INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY

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New Zealand South Island � AIA Annual Report � VIC 32 boiler restoredKen Hawley Collection � AIA/CBA day schools � Manchester changes � paddle steamers

153SUMMER

2010

Part One described the first part of our November2009 tour of the little country with a bigmessage: New Zealand’s North Island fromAuckland to Wellington (IA News 152). Part Twodescribes the South Island. Once again, we aregrateful to Paul Saulter for organising the tour,Rob Aspden and John La Roche in New Zealand,who put together such an excellent programme,and of course the many enthusiastic local guidesencountered along the way.

Fred Barker

On Wednesday 12 November some of our partyjourneyed to the South Island by air while otherstook the ferry to Picton and then the train toChristchurch; the route of the railway liesbetween the coast and mountains for much of theway until it turns inland at the Christchurchcoastal plain. Thursday was loosely planned,allowing members to follow their own interests.Some explored the Christchurch tramway whichis now a tourist attraction running trams whichhave been restored to their appearances as theywould have been at specific dates in theiroperating lives. The city once had an extensivenetwork which started with a line from therailway station to Cathedral Square in 1880, andbuilding of lines continued until 1922. Theclosures began in 1930 ending with the last linein 1954. In 1960 a group formed the TramwayHistorical Society and began to collect whateverequipment they could find with the intention ofbuilding a tramway at some time, and wereviewed sympathetically by the ChristchurchTransport Board. Eventually the City Councilapproved a circular route linking places of

historical interest and the tramway opened in1995. An extension to this is being built and whenit is completed trams will run in a figure of eight.

Some took the bus to Lyttelton to view theharbour and then climbed the hill to the time ballwhich was last used in earnest in 1941. It issimilar to the device at the Greenwichobservatory and it was kindly raised and loweredfor the group. The museum below showed anexceptionally clear film demonstrating how thelongitude of a ship’s position is calculated from aknowledge of the local time and time at a fixedpoint (usually the zero meridian). Descending thehill again the group was entertained on board thesteam tug Lytttelton which was built in 1907 byFerguson Brothers of Glasgow. It is powered bytwo compound steam engines developing1,000HP, which receive their steam from fourboilers. The fire box doors of two of these are atwaist height which makes stoking arduous. Thetug retired in 1970 and was restored by apreservation society which allowed her to begin anew career in 1973 as a passenger vessel.

After ascending in the Christchurch Gondolato take lunch in the cafe, some of the groupreturned by bus to Ferrymead Heritage Park. ThePark had its beginnings in the railway centenaryof 1963 and the approaching end of steamlocomotion, and took in the formation of the firststeam railway in the country which was a branchbetween Christchurch and Lyttelton port. TheFerrymead Railway extends from the Park to thejunction with the main line and has recently beenelectrified at 1500v dc, and is paralleled by thetramway. The FR has small steam locomotives andexamples of earlier diesel locomotives and all ofthe dc electric locomotives. The tramway is alsoelectrified and runs trams from Ferrymead stationto a loop around the streets of Moorhousepioneer village. The village has an Edwardianflavour and includes cottages, a bakery, aprinter’s, a large post office which also houses anextensive collection of working telephoneexchange equipment, and a horse trough with aworking pump. There is also a large collection offire engines which includes a rare example of anengine built in 1922 by AEC on a bus chassis. Theaeroplane collection includes a DC3 and a BristolB170 freighter with a Morris car in the hold. Asmight be imagined, the atmosphere is similar tothat of the Black Country and Beamish museumsin England.

No mishaps occurred on Friday the 13th, inthe morning of which the group travelled on theTranzAlpine train to Greymouth which climbsthrough mountain scenery over the summit atArthur’s Pass. Rejoining the coach at Greymouthwe stopped to look at the remains of Brunnermine which had been a coal mine with workingson both sides of the river valley, linked by asuspension bridge built in 1876 which collapsedalmost immediately. The railway reached Brunnerin 1876 and road and rail traffic shared the deckof the rebuilt bridge when it opened in 1877. Thearrival of the railway stimulated coal production,

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INDUSTRIALARCHAEOLOGY

NEWS 153Summer 2010

Honorary PresidentProf Angus Buchanan13 Hensley Road, Bath BA2 2DRChairmanTony Crosby261 Stansted Road, Bishop’s Stortford, HertfordshireCM23 2BTVice-ChairmanMark Sissons33 Burgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire YO18 7AUSecretaryBarry Hood9 Kennerty Park, Peterculter, Aberdeen AB14 0LETreasurerBruce Hedge7 Clement Close, Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 7EDIA Review EditorDr David GwynNant y Felin, Llanllyfni Road, Pen y Groes,Caernarfon LL54 6LYIA News EditorDr Peter Stanier49 Breach Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8LFAffiliated Societies OfficerChristine Ball75 Banner Cross Road, Sheffield S11 9HQConference SecretaryJohn McGuinness29 Altwood Road, Maidenhead SL6 4PBEndangered Sites OfficerDr Mike NevellUniversity of Salford, Greater Manchester M5 4WTLibrarian and ArchivistJohn Powellc/o IGMT, Ironbridge, Telford, Shropshire TF8 7DQPublicity OfficerRoy Murphy3 Wellington Road, Ombersley, Worcestershire WR9 0DZRecording Awards OfficerDr Victoria Beauchamp3 Parsonage Court, Parsonage Crescent, Walkley,Sheffield S6 5BJSales OfficerRoger FordBarn Cottage, Bridge Street, Bridgnorth WV15 6AFCouncil MembersDavid Alderton (Heritage Link)Chris BarneyMike BoneDr Robert Carr (BA Awards)Dr Paul Collins (Partnerships)Steve DewhirstHelen Gomersall (co-editor IA Review)David Lyne (Conservation Award)Michael Messenger (Website manager)Stephen Miles (Conference bookings)Prof Marilyn PalmerAmber PatrickPaul Saulter (Overseas trips)Mark Watson (TICCIH GB National Rep)Ian West (Health & Safety)Honorary Vice-PresidentsSir Neil Cossons Prof John Hume Stuart B. Smith

Liaison OfficerDavid de Haan and Anne Lowes (assistant), AIA LiaisonOffice, The Ironbridge Institute, Ironbridge Gorge Museum,Coalbrookdale, Telford TF8 7DX. Tel: 01325 359846. E-mail: aia-enquiries@contacts.bham.ac.ukWebsite: www.industrial-archaeology.org

COVER PICTURECowper stoves, Blast Furnaces Nos. 2 and 3 atVitkovice, Ostrava, Czech Republic (see page 10)

Photo: Mark Watson

New Zealand: part two South Island

The Lyttelton Harbour Time BallPhoto: Fred Barker

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—3

coke production for making steel; fireclay wasmined from beneath the coal seam and used forbrickmaking. 1892 saw the peak of coalproduction at 181,075 tonnes which representedabout 100 wagon loads per day over the bridge.The mine closed in 1921, following which therailway company wanted to remove the bridge,but after local protests ownership was taken overin 1923 by the borough council. The bridge wasrefurbished in 1925-6, 1963-4, 1969 and 1977.The opening of the Stillwater bridge in 1978allowed closure to vehicles of the Brunner bridgeand it was completely closed in 1996 because ofdeterioration. A fund-raising project paid for the2003-4 restoration which allowed the bridge toopen again. On the way to Reefton we paused tosee in the distance the Grey River gold dredgewhich had originally been built in 1938, thendismantled in the 1980s and rebuilt in its presentlocation where it had been operating more or lesscontinuously since. A request to visit the dredgehad unfortunately been declined.

Moving on to Reefton we walked beside theriver in late afternoon sunshine to see theremains of the generating station for the firstpublic electricity supply in the country whichopened in 1888. Water led from the InangahuaRiver at a head of 27 feet drove the Rafel 70HPturbine which was coupled by a belt to a 20kW30/110v Crompton DC dynamo, providing powerfor 500 lamps in the town. Various additions andalterations were made as the town grew,culminating in a Boving turbine and Thomson-Houston generator in 1935. The system closed in1949, three years after Reefton was connected tothe national grid. Broken housings and somepipework remain with what appear to be theturbine rotor and generator, but the site isneglected in spite of its historical significance.

On Saturday we visited the CoaltownMuseum at Westport which features coal andgold mining displays including a brake drum fromthe Denniston incline (see below) and the tripleexpansion engine from the steam dredgeMawhera. Other displays relate to shipping andwrecks, minerals, uranium exploration anddomestic equipment. Our intrepid driver nexttook us to the Denniston incline where hemanoeuvred our full-size coach around a longseries of hairpin bends through a vertical ascentof 1700 feet. This proved too much for one of theengine belts but he was able to replace it in thecar park at the top, having had the foresight tobring a spare and a tool box. The Mount RochfortPlateau, north of Westport and 2000 feet abovesea level, had coal seams of good qualityextending for 40 miles parallel to the coast.Several mineral railways ran from the port upvalleys to serve various mines and the Conn’sCreek branch was opened in 1879. In order tolower the coal from Denniston on the edge of theplateau to the head of the line, two consecutiveself-acting inclines were built with gradientsvarying from 1 in 1.3 to 1 in 7, making thedescent in just over a horizontal mile. Between1879 and 1967, 12.6 million tons were broughtdown, peaking at 350,000 tons in 1910. Theoriginal open coal wagons gave way to wagons

The Lyttelton tug Photo: Fred Barker

The two right hand boilers of the Lyttelton tug, the higher one being a challenge to the stoker Photo: Fred Barker

The bridge at the Brunner mine. Originally a combined road and railway bridge, it is now for foot passengers onlyPhoto: Fred Barker

with fixed internal hoppers and finally to hopperswhich could be lifted from the wagon frames bycranes, which did less damage to the coal. Theconsiderable remains at the top of the incline(tracks, decking, bins) allow one to imagine theplace at work and there is a good poster displaydescribing the machinery and methods ofworking. Our driver got us down again in 20minutes and following a lunch break in Westportwe admired the geology and scenery of the westcoast on our way to the next hotel at Hari Hari.Before dinner we enjoyed an illustrated lecture onthe local climate (the west coast has an annualrainfall of over 6 yards!), geology, fauna and florafrom a local enthusiast who was interesting,informed and fluent in spite of or because of his86 years.

