where there were many mills which he tried to visit while they were working. None would let him in. Then they closed. Later, he set up a regeneration consultancy and the first Conference was held at Hebden Bridge in 1992. The annual Conference has been held in mill towns, mainly in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Ireland, ever since and the mills that barred him now need his efforts to survive in new use.

The Conferences, whose participants include historians, developers and planners, showcase examples of successful mill re-use, the issues involved and what needs to be done. Work is mainly with mills dating from the 18th century onwards, virtually all of which closed in the early 1980s as the scale of the UK textile industry declined.

Nigel began by showing examples of mills waiting to be regenerated. In Leeds are Hunslet Mills and Low Hall Mills, Holbeck, half mile from the city centre and disused for many years. It appears that planners want Leeds to be a new city and are not interested in its history. In Bradford are Lumb Lane Mills, to be converted to apartments, and Barkerend Mills, converted to - currently unoccupied - apartments and offices. A recent fire had caused a significant setback. In Bradford’s Goitside, a Conservation Area with over 50 historic warehouses and mill buildings of which 5 are grade II listed, developers will work with Bradford Centre Regeneration, Bradford Council and the Goitside Partnership to help the transformation of the area.

There is still much to do in West Yorkshire and Lancashire but a great deal has happened. Based on an article he wrote for The Guardian in 2008, Nigel listed his top 10 mill regeneration schemes: 1 Salts Mill, Saltaire. A vast complex, opened in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt, closed by Illingworth Morris in 1986. Jonathan Silver and Sir Ernest Hall regenerated the mill and Saltaire Village. The mill was cleaned up and the 1853 Hockney Art Gallery opened in 1988. They transformed the view of what could be done with a large mill. Business income is important, provided at Saltaire by tenants Pace Electronics. 2 Dean Clough, Halifax, the former Crossley Carpet factory. Another vast complex, regenerated by Sir Ernest Hall who wanted to retain some of Halifax’s industrial heritage to show what had existed. Some parts beyond commercial re- use were demolished but 13 large buildings remain. Many are now in use as business and artists’ spaces, others will be renovated as funds and demand for space allow. 3 Lister’s silk Mill, Bradford. Plans involving the V&A did not materialise and the future for the huge complex looked bleak. However, conversion to apartments by Urban Splash is now making good progress. 4 Victoria Mills, Saltaire, near Salts. Re-use and new build by Newmason Developments, has created over 400 apartments to a high specification; an excellent example of what can be done. 5 Silens Works, a former foundry in Bradford’s Little Germany, was converted into apartments. Those involved gained valuable experience of cleaning stone and methods of working with old buildings. 6 Huddersfield Media Centre. There were 4 phases of development for this group of buildings; the first opened in Northumberland Street in 1995. The Centre was completed as a mix of old and new buildings in 2007, housing businesses and apartments. 7 Wakefield Aire & Calder Navigation Warehouse and the adjacent warehouse are part of Wakefield Waterfront. This scheme will provide residential and work spaces and include the newly built Barbara Hepworth Wakefield Gallery due to open in 2011. 8 Wharfebank Business Centre, Otley. Initiated by Ronnie Duncan, after his family textile business collapsed in the in early 1980s, a successful business complex has been created in the former spinning mill solely through commercial income. 9 Redbrick Mill, formerly Victoria Mill, Bradford Road, Batley. Stephen Battye has turned the mill into a popular high class shopping complex in the town once known for Shoddy. 10 Titanic Mill, formerly Westwood Mills, Linthwaite. This large mill, opened in 1911, is being relaunched to house apartments, a leisure spa, and dining facilities. At the other end of the scale is a former small water mill at Collingham. Adjacent to the Star Inn, and previously a garden centre, there are plans for the mill to be saved and re-used for housing.

Nigel highlighted some recent setbacks. The imposition of business rates on empty buildings has increased the problem of retaining buildings until a new use can be found and the financial crash of 2008-09 made availability of funding more difficult. However, at end 2009 there are small signs of a possible up-turn.

Nigel’s talk generated a lively audience discussion. He emphasised the value of having schemes that have a range of office spaces available that can be used flexibly. Start-up businesses begin by working at home then move to offices and need room to expand as the business grows. Public sector input is important in regeneration e.g. at Huddersfield and Lancaster this has been provided by the universities. Local authorities are important for creating a strategy and encouraging development. However important and interesting a building may be – and specialists can deal with any structural problem - any plan for re-use must be commercially feasible. Bold ideas may be needed but implementation must be cautious as owners do not spend speculatively. And “heritage” is important. Local groups should research and publish the history of a building to generate public interest and listing by English Heritage can protect buildings until new uses are found e.g. Hunslet Mills.

