NEWSLETTER NO. 65 AUTUMN 2005

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter and I hope you all had an enjoyable summer, making the most of some excellent weather and that no-one was affected by the terrible events in London in July. I have recently returned from the annual Association for Industrial Archaeology Conference which was based at the University of Nottingham but explored the IA of Derbyshire. I wasn’t able to stay for the whole week but for the four days I was there, I was able to visit some interesting sites including the cement works at Hope near Castleton where we all had to walk around the site with hard hats, safety glasses and high visibility jackets. It was good to see several section members at the conference as well as meeting up with old friends and I’ll be providing a report for the next Newsletter. The conference was preceded by a day seminar on Industrial Archaeology and Industrial Heritage in National Parks; David George attended and he has very efficiently produced a report for this Newsletter. Thanks to David for the other reports he has also produced this time. Longstanding members will be pleased to hear from Bob Cooper, who I met at the conference, that Nancy Cooper has settled well in her new home in Ashby de la Zouch and appreciated receiving the Newsletter.

Following my plea in the last Newsletter for a new Lectures Secretary I am very pleased to report that we have one – Jane Ellis has gallantly accepted to take up the challenge and has organised the 2005/6 programme from January onwards. Jane may be known to members as the organiser of the Railway Ramblers walks that are listed in the Newsletter so has some useful relevant experience and I sure that members will agree that the programme which is enclosed with this Newsletter looks interesting and varied. So very many thanks to Jane and I hope that the lectures will be well supported. Ideas and offers for future talks are always welcome and Jane’s contact details can be found at the end of the Newsletter.

We held two excursions over the summer in May and June. I was able to attend the walk around in May when the numbers were swelled by visitors from the Manchester IA group, but unfortunately couldn’t make the June visit to Gibson Mill. David George reported that only 8 people did make the visit, unfortunately in spite of previous assurances, the Mill was not open at the time, the revised estimate for opening is now September, but there was still plenty to see. The low attendance has led to a thought that excursions in the summer (i.e. June/July/August) may not be a good time. I have received a suggestion that in future we should consider May and September as excursion dates. What do members think? Also suggestions for excursions are welcome, even better offers to lead walks; walking tours of Bradford and Akroyden, near Halifax have been suggested as two possibilities for next year.

My previous editorial contained some key points from the 2005 AGM and as usual I have enclosed a copy of the minutes of that meeting with this Newsletter. If any of the few members attending have any corrections to the minutes, please send them to me. I was also able to follow up the query raised about the relationship between the Management Board and the Council of the YAHS and this year was able to attend the YAHS AGM so I am clearer now about the process. More of that below.

I am pleased to welcome the following new members who have joined since the last Newsletter: Mr G Firth and Mrs J Vaughn.

Finally a reminder that the next Newsletter will be appearing in January 2006, all contributions are welcome and I look forward to seeing you in my new role as the Section Chair at one of our forthcoming lectures. I have nowhere near the level of industrial history knowledge shown by my predecessor Bill Slatcher but hopefully I will manage to get by.

Margaret Tylee

NEWS FROM CLAREMONT

Following the confusion at the 2005 AGM regarding the relationship between the Management Board and Council of the YAHS, I contacted Jo Heron, the YAHS Hon Secretary for some clarification. I received a helpful explanation which was reinforced by my attendance at the AGM of the YAHS, this year held on 13 August, and the arrangement is described below.

In 2004 a Working Party reported on a review of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Society, this had been necessary to ensure that the Society was in line with current legislation. The main change was to make the governance of the Society the responsibility of a Management Board, whose members would become the Trustees of the Society and be accountable and responsible for the day to day running of the Society. The YAHS Council would continue to exist as an advisory body and members of the Management Board would also serve on the Council. These proposals were discussed and approved at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society held on 19 June 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2005. Nominations for the posts of President, Hon General Secretary, Hon Treasurer and Hon Programme Secretary (all ex officio members of the Management Board); posts of Honorary Officers who will not be ex officio members of the Management Board and ordinary members of the Management Board were invited in July 2004 with a closing date of 20 August 2004. The Management Board was elected at another EGM held on 13 November 2004, there are 12 members plus the ex officio Officers.