On Sunday morning we briefly peeredthrough the windows of the building whichhouses a replica of the biplane flown across theTasman Sea by Menzies, and then moved on toadmire the Fox Glacier in some of the rain beforelunching at a salmon farm. We drove up to theHaast Pass, beyond which the vegetation changesfrom rain forest to tussock grass with the changein rainfall (down to 10 inches) as the eastern sideof the alps lies in a rain shadow. The long drivedown to Wanaka afforded good views of LakesWanaka and Hawea under clear skies and ofmountain peaks behind us still sprinkled withsnow.

On the Monday morning we drove throughTarras, Lindis Pass, Omarama and Twizel to Tekapoto visit its tiny Church of the Good Shepherdoverlooking the lake, and then via Tekapo Bstation, standing in Lake Pukaki, to Ohau B. Thisstation was not generating at the time as thecanal which feeds it and Ohau A and C stationswas being repaired. We saw the cavernousgenerator hall which appeared almost empty, theheight being needed if a machine has to be raisedfor repair, and then descended to view the top

housing of a turbine which has many peripheralinlet valves which are operated by rotating anannulus to which they are coupled. There was anemergency diesel generator to power the buildingin the event of a major power failure, and as alast resort an accumulator room containing leadacid cells of capacity 400Ah manufactured inGermany. Even then, there is also a pressurised oil‘accumulator’ which can close the turbine valvesif there is no electrical supply at all. We wereamused to see the wooden skeleton of a housewhich serves to broaden the education of theapprentices by allowing them to wire it as fordomestic use. Outside we saw the four penstockswhich are each of sufficient diameter toaccommodate our coach. The station wascompleted in 1979 with a water head of 58msupplying four 66MW units, although these havebeen de-rated to 62MW. From the tail race the

water travels along the river to the dammedsurge reservoir of Lake Ruataniwha. We returnedto Twizel (long ‘i’) to relax in our commodiousaccommodation.

The final day of the South Island tour beganat the Waitaki dam and power station. Because ofthe width of the valley this is a long dam (1,713feet) with a height of 107 feet. The power housewas large enough to accommodate fivegenerators although only two 15MW units wereinstalled when the station opened in 1934, theothers being added in 1940, 1941 and 1949. In1954 the powerhouse was enlarged to take twomore, bringing the output to 105MW. We drovenext to Bortons to meet Bruce Comfort at a‘raceman’s’ cottage on the route of the formerwater supply to Oamaru. Until 1880 the townobtained its water from wells, springs and anunreliable stream which ran along the mainstreet. It was decided after much debate to builda gravity-driven water race with an intake on theWaitaki river at 126 metres above sea level tofeed water to a reservoir at 96m at Ardgowan,close to the town. The average gradient was 1 in3964, the length was 47km, the width 2m and thedepth 1m. There were five tunnels of combinedlength 2.7km and nineteen timber aqueducts ofcombined length 1.4km. A team of about sevenracemen lived in small houses along the race andmended fences and kept the banks clear. The racewas emptied every Wednesday for cleaning andrepair. When the race was ready in 1880 it hadcost the sum of £136,000 which was a drain onpublic funds for 20 years, but it served the townfor 103 years. The high pressure of the water fromthe town reservoir was used to run private andpublic water engines and generators, and for atime Oamaru had more electric lights thanLondon. Since closure of the race all of the landwhich it crosses has reverted to privateownership but some parts are visible from theroads and footpaths, and we were able toexamine an aqueduct close up (the woodentrough had been replaced with steel in the 1920s)and saw one or two more from a distance. The

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The magnificent Dunedin railway station Photo: Fred Barker

Denniston Incline top. Beyond the grassy hump to the left of the wagon the descent becomes vertiginousPhoto: Fred Barker

Bortons raceman’s cottage has been restored. Onreaching Oamaru we went to the opera house,itself one of many attractive buildings, where wewere shown a large collection of the originaldrawings for the race which had been done in redand black ink on linen. Apart from those whoseland is crossed by the race it is largely unknowneven locally, so it is to be hoped that some of the

features can be preserved. Bruce was anenormously enthusiastic and knowledgeableguide and we hope that his great efforts onbehalf of this remarkable piece of Victorianengineering will be fruitful.

After Oamaru, the journey to Dunedincompleted the tour of the South Island. As onprevious visits to the antipodes our group

benefitted greatly from the enthusiasm andknowledge of our local guides, and also from theknowledge and indulgence of our kindly coachdrivers who were willing and able to manoeuvretheir vehicles into the most unlikely places. Atjourney’s end, the University of Otago in Dunedinhosted the Third Australasian EngineeringHeritage Conference on 22-25 November 2009.

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—5

The booking hall of Dunedin railway station which is on the line from Picton to Invercargill. The only passenger trains noware tourist excursions to Terangi Gorge Photo: Fred Barker

Shaft and upper housing of a turbine in Ohau B powerstation Photo: Fred Barker

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The Association is a registered charity, whoseobjectives are to encourage and promote for thepublic benefit the study of, and research in, thearchaeology of industry and the industrial period,and to promote education in the identification,recognition and conservation on the industrialheritage. The General Report of the AIA Councilof Management summarises the activities of theCouncil and the membership for the year ending31 December 2009.

Barry Hood, Honorary Secretary

In 2009 Council met at Leicester University inFebruary and in London in June, with anadditional Extraordinary Council Meeting at theUniversity of Lincoln shortly before the AGM toreceive any nominations and deal with otherAGM business. The final Council meeting was atwo-day meeting at the Ironbridge Institute,Coalbrookdale in October.

The Association continued to work with TheHeritage Alliance (formerly Heritage Link) and isrepresented on the Spatial Planning AdvocacyGroup (SPAG). In addition the Association sent tothe Department of Communities and LocalGovernment (DCLG) a response on the draftPlanning Policy Statement (PPS15). Meetingswere held in April and May to monitor andconsider HA’s response to the Draft HeritageProtection Bill. Association members also tookpart in a question and answer session withMargaret Hodge and representatives from theother two major parties. There is wide supportagainst losing the Heritage Protection Bill in thecurrent parliamentary session and our memberscontinue to monitor and liaise with HA.

The Ironbridge Weekend, planned for 4-5April, on ‘Conservation Planning for Collections’was designed to attract various affiliatedsocieties across the UK. However, the weekendhad to be cancelled due to a poor response. Thereseems to be more interest for an IronbridgeWeekend at a local level than at a national leveland also for a one-day event rather than aweekend event. Travel and accommodation costsseem to be additional issues and further work isbeing undertaken to canvas societies for topicsand themes that would attract members in thesefinancially straitened times.

The proposed AIA spring visit to Romaniacould not be progressed due to the sudden andunexplained lack of response from the localuniversity host. By the time this was apparent itwas too late to re-organise an alternative visit.However, the November visit to New Zealandwent ahead as planned with 18 AIA members andothers, and was organised in conjunction with theAustralasian Engineering Heritage Conferencehosted at the University of Otago, Dunedin. It wasan educational and informative conference and itwas a pleasure to meet heritage engineers fromNew Zealand and Australia. Prior to theconference, the AIA party spent two weekstouring heritage sites showing the technological

achievements of the country, bridge building andviaduct construction, transport systems, timbermills, gold mining operations, heavy engineeringsites and geothermal plants and dams. The groupdrove hundreds of miles through stunning gorges,mountain passes and snow-capped mountainsand had time to visit the Franz Joseph ice glacier.It was a full program and a very enjoyable andeducational trip. Our sincere thanks go to PaulSaulter for researching the visits and making allthe organisational arrangements and to theInstitution of Professional Engineers of NewZealand (IPENZ) for their unstinted advice, visitarrangements, guiding and for making the AIA sowelcome.

The 2009 AGM and Conference was held atthe University of Lincoln on 4-10 September andwas well supported by 114 Association members.It was decided not to hold an initial seminar butto organise a series of Friday walks aroundLincoln to illustrate the industrial sites in theheart of the city. On Saturday there were a seriesof lectures from the local industrial history group,a poster session, a very interesting members’contributions session, followed by technicalpresentations from the Award winners. After theSunday AGM, David Alderton, delivered the RoltMemorial Lecture entitled ‘The death of theindustrial past?’

Over the following week we learnt moreabout canals and railways in Lincolnshire, thedrainage of the fens, the rich agriculturalhinterland and the heavy engineering enterprisesthat sprung up and were known world-wide(Clayton & Shuttleworth, Ruston, Proctor & Co.,William Foster & Co. Ltd). We saw water mills andwind mills, the remains of brick making, the

magnificent Sleaford Maltings, Grimsby andImmingham docks and fen drainage canals andengines. It was at William Foster & Co.Ltd inLincoln that the first military tank was designedand built in 1916 and was to prove a decisivebattle winner when deployed in sufficientnumbers. In WWII Lincolnshire became the homeof two RAF bomber groups because of the flatterrain and the wind uplift caused by the LincolnEdge. We visited RAF bomber sites including RAFScampton, the home of the famous ‘dam busters’operation and also the Battle of Britain MemorialFlight at RAF Coningsby. The final trip of the weekwas to the Corus Steel Works at Scunthorpe.

