AIA SOMERSET CONFERENCE - 9 th to 14th August 2019 Report by Anna Alexander
Five MIHS members attended this year’s conference in advance of the Merseyside AIA conference next year. Some of us were there to observe and get some tips on how the conference is run, and along the way we attended some interesting lectures and went on the field trips. Friday was the first day of the conference with an AIA seminar: “Tourism and Industrial Archaeology and Heritage”, led by Professor Marilyn Palmer. This included talks on industrial heritage strategy and networks, European industrial heritage and Chinese railway museums. In the evening the Chairman of Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society (SIAS) set the scene for the coming days, with an excellent introduction to the industrial archaeology of Somerset. The title for his talk “Puttees to pantiles, horsehair to helicopters, billhooks to Babycham, twine to tar boilers”, captured the range of industries in Somerset over the last few hundred years. Indeed, although the county is known mainly for agriculture, there have been a large number of industries operating in Somerset, ranging from coal mines, iron works, copper and lead mines, to gloving, silk, wool and lace, bricks and tiles, shirts and collars, and zinc, ochre and calamine production. Peter said that the drivers of industry were weak, so what he amusingly nicknamed “CUBA” - The County that Used to Be Avon - remained an agricultural area. The drivers of demand for the products of these industries were also weak, so only remnants of the successful industries remain. Saturday dawned with a programme of lectures in the morning and an afternoon of AIA business. David Greenfield lectured on I.K. Brunel in Somerset, focussing on Brunel and his bridge building and his often difficult relationship with fellow engineer William Gravatt. The speaker followed their relationship through the projects they worked on, using their correspondence to highlight their problems in working together. Apparently Gravatt had poor social skills and was a poor manager, not helpful when managing men and large projects. Denis Dodd now took us through a history of the Grand Western Canal and its part in the development of early canal lifts.
He spent some time talking about the history of canals and boat lifts, and went on to describe the different types of boat lifts which included a crane lift, used in China, a balance lock, a diving lock, and a flotation lock. This was the most interesting part of his talk but unfortunately he ran out of time and he moved swiftly through his final slides. After coffee, Richard Sims took us back to the days of sailing ships in his talk “Coker Canvas - Sailcloth bucked in the yarn not the piece”. The geology of the East and West Coker areas of Somerset lends itself to the growing of hemp and flax which was used to make sailcloth. It was very much a cottage industry in terms of where the work was done and by whom, as women did a lot of the basic stages of the manufacturing process in their homes. Photographs from World War One showed women working at “pulling” flax, “retting” the flax, breaking and crushing the stems of the flax in “Bolling mills”, “scutching” – which is the removal of the woody parts, “combing and hackling” – to separate the fibres, spinning the yarn, “buckling “ the yarn by treating it in baths of alkaline lye. The buckling houses were built near water for convenience of the process and yarn barns were often grouped together for this reason. In the early days of the industry, sailcloth was woven by hand on Dutch looms. The speaker went into the history of the weaving of sailcloth and the different types of weave needed for different sails. With the coming of steamships, sail makers disappeared, apart from those that made sails for yachts. West Coker changed from sail making to the spinning of twine, and this is an industry which is celebrated in a visitor centre there. Shane Gould, who works for Historic England, was next to speak to us, this time on the Somerset coal field. There used to be 66 collieries in three Somerset valleys - Nettlebridge, Cam and Radstock. The coalfields had very shallow seams, and we were shown the humps from primitive mine workings which are impossible to date. Once steam was introduced, mining became more intensive with water powered pumping stations. The speaker discussed the various colliery sites, including the Vobster colliery, and spoke of the dangers inherent in the industry such as fire damp and explosions and how such disasters led to improvements in safety. Shane also discussed the transport industries associated with coal production and the social history of coal mining. After lunch, the AIA reported on the restoration grants it has awarded to various different projects. There were also awards presented to individuals for their work in areas such as commercial and voluntary society publications, and an award for a master’s degree dissertation. Following this Cristina Merciu from Romania, presented her work on “Postcards as effective images of Romanian Industrial Heritage” - John Ryan you would have loved this! The evening was devoted to the conference annual dinner, which was held at Taunton racecourse - an excellent meal in a great venue. Sunday morning started with AIA council member Bill Barksfield reporting on the association’s overseas tour to Hungary earlier this year and of plans for a visit to Poland next year. Malcolm Verity and I were then centre stage to present the MIHS plans for next year’s conference. We were warmly received and this was an excellent way to drum up interest for our own conference from this year’s delegates. After the AIA AGM, the annual Rolt memorial lecture was presented by Dr Peter Stanier, who is known for his work on quarrying. His subject was “Landscapes without Machines – Remembering the Little Things”. Peter’s abiding interest and expertise is in granite, and we were taken through a fascinating and amusing description of the quarrying and uses of the stone. Granite is found in Devon and Cornwall, the Scilly Islands and Lundy Island, and one can tell where particular granite has been quarried by the pattern of the stone. It was the mid-18th century when granite started to be worked seriously, and it became very important in civil engineering in places such as the dockyards because of its strength.