At the YAHS AGM on 13 August, the election of the members of the Management Board was ratified and an election held for ordinary members of the Council. There was some overlap between the nominations for Council and the membership of the Management Board and this has resulted in some gaps. To be eligible for a nomination to the Council, the individual must be a full Society member, nominations for election at the 2006 AGM will be invited in Feb/March 2006. Jo Heron has confirmed that representation from the Sections on Council continues to be the Section Secretary who would continue to serve for as long as they held that post. The Industrial History Section does not have one Secretary and we would have to decide who should be best placed to attend the Council meetings. There are normally three a year on a Saturday morning, one in April to receive the accounts, one before the AGM and one in the autumn. I suggest we discuss this before the nominations are due.

The new constitution of the YAHS has not been circulated to members but to save on costs it was suggested that members could get a copy from the Library on demand. The new President is Dr Richard Hall from the York Archaeological Trust who was not present because he was abroad working on a new BBC programme on the Vikings

One final point regarding the main Society. Following some difficulties in getting expenses paid via the Treasurer from the Section’s account, I have agreed with him that I will hold a float from which incidental expenses such as postage and copying costs can be paid on receipt. This should speed up the process of re- imbursement.

NEWS ITEMS

Access to Archives is a nationwide programme to provide wider access to archive materials held in repositories throughput the UK. There are several projects which form part of this programme that will be relevant to a study of Yorkshire’s industrial history. Three which I have identified are as follows:

Shafts of Light – South Yorkshire’s Coalfield Archives. The material held in the archives of Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster and Archives ranges from the 1500s to the present day and includes records of the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers, as well as some individual colliery companies. Tracking Railway Archives Project – providing access to records relating to railways and the railway industry. Broad Acres, Big Houses, Yorkshire People – archives associated with the great houses and families of Yorkshire. The material includes not only maps, letters, deeds and accounts but also information about the urban and industrial developments from which the families drew their wealth.

Access to the information is via the A2A website at www.a2a.org.uk. The database does not contain images of the documents themselves but provides access to catalogues of the material held and links to information on participating Archive Offices making it easy to arrange a visit or order a photocopy.

Parkwood Mills in Huddersfield is a grade II listed woollen mill dating from the second half of the 19th century and is a good example of a room and power mill where the space was leased to a number of businesses. The Victorian Society has been involved in a long running battle to prevent the demolition of several of the structures including the chimney as part of a conversion into 91 flats. The chimney and boiler house only were reprieved but recently a more sympathetic developer has agreed to retain virtually all of the buildings on the site. Rotherham Council have published a free walking leaflet describing an Industrial Trail around the centre of Rotherham. The walk includes Rotherham Lock on the Don Navigation, the Sheffield & Rotherham Railway, the office of Guest & Chrimes, the latter being the inventor of the screw down water tap and Clifton Park Museum, the former home of the Walker family whose ironworks built cannon for the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. The walk starts from the Tourist Information Centre where copies of the leaflet can be obtained.

Leeds University has opened its new Lifelong Learning Centre which has replaced the School of Continuing Education and the Office of Part Time Education. The Centre is situated in Willow Terrace with a number of off campus locations where students can study. There are a number of courses in archaeology and local history and details can be obtained by contacting the Centre ? 0113 3433222 or email openstudies@.ac.uk.

English Heritage has published its 2005 Buildings at Risk Register. The overview position for Yorkshire shows that there has been a 6.3% decrease in properties at risk, 14 have been removed and 3 have been added. There are several industrial sites on the register including in South Yorkshire, Low Forge at Wortley and Crucible Steel Shops at the Darnall Works in Sheffield. There are a number of grade II* listed mills in on the list including Low Mills in Keighley, Waterloo Mills, Silsden, Folly Hall Mill in Huddersfield and Hunslet Mills in Leeds. The list for includes Dale End Mills, Lothersdale, Cobscar Lead Smelt Mill, Redmire and Lime Kilns at Allerston in Ryedale. A positive point to note is that the current chairman of English Heritage is Sir Neil Cossons – someone who has a keen interest in industrial history and who has recently helped to save a former steam locomotive watering point at St Pancras Station which was threatened with demolition as part of the Channel Tunnel terminus works. The full Register can be viewed on the English Heritage’s website at www.english-heritage.org.uk/bar.

HELP WANTED

I have been in correspondence with Tom Hey who is interested in the generation of electricity using water turbines. He was kind enough to send me a copy of an article he wrote on Hydroelectricity in the Yorkshire Dales which was published in the Cleveland Industrial Archaeologist No. 26 (2000). He was particularly interested in finding out more information about the generating equipment in Fairfield Mill, near Sedbergh and how long it operated. He has also been told about a water turbine and generator still working at Rigmaden Park, five miles south of Sedbergh, west of the A683 (GR 610848). He has a copy of Herbert Masterson’s paper on Linton Mill and the Grassington Electric Supply Company of 1909 which was published in the YAHS Journal in 1999 and would be very interested in hearing from any member who shares his interest or who could provide more information. He can be contacted at Grindstone Garth, Dalton, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 7HX.