It was an extremely interesting andinstructive week in a beautiful county. Manythanks are due to Neil Wright and his enthusiasticband of volunteers from the Society forLincolnshire History and Archaeology. ThePresident’s Award, for the best site visited, wentto the Dogdyke Pumping Station and theInitiative Award, for an ambitious project orinnovative approach to conservation andinterpretation, was awarded to the LincolnshireFilm Archive.

To encourage high standards in all aspects ofthe study of industrial archaeology, theAssociation published two issues of IndustrialArchaeology Review under the editorship of DrDavid Gwyn, and four issues of IndustrialArchaeology News, under the editorship of DrPeter Stanier. The IA Review is the journal of theAIA and provides a forum for a wide range ofspecialist interests in industrial archaeology.Articles over the year covered varioustechnological, archaeological, historical,geographical, social and architectural aspects of

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AIA Council of Management Report for 2009

Delegates inspecting the steam pumping station at Dogdyke, which won the President’s Award for the best site visitedduring the Annual Conference Photo: Peter Stanier

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—7

industrial archaeology. The IA News is the bulletinand main communication organ of the AIA.Illustrated reports covered all the Association’sactivities as well as short technical articles,reports on affiliated societies, regional news,TICCIH, conferences, letters, etc.

The Association continues to supportscholarship and fieldwork achievements. ThePeter Neaverson Award is a new AIA award tohonour the memory of Peter Neaverson, a long-time Council member and a joint editor of IAReview for nearly 20 years. It is awarded foroutstanding scholarship in industrial archaeology.The second recipient of this prestigious awardwas made to Dr David Gwyn, for his wellresearched and very readable book Gwynedd,Inheriting a Revolution: the archaeology andindustrialisation in North-West Wales.

The Student Fieldwork and Recording Award2009 was awarded to Kim Jurecki for her workentitled Derwent Valley Mills – World HeritageSite Landscape Project (MA). This was a fieldworkproject towards a MA degree.

The Occasional Publications Award went toThe New Mills Heritage Centre for The KinderReservoir and Its Railway, and was received byDerek Brumhead. The Journal Award waspresented to Pete Joseph of the Trevithick Societyof Cornwall, and the Newsletter Award went tothe Leicester Industrial History Society and wasreceived by David Lyne.

The highly regarded Dorothea Award forConservation was presented to The Pump HouseSteam & Transport Museum Trust. The museum isnot only concerned with the preservation of twounique Marshall pumping engines which, withtheir building, are classified as Grade II, but areamassing, displaying and explaining a collectionof equipment and artefacts. These exhibits coverthe whole of the extremely varied trades of theLea Valley, including sparsely representedelectrical manufacturing, and also the history ofthe day-to-day requirements of the localinhabitants. The Award was received by Dr JamesLewis, Lea Valley historian and author, togetherwith Mr Lindsay Collier, MA, Project Director andFounder.

In 2009, the Association received ananonymous and very generous donation to beused for conservation projects. After reviewingseveral applications, it was decided to make fourrestoration grant awards as follows:

1. The Scottish Maritime Museum was awarded£2750 for the restoration of the Clyde PufferVIC boiler.

2. The South Yorkshire Trades Historical Trust wasawarded £5,000 for the restoration of theHoylandswaine Nail Forge.

3. The Beamish North of England Open AirMuseum was awarded £14,000 for therestoration of Chaldron Railway Wagons.

4. The Boat Museum, Ellesmere Port, wasawarded £15,000 for the restoration of BoxBoat No. 337 and boxes.

These projects were described in greater detail toAIA members at the 2009 conference and therewas widespread support for them.

The Association applied successfully for agrant from English Heritage under the NationalCapacity Building Programme and received justunder £14,000 for the year 2008-9. The purposeof the grant is to enable us to organise trainingdays in recognition of industrial buildings for CBA(Council of British Archaeology) regionalcorrespondents and groups, local planningofficers who deal with listed building applicationsand members of fellow Amenity Societies. Wehave employed a part-time Historic BuildingsOfficer to organise the training days but are usingAssociation volunteers as instructors. Twonational training days were held in 2008 inManchester and Bristol, and five regional trainingdays were held in 2009 in Ipswich, York, London,Ironbridge and Newcastle. The Association hasapplied for further funding to complete theregional training programme in 2010-11.

It has been a busy year but after all thechanges in the previous year (the office movefrom Leicester University to the IronbridgeInstitute, the appointment of a new LiaisonOfficer, the appointment of Maney Publishing tohandle membership administration, the EHNational Capacity Building Programme and thevarious generous donations and new awards thatthe Association has made), 2009 has been a yearof consolidation. The AIA Council has focussed onstabilising the organisation after all the changesand various initiatives and in ironing out theorganisational snags. We have made substantialprogress and look forward to 2010.

Finally, the Council have assessed the majorrisks to which the Association is exposed, inparticular those related to the operations andfinances of the Association, and are satisfied thatsystems are in place to mitigate exposure to themajor risks. Our reserve policy is to hold £25,000as an Operating Reserve.

We are very grateful to all officers andmembers of Council for the increasing time andeffort that they put in, voluntarily, to ensure thesmooth running of the Association.

A mad rush with the cameras to take advantage of the only allowed photostop on a visit to Scunthorpe Steelworks duringthe AIA Lincoln Conference Photo: Stephen Rowson

New AIA websitePlease note the new address of

the AIA website: www.industrial-archaeology.org

VISIT THE AIA WEBSITE – www.industrial-archaeology.orgOur website contains information on the Association for Industrial Archaeology, including Membership, Abstracts of IndustrialArchaeology Review, Awards, Conferences, Affiliated Societies and Sales. The Diary gives notice of events, day-schools andconferences, often in more detail than can be published in Industrial Archaeology News. Links give access to other societies, museumsand organisations in the world of industrial archaeology.

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A recent AIA Restoration Grant to the ScottishMaritime Museum enabled the restoration of theoriginal boiler from the Clyde Puffer VIC 32. Thejob complete, the boiler is now on display in themuseum at Irvine. The author is Curator of theScottish Maritime Museum.

Linda Ross

In 2009 the Museum purchased the originalvertical cross-tube marine boiler from the pufferVIC 32, with the help of the National Fund forAcquisitions. The boiler was built by Cochran ofAnnan in 1942-43 and is an excellent example ofa Scottish-built puffer boiler. It is a substantialpiece of machinery which is 4.8m high x 2.2mdiameter x 6.8 tonne, and is very important interms of its industrial heritage and history.

A puffer is a steam coaster which carriedcargo around the west coast of Scotland; theywere vital lifelines for the island communities andas result have gained a secure place in Scottishculture. They were popularly named after the verysimple steam engines that the earliest canal-based boats used. These were single-cylinderengines with no condenser. This meant that thesteam used was simply exhausted to theatmosphere through the funnel, leading to adistinctive ‘puff-puff’ sound. Later puffers usedcompound engines with condensers. This meantthat the ‘puffing’ sound stopped, but the namepuffer remained. The development of Ro-Roferries, road transport, and containerisation ofgoods meant that the puffer trade came to an endin the 1960s, and puffers were consigned tohistory.

Around 400 puffers were built between 1857and 1965 and they have left a permanent markon Scottish folklore and history. VIC 32 is the onlyremaining sea-going steam-operated puffer, andit was incredibly important that the Museum wasable to secure its boiler. It was the lastopportunity for the Museum to obtain an originalboiler from a puffer, and it is certainly the onlyexample on display in Britain. As a result it wasessential that the Museum took steps to restore itto good condition in order to present it in the bestlight and preserve it for the future.

VIC 32 is a well-known vessel which currentlytakes passengers on puffer holidays aroundScotland. While she was not built in Scotland (shewas built by Dunston’s of Thorne, Yorkshire inNovember 1943), the boiler was built byCochran’s of Annan in 1942 – 1943, and she pliedmuch of her trade in Scotland. Her current ownersbelieve that she worked out of Corpach duringWorld War II, taking ammunition from bargesmoored at the head of Loch Eil and supplying theAtlantic fleet with victuals at the SaintChristopher’s Base at Corpach. She also worked inScapa Flow, Orkneys, delivering aviation spirit tothe ships in the Fleet and definitely worked as aday boat in Rosyth Naval Dockyard after the war

until she was sent over to White’s of Inverkeithingto be scrapped in the 1960s. She was rescued bya man who bought her and steamed her down tothe Whitehall shipyard at Whitby, from where thecurrent owners bought her in October 1975.

The Museum has a duty of care to its objects,and as a result conservation of this newacquisition was an absolute must. With this inmind the Museum contacted DorotheaRestorations, who visited Irvine to survey theboiler and make conservation recommendations.The Company Director Peter Meehan concludedthat most of the original surface of the boiler waslost due to corrosion, caused by the fact that theboiler lay outside at Corpach for two years after itwas removed from the vessel before the Museumsecured it for the collection. He put together aseries of recommendations, and the Museum wasable to act on these once funding from theAssociation for Industrial Archaeology had beengratefully obtained.

Staff from Dorothea came to the Museumand carried out the recommended work in situ inJanuary 2010. Loose corrosion products wereremoved to recreate a sound surface; a layer ofmicro-crystalline wax was applied to the externalsurface; a wax-based corrosion fluid was appliedto internal surfaces; and fibrous washers weresealed using a Polyvinyl acetate solution. Thiswork has stabilised the boiler’s condition, and willminimise any future deterioration.