By 1840 the leading quarry contractor was John Freeman and his firm and his business operated up to the 20th century when the arrival of Norwegian granite led to the collapse of the industry. Quarries could not exist without the canals and railways, which helped to open up new markets for the industry. Granite was exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Peter went on to describe the many uses of the stone, for the use in monuments such as Nelson’s Column, buildings, dockyards, lighthouses including Bishop Rock and the Tyne Pier and Fastnet lighthouses. It has been used in bridges, river walls such as the Thames embankment, fortifications such as Southsea castle. Peter enlisted the support of Marilyn Palmer for his party piece, which was to pull in on a trolley a 13.5 x 4 cubic feet (one ton) block of granite. We were fooled for perhaps 5 seconds when it was realised that it was just a large box covered in granite-coloured Fablon. Well done Peter! His talk continued through the various uses of granite, and concluded on a description of the Alfred the Great memorial in Winchester and the effort taken to create the plinth on which Alfred’s bronze statue stands. After lunch the IA field trips began, with a choice of three on the Sunday afternoon and two each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We will probably use the same pattern in 2020..
Five MIHS members attended this year’s conference in advance of the Merseyside AIA conference next year. Some of us were there to observe and get some tips on how the conference is run, and along the way we attended some interesting lectures and went on the field trips. Friday was the first day of the conference with an AIA seminar: “Tourism and Industrial Archaeology and Heritage”, led by Professor Marilyn Palmer. This included talks on industrial heritage strategy and networks, European industrial heritage and Chinese railway museums. In the evening the Chairman of Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society (SIAS) set the scene for the coming days, with an excellent introduction to the industrial archaeology of Somerset. The title for his talk “Puttees to pantiles, horsehair to helicopters, billhooks to Babycham, twine to tar boilers”, captured the range of industries in Somerset over the last few hundred years. Indeed, although the county is known mainly for agriculture, there have been a large number of industries operating in Somerset, ranging from coal mines, iron works, copper and lead mines, to gloving, silk, wool and lace, bricks and tiles, shirts and collars, and zinc, ochre and calamine production. Peter said that the drivers of industry were weak, so what he amusingly nicknamed “CUBA” - The County that Used to Be Avon - remained an agricultural area. The drivers of demand for the products of these industries were also weak, so only remnants of the successful industries remain. Saturday dawned with a programme of lectures in the morning and an afternoon of AIA business. David Greenfield lectured on I.K. Brunel in Somerset, focussing on Brunel and his bridge building and his often difficult relationship with fellow engineer William Gravatt. The speaker followed their relationship through the projects they worked on, using their correspondence to highlight their problems in working together. Apparently Gravatt had poor social skills and was a poor manager, not helpful when managing men and large projects. Denis Dodd now took us through a history of the Grand Western Canal and its part in the development of early canal lifts.
He spent some time talking about the history of canals and boat lifts, and went on to describe the different types of boat lifts which included a crane lift, used in China, a balance lock, a diving lock, and a flotation lock. This was the most interesting part of his talk but unfortunately he ran out of time and he moved swiftly through his final slides. After coffee, Richard Sims took us back to the days of sailing ships in his talk “Coker Canvas - Sailcloth bucked in the yarn not the piece”. The geology of the East and West Coker areas of Somerset lends itself to the growing of hemp and flax which was used to make sailcloth. It was very much a cottage industry in terms of where the work was done and by whom, as women did a lot of the basic stages of the manufacturing process in their homes. Photographs from World War One showed women working at “pulling” flax, “retting” the flax, breaking and crushing the stems of the flax in “Bolling mills”, “scutching” – which is the removal of the woody parts, “combing and hackling” – to separate the fibres, spinning the yarn, “buckling “ the yarn by treating it in baths of alkaline lye. The buckling houses were built near water for convenience of the process and yarn barns were often grouped together for this reason. In the early days of the industry, sailcloth was woven by hand on Dutch looms. The speaker went into the history of the weaving of sailcloth and the different types of weave needed for different sails. With the coming of steamships, sail makers disappeared, apart from those that made sails for yachts. West Coker changed from sail making to the spinning of twine, and this is an industry which is celebrated in a visitor centre there. Shane Gould, who works for Historic England, was next to speak to us, this time on the Somerset coal field. There used to be 66 collieries in three Somerset valleys - Nettlebridge, Cam and Radstock. The coalfields had very shallow seams, and we were shown the humps