FUTURE EVENTS

24 Sept Tercentenary Walk. Boulsover, the inventor of Old Sheffield Plate, lived at Whiteley Wood Hall, Sheffield. The walk led by Derek Bayliss and Graham Hague includes a visit to the site and surviving outbuildings. Meet 2pm outside the Forge Dam Café, Fulwood, Sheffield. For details contact Derek Bayliss ? 0114 2307693

29 Sept Discovering Calderdale’s Past. A local history course comprising 11 sessions held at Halifax Library 6.30-9.30pm and 2 Saturday visits. Fees range from £185 to £25. For more details contact Linda Croft, WEA Office, Heath Training Centre, Free School Lane, Halifax, HX1 2PT, ? 01422 253020 email [email protected].

1 Oct EMIAC 70. The 70th East Midlands Industrial Archaeology Conference to be held in Towcester will look at the Industrial History of Towcester. Further details from Jan Fajkus, 101 Holly Road, Northampton, NN1 4QN. Email: [email protected].

6 Oct Memories of a Textile Era – Val Cutter. Talk to the Skipton & Craven Historical Society, Swadford Centre, Swadford Street, Skipton. 7.30pm. £2 for non- members.

8 Oct The Medieval Use of Yorkshire’s Rivers. A day school organised by the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society Medieval Section to be held at Claremont. The day school will explore the evidence for the varied use of inland rivers and canals and the associated features to be found along their banks. Cost of the day is £10 (including drinks) a packed lunch is advisable. Booking to Stephen Moorhouse, Deighton House, Healey, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 8BJ ? 01924 475618.

15 Oct YAHS Industrial History Section Lecture Programme commences – see enclosed list for details of the complete programme

16 Oct Visit to Kelham Island Museum. A look behind the scenes with John Hamshere, Executive Director, Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. Organised by the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society. Meet at the entrance to the Museum at 2pm.

20 Oct Packhorse Days & Packhorse Ways – Janet Niepokojczycka. Talk to the Olicana Historical Society, All Saints Church House, Church Street, Ilkley. £2 for non- members. 21-23 Oct The Wonderful Watermills of Lincolnshire. A weekend coach tour based in Lincoln visiting a number of mills, some being specially opened for the visit. Organised by Lindum Heritage. For details contact Zoe Tomlinson ? 01522 851388 or visit the website www.lindumheritage.co.uk.

29 Oct Greater Manchester Archaeology Day. To be held at the University of Manchester 9am–4.15pm. Programme includes papers on excavations of mills and glass works in Ancoats and investigations into textile finishing. Cost £18. Details and registration form from Sue Mitchell, Archaeology Unit, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL. ? 0161 2752314. Closing date for registration 14 October.

29-30 Oct Yorkshire Research Directions. Conference to be held at the University of Sheffield to assess the current state of archaeological work in the region and to set the research agenda for the next decade. For details contact Hugh Wilmott, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET. ? 0114 2222940 or email [email protected].

12 Nov South Yorkshire Archaeology Day. St Mary’s Conference Centre, , Sheffield. Cost £10. Full details of speakers will be available in October from the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service ? 0114 2736354 or the SYAS website at www.sheffield.gov.uk/syas.

12 Nov Pearls of the Past: 30 years in the life of North Yorkshire’s Archaeology Service. A programme of talks and displays to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the service. Hambleton Forum, Bullamoor Road, Northallerton. Details from North Yorks County Council Heritage Section ? 01609 532331 or email [email protected].

19 Nov West Yorkshire Joint Services Archaeology Day. Leeds Metropolitan University (Beckett Park Campus). Cost £10. Buffet lunch available for an extra £6.50. Details from Linda Birch ? 0113 2898280 or email [email protected]. The Winter Lecture Programme of the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society is given below

Sheffield Lectures held at Kelham Island commencing at 7.30pm with a minimum admission charge of £1 for non SYIHS members, except for 21 March event

21 Nov The Cutlers’ Company – Joan Unwin

12 Dec Silver for Everyman: Old Sheffield Plate and its impact on Georgian and Victorian style and taste – Dr Trevor Brighton 16 Jan Health & Safety Research in Sheffield – Dr Jim McQuaid

20 Feb Emerson Bainbridge of Sheffield, mining engineer and chairman of the Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway – David Wilmot