The boiler is an integral part of the Museum’spuffer exhibition. It is positioned alongside theengine from the puffer Skylight for dramaticvisual effect: visitors will be amazed by the largeboiler required to power such a small engine.Other relevant items, including a coal bucket andauxiliary machinery, also feature in the display so

that people can visualise how different items ofmachinery work in relation to one another. We arealso working with the donor to acquire relevantgauges, pipes and other additions to add to itsvisual authenticity.

The Scottish Maritime Museum’s collectionsrepresent a very important aspect of Scottishhistory that is not handled as a specialism by anyother body. As a result this is the only place wherethe public can view an original puffer boiler, andlink it with relevant machinery and the Museum’sown puffer Spartan.

Once the restoration work is complete itscondition will be maintained by the Museum’scuratorial team, with possible delegation totrained volunteers. All future work will be carriedout on the instruction of a professionalconservator. The boiler’s condition will bemonitored on a monthly basis to check for signsof deterioration or damage, and a conservator’sexpertise sought where necessary as part of theMuseum’s ongoing aim to improve the conditionof the collection.

The display area is potentially subject tofuture redevelopment as part of phase two of theproject. This will involve marking out Spartan’s66ft x 18 ft footprint within the Linthouse. Thiswill be furthered by the construction of frames topartially illustrate Spartan’s hull shape, andcontain the exhibition and boiler within thisskeleton structure.

Had the Museum not acquired the boiler thenit would have been taken out of the heritagesector. We are delighted that we have been giventhe chance to carry out conservation work toensure that it does not deteriorate, and arepleased that we have been able to preserve it forthe future.

Thanks to an AIA grant, the original boiler from the puffer VIC 32 has been restored and is on display in the ScottishMaritime Museum Photo: Scottish Maritime Museum

Conservation of the VIC 32 boiler at the Scottish MaritimeMuseum

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—9

For over fifty years, Ken Hawley, a well knownowner of a tool shop in Sheffield, has beencollecting tools, cutlery, catalogues andmemorabilia connected with the Sheffield tooland cutlery industries. Now at last they havefound a permanent home in the city. The authoris Chairman of the Ken Hawley Collection Trust.

Keith Crawshaw

Items from Ken Hawley’s unique collection hadbeen displayed at the Ruskin Gallery, Sheffieldand the Sheffield museums, and it was long feltthat a permanent home should be found. The KenHawley Collection Trust became a legal entity inAugust 1995 with an initial aim of raising thefunds to acquire the collection and thus ensurethat this unique part of Sheffield’s heritage wasable to stay in the city. The Trust’s initial worksoon led to a major award from the HeritageLottery Fund (HLF) in December 1998 when theacquisition was made possible through thataward plus other donations. The Trust hadalready agreed with Ken Hawley that theCollection should be moved from his home,where in the main the Collection was stored, tolarger and more secure premises where theCollection could be sorted and a start made on amore comprehensive cataloguing and recordingof the Collection’s contents.

The Collection quickly found a new homethrough the generosity of the University ofSheffield in providing a new home for theCollection in Mappin Street, Sheffield. Supportfrom the University also provided some initialresearch resource in the guise of Dr Joan Unwinwho worked with Ken and other volunteers in

making a start on realising the Collection’sresearch potential.

The key achievements made during theperiod the Collection has been at Mappin Streethave been as follows:

Substantial re-boxing and improved storageto protect the Collection and improve accessto the Collection

The Collection has been listed at accessionlevel with a view to creating full cataloguerecords in the medium term

Development of research activity based onthe resources of the Collection to disseminateknowledge and understanding

Local craftsmen in trades which were aboutto disappear were interviewed and filmsmade of the processes in the Sheffield edge-tool and cutlery industries

The development of a small core ofvolunteers to support the Collection in theabsence of significant on-going revenueincome

A number of small scale publications andarticle contributions to journals

Provision of consultancy support for artefactsfound during archaeological survey workparticularly within Sheffield

Contributions via talks and open days toNational Science Week and the ‘Galvanise’Festival

The successful conclusion of an HLF ‘OurHeritage’ project which used a variety ofrecording techniques and oral historyapproaches to enable knowledge transfer ofvaluable but as yet unrecorded informationon the history and background to key objectsand elements of the Collection

In the absence of public access to the MappinStreet building a range of exhibitions in otherlocations have provided opportunities bothlarge and small for the wider public tobecome aware of the Collection’s existence.These have ranged from a major exhibition inthe Millennium Galleries in 2003 titles ‘A CutAbove the Rest’ which was a major exhibitionto celebrate the heritage of Sheffield blademanufacture to smaller travelling exhibitionsin locations such as library which broughtattention to the oral history project in 2008

The achievement of Registered Museumstatus in 2002

Although clearly successful in a key number ofways, public access to the Collection remainedlimited until the evolution of the partnership withthe Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust (SIMT)which sought to re-site the Collection to KelhamIsland Museum, providing both a publicdimension supported by improved storage andresearch facilities. The building used at Kelham

was the last derelict building on the site but withsympathetic restoration it provided theopportunity for a unique home for the Collection.

The ambitions of the partnership wererealised with the award of a major lottery grantfrom HLF in 2008. The HLF award of £595,000 tothe SIMT was made to enable the development ofthe new gallery to house the Collection. This wasfurther supported by £50,000 each from theUniversity of Sheffield and the SIMT to providethe matching funds element of the bid. Theconstruction work was completed on time byAugust 2009 and was within budget. Work on thefit-out and displays commenced in November2009 and the new facility opened in March 2010completing not only the transition to publicdisplay for the Collection but also the final phaseof the Kelham Museum post flood recovery plan.The new gallery was officially opened on 16March by Sir Neil Cossons and Ken Hawley.

Although the move to Kelham enables theoperation of the Hawley Gallery within theenvelope of services provided by the SIMT, it isintended that the Hawley Collection will retain aseparate identity and separate Accreditation willbe sought. The relationship and service provisionby the SIMT will be conditioned by the CollectionsAgreement that is in place between the twoparties. Ownership of the Collection is retainedby the Trust as will be the responsibility ofdeveloping research and other activities. The twotrusts will also retain separate and distinctAcquisition & Disposals Policies, but with a clearcomplementary relationship. The SIMT willresource and provide public , curatorial andbuilding support in return for making access tothe Hawley Collection part of the Kelhamexperience.

Accountability to the Hawley Trust will bethrough the provision of regular reports on theSIMT stewardship to the Hawley Council ofManagement. The relationship requires nothingother than a peppercorn consideration from theSIMT for using the SIMT services and the SIMTrequire no financial contribution from the HawleyTrust. What the arrangement has achieved is thebringing to Kelham the major collection of a keyelement in Sheffield’s heritage which enhancesthe recent renaissance of the museum after thedisastrous flood of 2007. For the Collector, KenHawley, he has seen his ambition of making theCollection available to the wider public in ajourney which started over 15 years ago from hishome in Hillsborough to Kelham Museum. Alongthe way we even managed to incorporate in theworks an important works entrance (theKangaroo Works arch) from the Robert Sorbyworks, an important tool manufacturer.

Hawley Tool Collection: from Home to Kelham

Sir Neil Cossons with Ken Hawley (right) opening the newHawley Gallery at Kelham on 16 March 2010

10—INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153

Suspension bridge of 1827 at Mala Pane ironworks, Ozimek, Poland Photo: Mark Watson

Roving frame by James Mackie of Belfast in the Orzel flax mill, Lower Silesia, PolandPhoto: Mark Watson

Blast Furnace No. 1, Vitkovice, Ostrava, Czech RepublicPhoto: Mark Watson

Michal Colliery and locomotive, Ostrava, Czech RepublicPhoto: Mark Watson

INDUSTRY IN SILESIA

As reported in IA News 152, page 13, last year’s TICCIH Congress at Frieberg, Germany, was followed by tours of Saxony andSilesia. Much of the latter lies in Poland, while Moravian Silesia is in the Czech Republic. These views give a flavour of theindustrial delights of the area.

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—11

AIA NEWS

AIA/CBA IndustrialHeritage Day Schools

North East Region, 24November 2009 The North East regional day schoolwas held in the very appropriatesetting of Neville Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which houses theNicholas Wood Memorial Library,formed by the North of EnglandMining Institute in 1852 andreputed to be the largest mininglibrary in the world. The adjoininglecture theatre dates from 1902 andwas modelled on that of the RoyalInstitution in London. It was amagnificent setting for the dayschool, which was kindly organisedby Ian Ayris, the HistoricEnvironment Manager forNewcastle-on-Tyne and theindustrial archaeologist for the Tyneand Wear Specialist ConservationTeam. Following an update fromLynne Walker of the CBA on heritageprotection, Ian himself introducedthe topic of the coal industry in thenorth-east, stressing its importanceto the area as well as its physicallegacy. He emphasised thecomplexity of coal mine sites andpointed out that the nature of thecoal industry as largely a lowlandactivity had resulted in thewholesale clearance of many sites,unlike those, for example, of theupland lead industry of thePennines. The historic structureswhich did survive tended to bethose ancillary to the core industry,such as workshops and pitheadbaths. David Cranstone then gave afascinating paper on the

archaeology of coastal saltmaking,which was an essential part of thelocal and national economies as saltwas essential for preserving fish,butter, and meat. The panhouseprocess, starting in the fifteenthcentury, used coal as a fuel to boilseawater in large iron pans.Earthwork and below-groundremains, and more rarelyupstanding ruins or re-usedbuildings, are common round theBritish coast, but are oftenmisinterpreted, or completelyunrecognised and unrecorded.Jennifer Morrison, the ArchaeologyOfficer of the Tyne and WearSpecialist Conservation Team,rounded off the morning with anillustrated talk on the historicbuildings of Newcastle, particularlythose associated with engineering.