Robert Vickers

Early Watermills in Saddleworth - Mike Buckley 9 January 2010

Despite the snow and ice, 10 people ventured to Claremont for Mike Buckley’s talk. He is Chairman of Saddleworth Historical Society and researching Saddleworth’s medieval and early modern history. He explained that Saddleworth, though west of the Pennines, is part of Yorkshire, with the cotton industry on west and wool on the east. It is Yorkshire’s border area adjoining Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire and the watershed of the rivers that drain the Pennines. The main valley is that of the River Tame, though not all the water powered mills in Saddleworth were on the Tame; a number were on its smaller swift-flowing tributaries which provided a good head of water for the wheels and for dyeing. Dobcross Mill is one such.

Evidence of early mills is scant and found mainly old documents. Many papers are in the Ramsden collection; the Ramsdens were the lords of the manor and major sponsors of industry. However, relevant documents sometimes turned up in unlikely places. Names are also evidence e.g. Delph is derived from bakestones; Querndon / Wharton Hill: Quern = mill, dun = hill. Millstones were made from local millstone grit; manufacture dates back to the Saxon period. In the 18th century millstones were quarried, evidenced by the remains of part finished millstones left as the work was abandoned.

Mike explained that from the early 12th century until end of the 19th century Saddleworth was divided into four administrative units, Lordsmere, Shawmere, Quickmere and Friarmere, the names indicating the original owners. Lordsmere was the domain of the lord of the manor. Originally held by the de Lacys, based at Pontefract Castle, Saddleworth was granted to the Stapletons at the beginning 12th century. In their turn the Stapletons granted land to others. A deed of c1250 found in the University of Leeds Brotherton Library refers to mills in the area as do later documents and estate maps.

Shawmere was originally held by the Shaw family who were in woollen trade. In the 14th century the Shaws sold Shawmere and eventually it was sold to the Ramsdens who, in the 17th century, were consolidating their land holdings. There were 2 corn mills in Shawmere, Uppermill and, lower mill though the latter had gone by c1650. Fulling was the first process to be mechanised. The Huguenot Mallelieus moved to the area in Elizabeth I’s time; the settlement of Frenches is named after them. The fulling mill there, now gone, is shown in an 18th century painting. Mallelieu’s of Delph Ltd continue at Valley Mills, Delph. Quickmere, a freehold estate outside the control of the lord of the manor, was named after the original holders, the de Quick family. They held it until the 14th century when it passed to the Traffords and Staveleys. There is evidence of a fulling mill at Wrigley, in Quickmere, working from the 17th to the 19th century. Friarmere was granted to Roche Abbey, near Rotherham, who held it from c1250 until its dissolution in the late 1530s. Along with the rest of Friarmere, Delph was sold to its tenants c 1618. Two mills are mentioned in the sale documents; one of these eventually became Eagle Mill, a textile mill at Delph.

The growth of the cloth trade in 17th and 18th centuries led to more mills being built. Water power was used to mechanise elements of wool processing and by 1800 there were 21 scribbling mills in Saddleworth. Scribbling was the start of the process, fulling was the end. The processes in between were domestic work. As the wool trade developed so did transport, along with roads, inns, shops and the growth of settlements such as Dobcross and Delph. Saddleworth manor was sold in 1791 and by the end of the 18th century the manorial system in the area ended.

Mike’s well researched talk prompted a number of questions. He explained that to date there been little archaeological investigation of mill sites, some of which had been lost. About 50% of the medieval mills continued as textile mills into the industrial revolution. Upper mill became a textile mill in the 18th century and Frenches mill continued fulling into the 19th century when it became a dyeworks. In Shawmere, one mill had gone by the 17th century but the other became a dyeworks. Water power gave way to steam in the 19th century.

Robert Vickers

Steam Traction on the Roads – John Meredith 6 February 2010

The speaker had a long term interest in steam railways and road traction, was a member of the Road Locomotive Society and had been taking slides of steam traction since 1951. He started with a brief overview of the use of steam power in pumping and winding engines for mines, followed by its use in road and rail transport before describing its use in agriculture from the mid 19th century onwards. Using his own slides he showed examples of various steam engines used in agriculture including those produced by Aveling and Porter and John Fowler, the latter solving the problem of mechanisation of ploughing using a two engine system pulling the plough across the field.