21 Mar Stay Bright in Sheffield: a short history of stainless steels and Sheffield’s contribution to their development – Dr David Dulieu. The 15th Dr Kenneth Barraclough Memorial Lecture held at the Holiday Inn, Royal Victoria Hotel, Sheffield. 5.30 for 6pm

10 Apr Surgical Instruments in the Hawley Collection – Adrian Padfield

15 May The Upper Don Walk and the Brooklyn Bridge Project – Robin Fielder & Dr Alan Wood

Barnsley 27 Feb Pit Voices: Barnsley miners remember – Brian Elliott. Joseph Bramah Lecture held at The Cooper Gallery, Church Street, Barnsley. 7pm

3 Apr Barnsley: centre of the railway universe – Peter Rodgers. Lecture held at the Central Library, Barnsley. 7pm

Rotherham 18 Mar Memories of the South Yorkshire Navigation – Graham Hague. Lecture held at Rotherham Central Library & arts Centre. 10.30am

Future Dates for Railway Ramblers walks are given below. For more details and joining instructions contact Jane Ellis ? 0113 2494644

24 Sept Glasshoughton Circular 1 Oct Corus Steelworks Brakevan Trip 22 Oct The Humber Bridge and Estuary 13 Nov The Birley Branch 26 Nov Darton ro Barnsley

FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF Leeds, by Susan Wrathmell with John Minnis. Pevsner Architectural Guide, published by Yale University Press. 2005. 326pp,. ISBN 0 30010736 6. £9.99.

I was pleased to receive an invitation to the launch of the new Pevsner guide to Leeds in the on 29 June. There was an opportunity to buy a copy of the guide signed by the editor Sue Wrathmell and to hear her and the representative from Harvard University Press extol the virtues of the architecture of Leeds. The book follows the same approach taken in the recently published companion volume to Sheffield (reviewed in the last issue of the Newsletter). There is a general introduction to the history and development of Leeds followed by descriptions of the major buildings in the centre including the Corn Exchange. Then there are five themed walks around central Leeds, walk three covers transport and industry and includes the railway station(s); Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the Round Foundry, Marshall’s Mill, Aire & Calder Navigation and Bank Mills. Further afield there are descriptions of Armley, Burmantofts, Chapel Allerton and Headingley and finally a series of “excursions” including , Roundhay Park and Lawnswood Cemetery. Like the Sheffield volume, throughout the book there are certain topics singled out for special mention presented in separate sections, these include the Cloth Halls, the Burmantofts Pottery, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, the Aire & Calder Navigation and the Bean Ing Mills.

The book contains excellent illustrations and is in a handy paperback size that can easily be carried on a walk. Good value for money and recommended for anyone interested in the buildings of Leeds.

REPORTS OF VISITS, LECTURES ETC

Industrial History Section Excursion 14 May 2005 - Walking Tour of Selby

A group of 16 section members and visitors from the Manchester Region IA Society met on the green near Selby Abbey for an afternoon walk around the town with a mainly transport theme. Selby was originally in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Ouse being the boundary with the old East Riding, Briefly it was associated with the new county of Humberside and now finds itself in North Yorkshire. Those arriving in the morning had an opportunity to look round the Abbey- probably one of the most complete in Yorkshire which was began in 1100AD with the chancel completed between 1280 and 1340. The building is a striking mixture of Norman and Early English styles with particularly fine doorways. The meeting place was near the Cholera Burial Ground where a mass grave contained more than a hundred bodies from Selby’s second cholera outbreak in 1848-9. Also nearby was the fine façade of the Londesborough Arms Hotel, which 200 years ago was a coaching inn called the George, and renamed after Lord Londesborough when he became Selby’s Lord Mayor.

We first walked to Selby’s second railway station (see right) rebuilt in 1891 by the North Eastern Railway. The platform canopies made up of cast iron members and columns were very striking. The through trains from Manchester to Selby, which were limited stop via the Calder Valley route, have ceased running under the new franchise but there are stopping trains to Huddersfield and fast services to Hull and Leeds. Next the canal towpath was gained for a walk to its junction with the River Ouse. The was commenced in 1775 and is only 5.5 miles long. It connects the Ouse with the River Aire and the Aire & Calder Navigation thus avoiding the bypassing of the town by the waterway routes from Leeds to the Humber. It is a contour canal and the party spent some time at the river lock where we were able to watch a pleasure barge manoeuvre off the river into the lock which, due to the fast flowing river, was quite tricky. The mechanical lock gear was still in place although the lock gates are electrically operated. The lock was larger than those of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal (i.e. about 90ft x 20ft) to allow for the passage of the Selby Flyboats. It is also worth noting that the Tom Puddings (string of small container boats) are said to be still operating on the river.