After lunch and a short visit tothe Nicholas Wood Library, Ian Ayrisled a guided walk from the Institutearound the Stephenson Quarter onthe north bank of the Tyne, which isrich in heritage associated with therailway companies and theengineers Stephenson andHawthorn. It contains a number oflisted buildings including 20 SouthStreet, a grade II listed structure thatcontains the former drawing officesof Robert Stephenson. The tour wasvery relevant to the purpose of theAIA/CBA day schools, since the areahas been acquired by a developerwho is working closely with the CityCouncil to produce a master planleading to the mixed useredevelopment and regeneration ofthe area that focuses on theretention and refurbishment of allits listed buildings. We are very

grateful to Ian Ayris and his team fortheir help with this day school andfor the opportunity to meet in suchmagnificent surroundings.

Marilyn Palmer

South West Region, 24 February 2010An appropriate location in Exeter fora day school with industrialarchaeology as its theme was theXCentre, a modern conversion of acloth dryhouse dating from about1700. The programme comprisedpresentations in the morning andtours around the immediate vicinityafter lunch. Located on Exeter’squayside, the site is an industrialarchaeologist’s paradise. Over manycenturies the quayside area hasbeen a base for closely integratedindustrial and commercial activitieswith manufacturing, processing,warehousing and distribution andfinally shipping all in one relativelysmall area.

The morning session waschaired by Dr Mike Nevell and thefirst presentation was by LynneWalker, CBA, who described recentdevelopments in planninglegislation. Contributions from thefloor from representatives of localgovernment made us aware ofcurrent problems and policies facingpractitioners in the field ofpreservation and restoration ofindustrial buildings. Illustratedpresentations were given by ProfMarilyn Palmer and Peter Stanier,both AIA, and Martin Watts, millconsultant and millwright. Marilyngave us the benefit of her researchinto the organisation and structure

of the woollen industry in thesouthern regions and Peterdemonstrated the problems ofconserving and creating new usesfor buildings in the mining andextractive industries. Martin showedthe wide range and versatility ofwater wheel technology, using manylocal examples from Devon. All threespeakers provided superb papers insupport of their presentations.

Organised for the afternoonwere two tours, the first around thehistoric buildings in the quaysidearea led by Peter Stanier. Manybuildings still survive, but only justafter extensive renovation,modernising and re-structuring. Thequayside has now become a populartourist venue with antique shops,coffee shops, restaurants and pubsand extensive moorings for boatssailing the Exeter Ship Canal. MartinWatts led the second half of the tourwhich involved close scrutiny of thenearby Cricklepit Mill, a water millthat has undergone a chequeredhistory and which has been carefullyrestored with some significant waterwheel technology still in place. It isnow the headquarters of the DevonWildlife Trust.

Roy Murphy

Future regional dayschoolsThe next regional day school will befor the South East of England onMonday 5 July. Speakers includeGlenys Crocker on gunpowder sites,Alan Crocker on paper mill sites andChris Matcham (Surrey Wildlife Trustand CGMG) and Paul Sowan (SIHG)on the important topic of

Ian Ayris, Marilyn Palmer and Mike Nevell in the impressive lecture theatre of the North ofEngland Mining Institute during the North West region day school

Martin Watts (centre) discussing the restoration of Cricklepit Mill, Exeter, with a group fromthe South West region day school Photo: Roy Murphy

12—INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153

AIA NEWS

collaboration between industrialarchaeology and wildlife interests.An afternoon visit will be made tothe Chilworth gunpowder and papermills sites. Details of the venue andtiming are on the AIA website. Thefinal day school for 2010 will beheld in the East Midlands in theautumn, and will include thebuildings of the hosiery and laceindustries.

The Top Ten in IndustrialArchaeology ReviewIt is now over a year since Maneydigitised Industrial ArchaeologyReview and made all back issuesavailable to all members of AIAthrough their newly re-launchedwebsite. They would now like toextend key journal information onthe home page of each journal theyproduce, including a list of keyarticles. Each title will have a livelink through to the online contentand visitors could be given freeaccess to a selection of articles at atime, which will change throughoutthe year. The choice of articlesshould show the focus or range ofthe Journal and include ‘hot’research topics, eminentcontributors, valuable reviewarticles, etc.

Maney have been counting hitson their website which is one way ofseeing which articles have beenmost popular, but this may reflectthe usage of the digitised journalthrough their MORE subscriptionwhich is taken out by manyinstitutions, and may therefore bethe articles most used by studentsand those in higher education.

Maney have therefore askedpast and present Editors of thejournal for their views on the topten, but since each of us wouldprobably have a different list, wethought we would also ask themembership for their top ten articlesand I offered to collate theresponses! I hope that some of youmay enjoy taking part in thisexercise.So, please could you send me yourlist of what you think are the top tenarticles in Industrial ArchaeologyReview since it was launched in1976, perhaps after the next issueappears but preferably before theend of the summer. Many of youmay not have complete back-runs ofthe journal so now is youropportunity to make use of yoursubscription by accessing all the

back numbers on line! You may alsowant to consult the Abstracts andIndex for volumes 19-31 plus PeterNeaverson’s subject index for allvolumes from 1976 to 2005 whichare on the AIA website, thanks tothe AIA webmaster, MichaelMessenger. Don’t forget, too, thatsome hard copy back issues areavailable from Ironbridge if youwant to make up a hard copy set.

Please send your list as an emailattachment if possible to:marilyn.palmer@tiscali.co.uk, or bypost to me at 63 Sycamore Drive,Groby, Leicester LE6 0EW.

Marilyn Palmer, Joint Editor,Industrial Archaeology Review,

1994 -2001

President’s AwardsFollowing the Lincoln Conference in2009 your President, Chairman andVice-Chairman travelled to Spaldingon a damp January day to make theawards. The venue for the awardswas of historical interest in itself.The Broad Street Museum of theSpalding Gentlemen’s Society, whichwas founded in 1710, is one of theoldest societies in the country andruns the second oldest museum inthe country, being narrowly beatenby the Ashmolean in Oxford. As theirtercentenary approaches they havemade a radical change in theirconstitution to allow women to beadmitted.

The AIA Initiative Award, forthose showing the most merit ininterpreting industrial archaeology,and deserving encouragement topursue their work, was awarded tothe Lincolnshire Film Archive (LFA)

based in Spalding. The LFA has beencollecting and preserving historicfilm of Lincolnshire for over 20years, including film of industries aswell as other aspects of the life ofthe county. The Award was receivedby Peter Ryde who is the drivingspirit behind the LFA.

The President’s Award for thebest site visited during theConference was awarded toDogdyke Pumping StationPreservation Trust. It was receivedby Les Mitchell on behalf of theTrust. This dedicated team ofvolunteers look after a landdrainage pumping station on thebank of the River Witham. It is stillpowered by a steam engine thatwas installed in 1855. The site alsohas a fine range of cakes and snackson open days.

Mark Sissons

Cornwall Conference‘Posters’ Please note that unfortunately theemail address given on my letterdated January is incorrect, thecorrect address is given below. As Isaid in that letter accompanying theconference details and applicationforms it is intended to build on thePoster idea initiated at the Lincolnconference. Council considers this isan ideal forum in which memberscan make known and share in theirpersonal research interests and seekspecific advice, information andguidance, from other members.

It is not necessary for Posters tobe in the form of a ‘finalisedpresentation’, indeed the whole aimis to be able to discuss projects at an

early stage. Some space will befound for any Poster presentationalthough I would be assisted toknow in advance from membersintending to post theirrequests. Either write to me at 29Altwood Road, Maidenhead, SL64PB, or email at johnmcguinness203@btinternet.com.

John McGuinness

Trying to book yourConference visitsBy now, most if not all of you mayhave realised that the cost detailson the rear of the booking form forthis year’s AIA conference at Penryndoes not match up with the front ofthe form and the green visits detailsheet. I can only apologise for theconfusion this will have caused.Basically, the visit details and thefront of the form are correct, withvisit A on the Friday being the realvisit A! Visit A is free, with visit Bcosting £6, C is £12, and M is £20. Acorrected version of the bookingform is available at the Association’swebsite at www.industrial-archaeology.org or if you wish tocontact me personally my email isthunderer@live.co.uk.

Stephen Miles

New membersThe AIA welcomes the followingnew members:

Stuart Hood and GaetanaTripetti, Weston, Cheshire

David Staniforth, Wilton,Salisbury

Dr Douglas Harper, Monymusk,Inverurie

Sue Silverthorne,Woodmancote, Cheltenham

Ian Tompson, Ashtead

Steven Leonard, Wakefield

Malcolm Dawes, Brighton

Mark Hinchcliffe, Brentwood

David Ryan, Shepton Mallet

Malcolm and Linda Cooper,Denton, Canterbury

Les Mitchell (left) from Dogdyke Pumping Station and Peter Ryde (right) from LincolnshireFilm Archive with their awards, flanked by our President and Chairman

Photo: Mark Sissons

ADVERTISEIN IA NEWS

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—13

NEWS

All change atManchesterAt the end of July 2009 theUniversity of ManchesterArchaeology Unit was closed, its 13staff taking either voluntaryseverance or redeployment withinthe University. Over its 15-year lifeUMAU produced nearly 990technical reports, specialising inbuildings archaeology and industrialarchaeology. The legacy of the Unitincludes a long list of local andregional archaeology publicationsas well as its theoretical approach toIndustrial Archaeology researchpopularly known as the ‘ManchesterMethodology’. The Unit’sarchive has been deposited with theGreater Manchester ArchaeologyUnit and the only outstanding workis the publication of research on theMellor Hillfort project and on theRoman salt making site atNantwich; monographs on both aredue out later this year. The Unitarchive, though, contains the surveyrecords of over 300 vernacular andindustrial buildings (particularlytextile mills, weavers’ cottages andtimber-framed buildings) and morethan 150 excavations, manycovering important industrial sitessuch as mill power systems, textilefinishing works and ironworks.