By the early 20th century the state of roads had improved and steam powered traction became common, examples shown included engines used by the Bryant & May factory in London used to haul logs from the River Lea to the match factory. Small portable engines could be towed to a variety of locations and used as a mobile source of power. Aveling and Porter produced steam road rollers used to consolidate road surfaces from the 1880s onwards. They were based in Rochester, Kent; an early engine dating from 1871 has been restored and is in the Science Museum. In the 1930s, they became Aveling and Barford and moved to Grantham. Their machines were still in use for the construction of the first phase of the M1 motorway. As well as large rollers, small examples were used for working on pavements The Leeds based company of Thomas Green also made steam road vehicles including rollers and trams as well as lawnmowers. Turning to steam wagons, examples were shown of Foden and Sentinel wagons and those manufactured by the Yorkshire Patent Wagon Company and McClarens of Leeds. Mr Meredith completed his survey of steam traction by showing examples of showman and fairground engines, which included musical accompaniment from a cassette tape. Burrells of Thetford were the main manufacturers.

The lecture ended with a brief history of the steam traction preservation movement. After the 2nd World War, the commercial use of steam road vehicles declined, many engines were scrapped or left derelict, but there were enthusiasts who were keen to preserve examples. The first rallies were held at Nettlebed in 1951and are now regularly held across the country. Mr Meredith was clearly a keen enthusiast for steam traction and his slides were of historical interest, not just for the engines but also for the background scenes. For members wishing to find more, the Road Locomotive Society publishes a number of books of archive photographs and reprints of manufacturers’ catalogues. Details can be found on the Society’s website at www.roadlocosociety.org.uk

Margaret Tylee

The Growth of Rural Industry: the example of Sherburn and South Milford- Chris Rule 6 March 2010

Chris Rule is a longstanding member of the section with an interest in the area around Sherburn and South Milford as a result of being born in South Milford. Chris has already published two short books, one on the Railways of South Milford (reviewed in Newsletter 66) and one on the Sherburn and South Milford Gas Company (reviewed in Newsletter 72). For this presentation he explored how what could be considered a rural community, in fact contained a lot of industry. For those not familiar with the area he described the location with its boundary of the Great North Road and situated on the magnesium limestone belt. This meant the land was well drained and good for agriculture and had good transport links both for road and later rail. The first industry was the getting of building stone and Huddleston Quarry west of Sherburn provided stone for the building of York Minster. A canal was constructed to take the stone from the quarry to the River Ouse at Cawood where it could be shipped to York. The stone was also used for the construction of Westminster Hall. The quarry was worked into the 19th century. Travellers on the Great North Road and along the Leeds to Selby turnpike required accommodation for themselves and horses and several coaching inns developed including the Swan at Aberford which still has its stables and mounting block. Various examples of milestones along the roads were shown; cast iron examples were made by Bradshaw and Booth, iron founders of Liversedge. The journey from York to London at one time took 4 days but with the improvements with turnpike roads from 1741 onwards, by the 1830s the time had been cut to 20 hours.

A precision engineering industry developed in the 1700s, particularly associated with clock making. There were two clockmaking centres in the parish at Aberford and Micklefield. One prominent clockmaker was George Goodall who numbered his clocks, numbers 152-578 were made in Aberford, but earlier ones were made in Micklefield. The magnesium limestone soil was good for growing flax and a linen industry grew up until the importing of flax from the Baltic through Hull to Leeds overtook it. However the soil was also good for growing barley and a thriving malting industry continues to this day with the breweries at Tadcaster.

With the coming of the Leeds and Selby and York and North Midland railways, Milford Junction became an important interchange station with refreshments rooms and lavatories. (See Chris’s book for more details). The railways were also used for the movement of coal from mines at Micklefield sunk in 1826 and Peckfield working from the 1870s, mining communities grew up around the pits, In the more recent Selby coalfield, the coal was taken out in South Milford at Gascoigne Wood where it was loaded onto trains.

An aerodrome was built at Sherburn in 1914, it was used as an aircraft acceptance park and then by the Blackburn Aircraft Company in 1918 for the Sopwith Cuckoo plane. The Yorkshire Flying Club was established there in the 1920s and it was taken over by the RAF in 1939 and used to store planes flown by women pilots from their manufacturing plants until they became operational. The Blackburn works were sold to W&T Avery for the manufacture of weighing scales and part of the site is now occupied by Dr Oerker manufacturer of desserts and SuperCook products.

In the questions that followed, it was clear that other industries could have been covered if time had permitted, including gypsum mining, plasterboard manufacturing and haulage contracting. An indication of what can be found in a seemingly quiet rural community. It was suggested to Chris that there was the making of another book, so we watch this space.

Margaret Tylee

MEMORIES OF NANCY COOPER AND THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE YAHS INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION

Following the request made in the last Newsletter and at lectures, I received the following memories.