The next location was a detour through the town to the shipyard operated in the past by Messrs Cochranes. The yard was now largely disused but in its heyday built, amongst other vessels, small trawlers for the Grimsby fishing fleet. Still to be seen were tall brick and metal clad sheds, a neat office block at the front gates and some dismantled cranes or gantries. The next stop was the original Leeds-Selby railway station on Ousegate of which the façade and one altered wall of the train shed was visible. The Leeds-Selby Railway opened in 1834 and was the first passenger railway in Yorkshire. The station designer was possibly Richard Peacock, the locomotive superintendent, but the building was altered in 1841 by James Walker to become goods only. It consisted of two outer bays and doors for freight wagons and a central platform for passengers with an exit to the riverfront for those who wished to continue their journey from Leeds to Hull by boat. The walk ended at a viewing platform on the river staithes where there was a good view of the railway swing bridge which has a wooden control cabin mounted above and the modern road swing bridge which replaced the old toll bridge.

There is a small tourist information centre in the public library from which a map and Civic Trust guide may be obtained. One or two feed mills are still working but the , developed by the NCB in a massive programme of investment from 1976, covering 110 square miles with three power stations, 5,000 employees and involving the re-routing of the has all finished.

David George May 2005

Margaret Tylee adds: Many thanks to David for leading the walk. After David’s walk had finished Brian Slater led a small party to view Abbot’s Staithe a small complex of warehouses probably built in the 15th century for the storage of goods awaiting river transport. During medieval times travel was hampered by the poor condition of the roads and the river was the principal means of communication.

Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society Study Weekend 11/12 June 2005 Landscape Archaeology of the Textile Industry in Craven

The study weekend was organised and led by Erik Matthews and consisted of a lecture day at Claremont followed by a site excursion on the Sunday.

Mr Matthews outlined a simple historical model for studying textile influenced landscapes based on the period covered (domestic, proto-capitalist and industrial) and the type of monument (e.g. weaving sheds, fulling mills, carding mills, dye works, engine houses etc). It was clear that the monument types multiply over time. The earliest landscape evidence in the Craven region are the earthwork remains for flax retting and medieval fulling. In the post medieval period, Mr Matthews surveyed a number of weaving sheds and loom shops. Knaresborough was a centre for linen production during this period and there is the evidence of sheds attached to two storey redbrick cottages and also stone built weavers’ houses and warehouses. In Nidderdale, terraces with top floor weaving lofts are associated with four storey carding and spinning mills. Some of the latter were operated by horse wheels. The former developed into proto factories, whilst the latter developed water power such as Foster Beck Mill.

In the period of rapid mechanisation from 1780, the North Riding saw the growth of Arkwright type cotton mills with their associated mill ponds and long leats, examples include Gayle Mill in Wensleydale and Kings Mill in Settle. Sutton-in-Craven and Thornton pioneered worsted spinning, initially with mules and later with ring frames. Cotton spinning persisted in Skipton at Belle Vue Mills which were integrated mills. Connonley had a worsted weaving mill of three stories which was re-built after a fire in 1902. Water power was again prominent at Bridge Mill, Settle and Dale End Mill, Lothersdale, but other companies were moving to steam power after 1820, an example was Carlton New Mill where the engine house and chimney survive.

In the afternoon session the speaker gave more attention to mill housing from the three storey back to backs at Sutton-in-Craven to three storey terraces at Carlton. Some mill owners also provided temperance halls, reading rooms, co- operative shops, chapels and community schools. Houses varied in size and decoration to reflect the hierarchy in the mills. Day two saw 20 or so participants join the field excursion to the area to view at first hand some of the examples described in the lectures.

David George June 2005 National Mills (Regeneration) Conference Bradford 15/16 June 2005

This year the annual conference returned to its roots in West Yorkshire where it began in the early 1990s. The first day was based at Salt’s Mill, Saltaire and delegates were first given a tour of the various activities that now occupy the Mill since its rescue by Jonathan Sliver et al. There are two long David Hockney galleries, bookshops, restaurants and other retail outlets. For the most part the former spinning floors are unobstructed and the structures visible. It is interesting to note that although this is a Fairburn mill, some of the wings have wooden beams, floors and joists. An innovation since my last visit is the Titus Salt Exhibition Room where documents, artefacts and pictures of the family and the business are displayed.