The former director of UMAU, DrMike Nevell, moved to SalfordUniversity at the end of September2009, as head of archaeology, with aremit to establish a new ‘Centre forApplied Archaeology’ (CfAA). Thenew Centre has three strands: theteaching at undergraduate andpost-graduate level of archaeology,in particular industrial archaeology;the promotion of communityarchaeology projects; and theundertaking of consultancy work toinform the industrial archaeologyand community work and topromote best practice within theprofession. The study of thearchaeology of industrialisation isthus a central strand to the work ofthe Centre, which has already beeninvolved in community projectsaround the Manchester region inBramahall, Denton, Holcombeand Royton. Future work willinclude the start in the summer of amajor three-year research project onthe impact of the industrialrevolution on the landscape of theEtherow Valley around the textilevillage of Broadbottom. The Centrehas also taken over the running of

the Tameside Archaeology Survey,which is celebrating 20 years ofwork in 2010 with a series ofexhibitions, talks and publications.

Tom Rolt centenaryThe centenary of Tom Rolt’s birthwas marked on 11 February 2010 bya special celebration at the TalyllynRailway. The event was attended bya large gathering of figures from thepreservation world, includingrepresentatives from the AIA. It wasopened by the Talyllyn PreservationSociety’s President, Richard HopeOBE, and Tom’s widow Sonia wasthe guest of honour who opened anexhibition about his life which isbeing displayed all this year in themuseum at Wharf Station, Tywyn.Guests travelled on acommemorative train, withheadboard The Rolt Centenarian,drawn by ‘No 4 Edward Thomas’, asteam locomotive built by KerrStuart of Stoke-on-Trent, where Tomwas an apprentice in 1926. Tom wasa prolific writer (as LTC Rolt), wellknown for his interests in canals,railways and industrial machinery.As a pioneer of the railwaypreservation movement he wasactively involved in creating theworld’s first preserved railway atTalyllyn. Other centenarycelebrations this year includeanother event at Talyllyn and a

number of events on the waterwaysystem around the country.

Northfleet chimneysdemolishedThe two tall concrete chimneys atNorthfleet Kent were demolished onSaturday 27 March 2010. Built inthe late 1960s they were part of theLafarge cement works, formerly BlueCircle, which opened in 1970. Therewere three chimneys. A smaller350ft chimney which was built forthe Bevans works on the west sideof the site in 1958 was demolishedon Sunday 31 January this year. Itwas pre-weakened before beingdemolished by explosives. Theremoval of the chimneys marks theend of almost 200 years of cementmanufacture. Chalk reserves at theEastern Quarry have beenexhausted. The tallest chimney was550 ft high and the tall pair, ofsimilar height, were a considerablelandmark on Thameside. Lafarge is aFrench company which bought BlueCircle in 2001. Combined, this is thelargest cement manufacturer in theworld. At Northfleet production ofclinker was stopped in April 2008and a three-year programme ofdemolition began. Housing is to bebuilt on the site.

Robert Carr

DOROTHEARESTORATIONS

LTDIncorporating Ernest Hole (Engineers) of Sussex

CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS IN THECONSERVATION OF HISTORIC METALWORK,

MACHINERY AND WIND/WATER MILLS

Recent contracts include designs for an atmosphericrailway, and a replica steam locomotive, restoration of18C lead sculptures, repair and gilding of the AlbertMemorial bronze decoration, conservation work on

Turbinia, Lion, Sans Pareil and Locomotion, and eventhe restoration of an hydraulic catafalque!

Over 100 man years experience

Northern Works: New Road, Whaley Bridge, via Stockport,Cheshire SK23 7JG. Contact: Dave HodgsonTel: (01663) 733544 Fax: (01663) 734521

Southern Works: Unit 1B, Barton Hill Trading Estate,Barton Hill, Bristol BS5 9RD. Contact: Geoff WallisTel: (0117) 9715337 Fax: (0117) 9771677

Sonia Rolt at the Talyllyn Railway’s Tywyn Station on the 100th anniversary of Tom Rolt’sbirth Photo: Neil Cossons

NEWS

Deptford DockyarddiscoveriesReaders may be concerned andinterested in the John Rennie, SirSamuel Bentham and GeorgeLedwell-Taylor works recentlydiscovered as extant at the formerRoyal Naval Dockyard at Deptford(Convoy’s Wharf). An archaeologicaldig currently underway hasdiscovered these works justimmediately below the modernconcrete and tarmac surfaces, filledin intact in the late nineteenth andearly twentieth centuries. Docks,slips, basins, mast ponds within a40-acre site on the Thames atDeptford, that was Henry VIII’S royaldockyard from 1513. This is perhapsthe greatest concentration ofindustrial civil engineeringstructures that have evolved over aperiod of 400 years to survive on asingle site within London.Documentary evidence issubstantiated by recentarchaeological findings. Vast dockand basin inverted arches andgateways are being discovered thatcorrespond to plan drawings andspecifications in the ICE archives,National Archives and Caird Libraryof the National Maritime Museum.

Expressions of interest, concernfor the protection for these heritageassets should be addressed to JulianHeath, the contact at EnglishHeritage. Some recent damage hasoccurred by insensitive JCBexcavation during thearchaeological dig. ArchaeologistDavid Divers has stated: ‘theevaluation has established that themajor features of the dockyard havesurvived in their predicted locationswith little evidence for widespreadtruncation by later activities on thesite.’

Chris Mazeika

Duchess of HamiltonA Stanier pacific locomotive 6229Duchess of Hamilton built at Crewein 1938 has been re-streamlined.Much of the work was done atTyseley loco works nearBirmingham, starting in September2005. The work was partially fundedby a successful appeal in theperiodical Steam Railway. Oncompletion the engine was towed toYork in May 2009, where it is ondisplay until the end of the year atthe National Railway Museum aspart of an exhibition: Styling an Era.Only ten out of a class of 38 Princess

Coronation Class locomotives werebuilt in streamlined form and thestreamlined cases were removedin1946-7. This saved almost threetons in weight. For speeds below 90mph there is little advantage instreamlining and access to thelocomotive for maintenance is moredifficult. We may see Duchess ofHamilton pulling special trains indue course. It is in a crimson lakelivery with gold stripes, currentlydisplayed alongside a 1934 ChryslerAirflow motor car.

Robert Carr

Teesside bridge listedVictoria Bridge in Stockton-on-Teeshas been listed Grade II inrecognition of its being andincreasingly rare example of anineteenth century wrought-ironarched bridge. It is said to comparefavourably with similar listedbridges, such as Battersea Bridge inLondon. It was opened tocommemorate Queen Victoria’sGolden Jubilee in 1887. WhitakerBrothers of Leeds built it, usingwrought iron, cast iron, Bramley Fallstone and granite. Trams used thebridge until 1931. Other notablecrossings of the Tees includeMiddlesbrough’s Newport Bridgeand the Transporter Bridge.

Comet replica to berebuiltThe 1962 replica of Henry Bell’s1812 steam boat Comet which hasbeen on display at Port Glasgow infront of the Town Hall is now in asorry state. Happily the replica is tobe refurbished at FergusonShipbuilders’ Newark Shipyard, nearthe site of the yard where theoriginal Comet was built almost 200years ago. This project comes aboutthrough a partnership betweenFerguson Shipbuilders, InverclydeCouncil and an organisation calledThe Trust. The rebuilding will becarried out as an employment andtraining project and a film is to bemade of the work. The originalComet was the first commercialsteamship in Europe. She wasaltered and rebuilt at Helensburghin 1819 by James Niccol but waswrecked at Craignish Point in theDorus Mhor near Crinan in 1820.The original engine was salvagedand is now at the Science Museum,London. The 1962 replica of HenryBell’s pioneer steamship, built byapprentices from Lithgow’s Ltd, Port

Glasgow, sailed under steam in the1960s and it is hoped that whenrefurbished she will steam oncemore. In 2012 there are to becelebrations to mark thebicentenary.

Robert Carr

The end of the RydeThe remains of the Isle of Wightferry PS Ryde are very likely to bebroken up. The hull of the paddlesteamer is in a dreadfully decayedstate. There were some hopes that arebuilding like that of the MedwayQueen might be possible but twovery expensive hull constructionprojects at the same time are hardlyfeasible. Ryde was built on the Clydein 1937 by William Denny &Brothers, Dumbarton, yard number1306. The engines, said to be in aless ruinous condition than the hull,are also by Denny’s. These might besaved. The paddle steamer Ryde hasbeen laid up and deteriorating sadlyfor the last 40 years at BinfieldMarina, near Newport, IOW.

Robert Carr

PS Medway QueenNews from Bristol is that the newhull is progressing well (see IA News152 pages 7-8) and construction isadvancing towards the stern. Workon the engines continues alongsidethat on the hull and the cylinderblock is being levelled and bolted onthe workshop floor for machining totake place.

For latest news see http://medwayqueen.co.uk/shipyardblog/?cat=3

The webcam site no longerincludes sound but there is a set of

recent images so that progress overthe previous three days can beobserved.

Robert Carr

Redcar steel plantcloses A six-month decommissioningprogramme has begun at the Corussteel plant at Redcar on Teesside.February 2010 saw the ending ofover 150 years of steelmaking onTeesside when the works’ blastfurnace was shut down. The closureis unpopular with the unions as it isexpected to result in the loss of atleast 1,600 jobs at Corus and up to8,000 jobs in the wider community.The plant is being mothballed but ifa buyer is found they may have tospend up to £50m to restart it.