From David George Although we were near neighbours in Worsley, we did not meet Nancy and Len until an AIA Conference in the late 70s. Nancy invited me to join the Section which I did in 1978. From then on I enjoyed many meetings, excursions and conferences in their company. Nancy twice brought Section groups over to Manchester- once for a day’s IA perambulation and on another occasion to the Wet Earth Colliery. She published many of my notes in the Newsletter particularly on Yorkshire motor cars and aviation. There was always a warm welcome at Claremont.

From David Nortcliffe When I joined YAHS and the Section sometime in the first half of the 70s, Nancy, Leonard and Bob were already there and from information I picked up later, they had been founder members. Nancy was Secretary – which was a euphemism for ‘General Factotum’ as there didn’t seem to be anything that happened in the Section to which she had not made a major contribution.

The then Chairman came from Harrogate and had a small engineering business. He was finding the Chairmanship and having to attend every meeting rather too much and wanted to concentrate on business. But at the next AGM there were no offers to take over, so Nancy said to me “Why don’t you take it on - it’s nothing really, just seeing the meetings go OK”. How often has one heard that when a group needs officers! But I did take it on for a few years and she was right. She organised everything in advance whether it was a lecture, an excursion, a walk in Leeds or whatever. I uttered a few pleasantries on the day and then Nancy swept up all the loose ends afterwards.

Her contribution to the organisation of the Section in the 70s and 80s was massive and faultless. After Leonard died and she became a little less active, she couldn’t continue at the same rate but she retained her interest and contributed where she could. She was always bright and cheerful, nothing ever seemed to faze her and she was the sort of person that one always looked forward to seeing. The Society and the Section owe a great deal to Nancy and the work she put in to further the study of Industrial History in those key, initial years.

Nancy (left) and Leonard (right) on a Section visit to Joshua Ellis, Batley Carr Mills, Dewsbury, 11 May 1992 (photo Robert Vickers)

From Margaret Tylee I joined the Section in 1979, I can’t recall how I found out about it but Nancy and Leonard made me welcome and I soon discovered that living in Spen Lane they were quite close to my then house in Kirkstall. When my son Robert was born in 1983, Nancy and Leonard made me welcome for regular lunch and afternoon tea and a chance for conversation other than about babies. Nancy was very good at encouraging involvement and soon I became the Excursions Secretary. After a break from involvement when I worked in London for a couple of years I returned initially as Assistant Secretary and taking over from Nancy as Secretary in 1992. However Nancy still continued to support the section and was a regular attendee at AIA conferences where she renewed her many IA acquaintances. After Leonard’s death and with her son Bob living in the Midlands and married, Nancy moved into smaller accommodation in North Leeds, becoming increasingly frail she moved away from Leeds to be nearer Bob, she was active to the end and I looked forward to her Christmas messages describing the plays she had seen and visits she had made. I was pleased to have known her.

The Start of the Section Amongst the various papers passed onto to me by Nancy when I took over as Secretary, was a document proposing the formation of a Yorkshire Industrial History Group in 1964. Its aim was to bring together those interested in the industrial, commercial and technological history and archaeology of the county. By means of lectures, discussion, research, collecting records, recording buildings and publishing, the Group would be useful both in the county and nationally and to the lone researcher. The suggested annual subscription was 10s.6d and it was proposed that the Chairman should be Professor A.J.Taylor of Leeds University and Dr E.M.Sigsworth its Secretary. The first meeting was called for 24 October 1964.

The Group became affiliated to the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society and I have a copy of the 1966/7 programme which consisted of three full days with a lecture in the morning and a visit in the afternoon. The Secretary now was John Goodchild. However soon after this date, the Group appeared to run out of steam and a letter from Bill Slatcher, the then Treasurer of the Group dated 1 May 1970 reported that the AGM of the Group held on 16 April 1970 had agreed that it would be better if the Group could be reorganised as a section of the YAHS. This had been given qualified approval by the YAHS Council. The inaugural meeting of the Industrial History Section of the YAHS was set for 18 May 1970 and the Section was born. The first annual subscription of ten shillings was due in October 1970 and was effective until 31 December 1971.The first programme for 1970/71 consisted of seven lectures including contributions from Professor M Beresford, Dr Mike Lewis, Bernard Jennings and Patrick Nuttgens. Nancy was the Secretary by 1972 and continued until I took over in 1992. I also have the minute books of the section which make interesting reading.

Margaret Tylee

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION OFFICERS 2009-2010 Chairman & Newsletter Vice-Chairman & Membership Lecture Editor Secretary Secretary

Margaret Tylee Robert Vickers Jane

Ellis