After lunch there was a coach excursion to see schemes in progress. The first was Douglas Mills, Bradford – an Italianate block with two central rows of cast iron columns on each floor (1878). An unusual feature is that the transverse beams are not joined above each column as is usual; there are also longitudinal curved braces between the columns. The beams are hog backed with webs and are tied under the floors. When its refurbishment is completed, the mill will be occupied by two primary healthcare trusts. We then went on to the Goitside district of the city where there are twelve listed buildings – mostly warehouses. We looked in particular at Colonial Buildings, a former woolsorters, which has a timber frame, a three inch thick plank floor with wrought iron tongues inserted and a laminated arched timber roof. Little Germany on the other hand has 55 listed buildings and is currently receiving about £20million of European and Regional Development Fund funding. Renovation is ongoing and we visited the Design Exchange which is the hub of the scheme. Then on to Manningham Mills which is being converted by Urban Splash (Yorkshire) for mixed use, retaining the famous chimney, the spinning blocks and some ancillary buildings such as the boiler house and a two storey process building which may have housed knitting or sewing machines. There is also a warehouse block and a Gothic style office building. The Mill lodge has been cleared and the weaving sheds demolished but a public park and a route to Cartwright Hall (the former Lister’s mansion and now an art gallery) is to be created.

The second day of the conference was held at Bradford University and the speakers included Dr Nick Falk (Urbed) on the steps towards urban renewal and the ten best UK examples which interestingly included Sowerby Bridge Mills as well as Bradford’s Little Germany but also Kennings motor garage and showrooms in Sheffield. Mr S Gawthorpe, the project manager for Manningham, outlined his vision for the site as described above and L Webb discussed a possible strategy for the Goitside district which includes the late 19th century shop and warehouse developments and the 1909 three storey tenements along Thornton Road. Andrew Clay, manager of Media Business Centres, discussed the Round Foundry project in Leeds where original cast and wrought iron structures have been utilised to create what is in effect a new structure. The site contains(ed) 15 listed buildings which are becoming managed workspaces, apartments and a pub for the 40 firms that have moved in.

David George June 2005

Industrial Archaeology and Industrial Heritage in the National Parks AIA Pre Conference Seminar held on 2 September 2005 The day seminar heard from a number of speakers highlighting the work being carried out in the national parks to preserve and interpret sites with an industrial background.

Ken Smith of the Peak District National Park Authority spoke on the Lead Rakes Project – an attempt to record all the surface lead vein workings which survive in the Park. There are only two mines with surface buildings of any substance and most of the literature deals with underground levels and stopes, so the project was an attempt to add to knowledge of the mining activity. John Barnett, a senior survey archaeologist for the Peak Park described the extensive evidence pre gunpowder at mines near Matlock for fire setting as an extraction technique. Following two papers on Dartmoor’s mining and metal processing sites, there was a comparison of methods of iron production in Roman and Medieval times on Exmoor. M H Jones of the Exmoor Mines Research Group has been surveying the iron mining landscapes of the Brendon Hills in West Somerset. There are 15 structures as well as limekilns, a chapel and workers’ dwellings. The West Somerset Mineral Railway is also to be conserved.

The seminar next concentrated on the North York Moors National Park and after a review of the recent work carried out on industrial sites by archaeological conservation officer, Graham Lee which included alum works, ironstone industries and mills; Marcus Jecock of English Heritage gave more details of the shale quarries and alum processing sites located above sea cliffs but being destroyed by coastal erosion. Two threatened sites at Kettleness and Loftus have been the subject of detailed field surveys (Note Marcus Jecock will be talking to the Section on 15 October on this topic). In the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Robert White, senior conservation archaeologist, described the ongoing large scale limekiln survey and the conservation work carried out at Longcliff Quarry in North Craven. Martin Roe discussed the underground survey work of the Northern Mines Research Society at Grassington Moor, Greenhow Hill and Arkengarthdale which is expanding the information held on the Sites & Monuments Record. Finally Marcus Jecock returned this time to describe the Cumbrian Gunpowder Industry Project. There were five factories covering a period from 1764 until after the First World War. The remains are fast disappearing under timeshares and caravan parks and there was an urgent need to record the incorporating mills ‘corning’ houses, wheelpits and wharves.

The seminar revealed the vast variety of industrial archaeological remains in the National Parks and the efforts to conserve these alongside the natural, tourist and literary associations which tend to be better known by visitors.

David George September 2005