Brunel chose off-white The original off-white paint colourof Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridgeacross the Tamar has been revealedafter careful analysis by paint expertPatrick Baty. The task was mademore difficult by the fact that bridgehas been repainted at least 20 timessince it was built in 1859. Theironwork was first painted twice in apale stone colour before it was puttogether. Then the bridge waspainted in red-brown, followed byan off-white anti-corrosive paintcontaining ground glass, and a finaloff-white or stone colour. After amulti-million pound refurbishment,Network Rail will be repainting the20,000 square metre surfaces of thebridge in goose grey.

14—INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153

The paddle steamer Ryde residing in a dilapidated state beside the Medina River, Isle ofWight in 2002 Photo: Peter Stanier

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—15

LETTERS

The commercial port ofGrimsbyI was amazed to read in the LincolnAGM Conference report (IA News151, page 4) that ‘Grimsby neverbecame a commercial port,’ for Ihave in my possession a 2002 bookby former Associated British Portscolleagues entitled Great Grimsby –A History of the Commercial Port!As far back as 1911, 400,000 tons oftimber passed through AlexandraDock in a single year (IA News says‘timber is now handled at Grimsby’).While today’s port can provide over125 acres of open car storage and

caters for the many large carcarrying vessels that regularly visitthe two purpose built Ro-Ro berthsat the western end of AlexandraDock. Certainly this makes forGrimsby remaining a commercialport in my opinion, as it has been for150 years.

Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby

Bletchley Park movesaboutIn IA News 147, p 9, picture topright, I learn that Bletchley Park is inHertfordshire, then in IA News 149,p 16, col.3, line 7, I learn that

Bletchley is in Oxfordshire. I sent aprivate e-mail to Henry Gunston tochaff him gently, but I hardly daredo the same to someone so eminentas Marilyn Palmer. Bletchley has atvarious times also been credited toBedfordshire and Northampton-shire! Against the geographicalprobabilities it used to be, from thetimes of Edward the Elder, inBuckinghamshire. It is now in theindependent unitary authority ofMilton Keynes, a far moresatisfactory arrangement.

Peter Jarvis

Henry Gunston replies: ‘DearDisgusted of Bletchley, I grovel inapology for having mistakenlytransferred Bletchley from Bucks toOxon in the Home Counties newsreport in IA News. Mental failureduring proof reading! [I didn’tnotice it either, Ed.] It is good toknow that these regional newssummaries get read. Howeverextracting news contributions fromreaders who live within the HomeCounties area makes extractingblood from a stone seem quiteeasy!’

ScotlandThere has been a lot happening inScotland in 2009. The ScottishTransport and Industrial CollectionsKnowledge network (STICK) secondannual conference took place at theScottish Mining Museum,Midlothian on 17 October 2009 withHenry McLeish (former FirstMinister) conducting the formalopening. STICK received theEffective Collections Special Grantawarded in 2009(www.museumsassociation.org/effective) to carry out an innovativeproject to review domestictechnology collections and identifyduplicates that can be refurbishedand sent to charitable bodies inAfrica in partnership with Tools forSelf Reliance (www.tfsr.org).

The ‘Capturing the Energy’project, which was established in2006 to promote wider recognitionof the technical and culturalimportance of the offshore oil andgas industry to the UK, is continuingto make progress. An executiveproject summary was produced in2009 for circulation within the oilindustry to raise awareness on oilindustry archives of supplycompanies, trade associations,operations, government bodies andtrade unions. The report hashighlighted that this is a 30-40 yearproject and that electronic recordsneed to be highlighted now for theirpotential historical value. Theproject has been proactive and themethodology developed can beapplied to other modern industriesand to other aspects such ascorporate memory.

The Dictionary of ScottishArchitects (DSA, managed by

Historic Scotland) is continuing todevelop. Recent work hassubstantially added to informationon industrial architects and, forexample, there is now much moredata on pithead and communitybuildings built by the Miners’Welfare Fund. Historic Scotland’slisting team has been examininghydro electric power, and theScheduling team has focussed onRenfrewshire, for example theGreenock Cut (Robert Thom,completed 1827).

The Forth Bridge is the onlyremaining Scottish cultural site onthe UK Tentative List (1998) fornomination as a world heritage sitebut will not necessarily feature in anew tentative list. Any proposals forthe tentative list must now be madeby communities, deadline 10 June,see www.dcms.gov.uk/reference_library/consultations/6740.aspx.

As for site news, the BelhavenBrewery bottling capacity at Dunbar,East Lothian, is being relocated toBury St Edmunds. Contract bottlinghas taken place at the site since thelate 1960s, the current bottlingplant dating from 2002. The Breweryitself has a lintel bearing the date1719 and continues to prosper.Methil Power Station, Fife (1965,closed 2000), a former slurry-firedplant (60MW) is scheduled fordemolition. It was the ‘sister’ stationto Barony Power Station in Ayrshire(1957, closed).

Dundee City Council intends tofollow the award-winningrefurbishment of the 1877 cast-ironarched bridge in Balgay Park withconservation of the more delicateLinlathen Bridge, which appears todate from 1795-1810, of wrought-

iron and cast-iron hoops ofdiminishing size in the spandrels.Tay Spinners Ltd., 60 Arbroath Rd,Dundee (1949, Category B listed)has been converted to flats as hasthe Clock Tower Warehouse atVictoria Dock, and the City Councilheadquarters is relocating intoHalley’s Hackleworks, North LindsayStreet, Dundee (Category B listed,1909/1914). Similarly, the JohnnieWalker Warehouse in Kilmarnock,Ayrshire, is being adapted to officeuse by East Ayrshire Council, thebiggest property transaction to takeplace in Scotland in the first half of2009.

In Glasgow, the Diageo PortDundas Distillery and Dundashillcooperage are to close. Distillerieson these sites were served by theForth and Clyde Canal, Port Dundasextension (1790) since the earlynineteenth century. The Forth andClyde Canal properties atCraigmarloch Stables, east of Kilsyth(late eighteenth century) andRockvilla, Applecross Street,Glasgow, are currently beingassessed for re-use by BritishWaterways. Rockvilla was once thehome of Hugh Baird, engineer of theEdinburgh and Glasgow UnionCanal (1818-1822). Also in Glasgow,Falfield cotton mill (1818 with lateradditions) has been demolished,collateral damage of the M74extension that cuts through theSouthside of Glasgow. However, themill, the Govan Iron Works,Caledonian Pottery and ScotlandStreet Engine Works have beensubject to archaeologicalexcavation. Nearby Eglinton EngineWorks, where A & W Smith madesugar machinery, has been

adaptively re-used. GovanWorkspace is investing in the repairof the Fairfield Shipyard Offices(1890). The former GlasgowCorporation Tramworks, AlbertDrive, Glasgow, once the home ofthe Museum of Transport, has beenconverted for the Scottish Ballet. Thesecond Transport Museum in thepioneering Kelvin Hall will soon bevacated in favour of a purpose-builtmuseum now taking shape on thesite of the Anchor Line warehousesby the River Clyde.

The Avon Bridge Tollhouse,Carlisle Road, Hamilton (ThomasTelford, 1820) is awaitingconversion to housing. InRenfrewshire, Reid’s Gears of Paisleywas a family firm which has closedafter over a century. The machinerywas sold by auction and the factorydemolished. On a happier note, therecords have been moved toRenfrewshire Archives. A fire hasdamaged the roof of a later part ofJohnstone Mill, Renfrewshire (1787Arkwright style mill using Scottishbuilding techniques, with lateradditions, Category A listed). This isthe oldest surviving textile mill inScotland and options for its re-useare now being examined by thePrince’s Regeneration Trust. In theBorders, Tower Mill (wool, 1852) inHawick has completed an awardwinning conversion to a cinema andbusiness centre, with a largewaterwheel, as part of the Heart ofHawick arts and heritage initiative.Ettrick Mill in Selkirk(1835/1850/1872), the largest of theBorders wool mills, is now almostfully occupied by various businesses.In Perth and Kinross, Balado OldBridge (1777, Category B listed) on

REGIONAL NEWS

the Kinross to Crook of Devon Roadhas been repaired and Stanley Mills,Perth and Kinross continue to collectawards, such as from Europa Nostra.

Further north, the BonaLighthouse (inland beacon, c1820)at the north end of Loch Ness on theCaledonian Canal, Invernesshire andthe Telford House at Gairlochy arebeing considered for possible re-useas holiday lets. Inverurie Papermill,Aberdeenshire, has beenmothballed. In Aberdeenshire,Laurencekirk Station, Laurencekirk(1849, closed 1967) has beenrefurbished and reopened on theEast Coast Main Line. The NuclearDecommissioning Authority, inconjunction with Dounreay SiteRestoration Ltd, has drafted aninnovative heritage strategy for theformer fast reactor research anddevelopment site in Caithness.Consultation has begun on theestablishing a ‘cultural legacy’ forthe site and a new Museum hasopened in Thurso Town Hall.

The Science & TechnologyDepartment of the National Museumof Scotland has recently acquired amodel of Billa Croo, the wave testingsite run by EMEC (European MarineTesting Centre) in Orkney and the SirJames Black collection, part of whichcan be seen on display at the TowerEntrance in the Museum of Scotland,Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The BellRock Lighthouse (Rennie andStevenson, 1806-11, near Arbroath,Angus) bi-centenary plans are nowunderway for an exhibition involvingmost of Scotland’s nationalcollections in 2012.

In Dundee, the RRS DiscoveryRestoration and ConservationProject 2007-2009 has beencompleted. The two-year project

cost £688,000 of which the HeritageLottery Fund funded £528,000. Thebalance came from variouscharitable trusts, fundraising eventsplus a contribution from DundeeCity Council. Dundee Heritage Trustis still facing the serious issue oflack of funds to stabilise the derelictpart of the High Mill at VerdantWorks. The Trust is examiningalternative uses for this building.

The clipper Carrick, or City ofAdelaide, (1864, world’s oldestsurviving composite constructedclipper ship) currently on a slip atthe Scottish Maritime Museum,Irvine, Ayrshire is possibly waitingrecorded destruction, but hasattracted attention fromSunderland, where she was built,and Australia, whence she carriedimmigrants.

After 13 years at the ScottishMining Museum at Newtongrange,Midlothian, Director Fergus Watersis moving to the Highlands. Hisrepeated and near miraculoussourcing of funds to keep the miningmuseum moving forward includesthe recent award of a £1.3 millioncapital grant to support urgentrepairs. Congratulations to JimArnold on his retirement as Directorand Village Manager at New LanarkTrust. His drive and vision over morethan 30 years saw an incredible‘revivification’ of a once extremelyderelict and apparently doomedcommunity. New Lanark became aWorld Heritage site in 2001.

To conclude, it is with sadnessthat we learned of the sudden deathof John Burnie. John joined theScottish Railway PreservationSociety in 1964, not long after itsfoundation. A chartered engineer, heretired in 2002 as shift manager at

Longannet power station in Fife.John was instrumental in theSociety’s move from Grahamston toBo’ness, near Falkirk and hadambitions to operate vehicles on amain-line connection and gainrecognition for the nationallyimportant collection of objects,vehicles and archives in theSociety’s care. Once retired, hegained a museum managementdiploma from St Andrews University,achieved Recognition for thecollection as a holding of nationalimportance and successfully appliedfor accreditation, the benchmark inmuseum standards. His death atonly 63 is a terrible blow to his wifeAnn and his children, Jenny andAndrew, and all who knew andworked with him in the industrialheritage sector.

Miriam McDonaldSecretary, Scottish Industrial

Archaeology Panel

Home CountiesThe Forge at Much Hadham (Herts),together with adjacent cottages, isin the safe hands of theHertfordshire Building PreservationTrust, and the Forge Museum wasre-opened during 2009 afterextensive refurbishment. Theresident blacksmith, RichardMaynard, gives regulardemonstrations of his craft. A lessfortunate building is a formerconcrete grain silo, built around thetime of the Second World War, whichis visible to the east of the A34 roadjust north of Oxford. Although thesilo has long been out of use, itappears that remains of conveyorsand weighing equipment stillsurvive inside the building. The silo

is likely to be demolished if plans goahead with the improved Oxford toBicester railway link. The BerkshireIA Group advises that the giantBerkshire Brewery, clearly visiblefrom the M4 south of Reading, isdue to close in April 2010. Althougha modern plant, there are links backthrough the long history of brewingaround Reading to the originalSimonds brewery, which startedproduction in 1785. A plaquecommemorating the originalbrewery site in Bridge Street wasunveiled in 2009.

On watery matters, Eva, theHenley Royal Regatta’s first steampowered launch, has recently beenincluded in the National Register ofHistoric Vessels. Now displayedwithin the River and RowingMuseum at Henley (Oxon), Eva wasbuilt in 1874 at Thorneycroft’s yardin Chiswick as no. 34, possiblydesigned by John Thorneycrofthimself. Of iron construction with anon-condensing single cylinderengine, she was one of the fastestlaunches of her day, with a topspeed of 17 miles per hour. After along life with other owners, Evacame under the care of the Museumin 1996. Along the Thames, theEnvironment Agency has recentlyupgraded locks at Clifton andGrafton (Oxon), Marlow (Bucks) andCookham (Berks). The Kennet &Avon Canal (partly in Berks)celebrates the bicentenary of itsopening as a through route fromReading to Bath in 1810, and arange of celebratory events areplanned. Work on the restoration ofBone Mill Sluice, at Newbury(Berks), has received the BritishWaterways Excellence Award for theSouth West Region.

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16—INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153

Surviving 1908 lime burning flare kiln at the Chinnor Cement Works sitePhoto: George Crutcher

John Burnie, second from right, at the Scottish Transport and Industry CollectionsKnowledge Network Conference at Summerlee Heritage, Coatbridge in 2008

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS—153—17

The 2010 exhibition covering theLockinge Estate, near Wantage(Oxon), was titled ‘Building theLockinge Estate: The Works Yard -Past, Present & Future; People andPlaces’. A collection of photographs,memories and maps, broughttogether by the Wardingley family,revealed the range of work whichthe Works Yard team has undertakenover the years since the 1880s. In theearly days, houses in nine or tenvillages had to be ‘renewed’, as wellas work on schools, parish rooms,rectory houses and churches. Gasand electric power plants and watersupply pumps, reservoirs andpipelines had also to be maintained.Although the area of the estate hasshrunk in recent years, the WorksYard team has been busy building asafe shelter for the estate’s horse-drawn fire engine to go on publicdisplay, replacing old houses withnew ones and converting farmbuildings for office and commercialuse. On the theme of new uses forindustrial buildings, at WolvertonPark (Milton Keynes), the formerLNWR Royal Train Shed has beenconverted to provide a completestreet of new houses, with originalfeatures such as the overhead gantrycrane being retained. This projectgained the ‘Modern Railways’Restoration Award on the theme‘Places for People’; one of the 2009National Railway Heritage Awards.

Continuing with railways, thefirst train arrived into Cuffley &Goffs Oak Station (Herts) on 4 April1910, with the completion of theGreat Northern Railway’s suburbanbranch line from Wood Green (nowAlexandra Palace) on the main lineout of Kings Cross. In later years, theline was extended to Hertford, andthen northwards to rejoin the GNRmain line between Knebworth andStevenage. The Cuffley IndustrialHeritage Society has been involvedin a number of activities to celebratethe centenary, including anexhibition and the unveiling ofcommemorative plaques. Southof St Albans station, the grade IIlisted former Midland Railway signalbox has been restored by the StAlbans Signal Box PreservationTrust, who hold regular open daysduring the summer months. Thetimber box dates from 1892 andhouses a 44 lever tumbler frame of1906.

After a long period of difficultnegotiation, the Great WesternSociety at Didcot (Oxon) has finally

negotiated with Network Rail a 35year lease which covers most of theSociety’s former GWR loco shed site.This will allow the Society’sdevelopment plans to go forward,including a museum extension anda special shed for the GWR steamrailmotor, which is currently beingrestored to an active existence.

The once dominant vehiclemaking industry in Bedfordshire isnow close to extinction. Themammoth Vauxhall Car Plant wasdemolished in 2008, bringing carmanufacture in Luton to an endafter 101 years, but the 1907Headquarters office block (for whatwas then the Vauxhall IronworksCompany), designed in the Williamand Mary style by H B Cresswell,seems secure as it is Grade IIlisted. In the past year the AC Delcoworks, which manufacturedcomponents for the motor industry,has also been demolished ,including the pastiche classicaladministrative block fronting HighStreet North, Dunstable (Beds).Another aspect of the car industryaround Luton was discussed in aBBC Radio 4 programme in February2010 titled ‘Affluent WorkersRevisited, Revisited’. This carriedforward discussion of theaspirations of younger members ofAsian families, whose parents hadcome to Luton in the boom years ofthe motor industry there in the1960s. Looking back to those boomyears, 50 years ago the first sectionof the M1 motorway, between StAlbans (Herts) and Birmingham wasopened in November 1959 byMinister for Transport ErnestMarples (remember him?) at SlipEnd, just south of Luton.

The remains of the last of theChilterns’ cement works, at Chinnor(Oxon), were demolished in 2009 inpreparation for redevelopment. Theworks closed in the 1990s. A rathercurious early twentieth century kilnremains on the site, the purpose ofwhich is unclear. The last industrialsite associated with the chalkgeology of the Chilterns, TotternhoeLimeworks closed in 2008 followingthe dismissal of an appeal toredevelop the site for housing. Theworks latterly confined its activitiesto the rehydration of quick limebrought to the site from Derbyshire.

From lime to printing, thevacant buildings of the Dangerfieldsand Eversheds Printing Works, offLondon Road, St Albans (Herts) arein danger of redevelopment. In 1896

the printer FrederickDangerfield built a new factorywhich at the time was considered tobe the most modern lithographicplant in England. It was one of thefirst factories to use rivetedsteel North Light roof trusses, whichgave excellent even light for artistsand engravers. Dangerfields had aworld wide reputation for highquality printing including manyiconic posters for London Transportand also transfer lettering forrailway coaches, buses, etc.Dangerfields sold their site in 1940to Eversheds, whose existingpremises in Bow had been bombed.In 1955/56 Eversheds built a threestorey pre-cast concrete framedprinting hall and offices, which isstill a striking building with brickelevations and an art deco terracecanopy. The architect was E. WilliamPalmer from Enfield.

Thanks for news from AndreaAllgood, George Crutcher, DavidDorkings, Tim Smith and theWardingley family. Also from thenewsletters and press releases ofvarious organisations, some ofwhich are mentioned in the text.

Henry Gunston

East MidlandsThis news from the East Midlands ismore precisely from theLeicestershire Industrial HistorySociety (LIHS) as the usualcorrespondents from the other EastMidlands societies have notsubmitted any input!

With the sad demise of theNottingham Industrial HistorySociety ,the Chesterfield basedNorth East Derbyshire I A Society area welcome addition to the EastMidlands grouping and we are verypleased to announce also theinterest shown by The Peak DistrictMines Society. Hopefully this willresult in further additions to ourmutual societies, and perhaps morenews from the East Midlands nexttime!

The LIHS dig at the CalifatVictoria