from primitive mine workings which are impossible to date. Once steam was introduced, mining became more intensive with water powered pumping stations. The speaker discussed the various colliery sites, including the Vobster colliery, and spoke of the dangers inherent in the industry such as fire damp and explosions and how such disasters led to improvements in safety. Shane also discussed the transport industries associated with coal production and the social history of coal mining. After lunch, the AIA reported on the restoration grants it has awarded to various different projects. There were also awards presented to individuals for their work in areas such as commercial and voluntary society publications, and an award for a master’s degree dissertation. Following this Cristina Merciu from Romania, presented her work on “Postcards as effective images of Romanian Industrial Heritage” - John Ryan you would have loved this! The evening was devoted to the conference annual dinner, which was held at Taunton racecourse - an excellent meal in a great venue. Sunday morning started with AIA council member Bill Barksfield reporting on the association’s overseas tour to Hungary earlier this year and of plans for a visit to Poland next year. Malcolm Verity and I were then centre stage to present the MIHS plans for next year’s conference. We were warmly received and this was an excellent way to drum up interest for our own conference from this year’s delegates. After the AIA AGM, the annual Rolt memorial lecture was presented by Dr Peter Stanier, who is known for his work on quarrying. His subject was “Landscapes without Machines – Remembering the Little Things”. Peter’s abiding interest and expertise is in granite, and we were taken through a fascinating and amusing description of the quarrying and uses of the stone. Granite is found in Devon and Cornwall, the Scilly Islands and Lundy Island, and one can tell where particular granite has been quarried by the pattern of the stone. It was the mid-18th century when granite started to be worked seriously, and it became very important in civil engineering in places such as the dockyards because of its strength.
By 1840 the leading quarry contractor was John Freeman and his firm and his business operated up to the 20th century when the arrival of Norwegian granite led to the collapse of the industry. Quarries could not exist without the canals and railways, which helped to open up new markets for the industry. Granite was exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Peter went on to describe the many uses of the stone, for the use in monuments such as Nelson’s Column, buildings, dockyards, lighthouses including Bishop Rock and the Tyne Pier and Fastnet lighthouses. It has been used in bridges, river walls such as the Thames embankment, fortifications such as Southsea castle. Peter enlisted the support of Marilyn Palmer for his party piece, which was to pull in on a trolley a 13.5 x 4 cubic feet (one ton) block of granite. We were fooled for perhaps 5 seconds when it was realised that it was just a large box covered in granite-coloured Fablon. Well done Peter! His talk continued through the various uses of granite, and concluded on a description of the Alfred the Great memorial in Winchester and the effort taken to create the plinth on which Alfred’s bronze statue stands. After lunch the IA field trips began, with a choice of three on the Sunday afternoon and two each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We will probably use the same pattern in 2020..
- FOUR BRIDGES AND A LOCK FLIGHT
Field Trip - Saturday 13th July
Some 15 people, a mixture of MIHS and MAS members, gathered at the Catalyst Museum to take
part in this field trip, led once again by the redoubtable Maurice Handley.
After introductions we viewed the elegant Mersey Gateway Bridge, completed in 2017 using
Chinese technology, and Maurice explained how the limited availability of sandstone bedrock led to
the building of three earlier bridges very close together in the Runcorn Gap. He then guided us
around the Mersey shore towards the Silver Jubilee Bridge, pausing at the northern terminal point of
the Transporter Bridge (1905 – 1961). Maurice pointed out that, until it was superseded by the
Silver Jubilee Bridge, the narrow Mersey Road approaching the Transporter was the principal route
from Liverpool to the south. Four transporter bridges were built in the UK, with Runcorn-Widnes
much the longest, at 304 metres. The Newport and Middlesborough bridges are still in use. As
MIHS members well know, the Warrington bridge was the only one originally dedicated to rail traffic.
After a pause to observe its riveted (not welded) construction we climbed up to the walkway hung
on the side of the Silver Jubilee Bridge, now undergoing a lengthy refurb. It is a through arch bridge,
similar in outline the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with a main arch span of 330 metres. It was completed
in 1961, initially with two carriageways totalling 33 feet and two walkways. The bridge was renamed
following an upgrade in 1975-1977 when the carriageway was widened (at the cost of the walkway
on the west side). It is now Grade II listed. The bridge closed for repairs and alterations upon the
opening of the new Mersey Gateway and is due to reopen in 2020.
Walking across, Maurice urged us to look over to the LNWR railway bridge, completed in 1868,
comprised of three pairs of 305 foot riveted wrought iron lattice girders on stone piers, with the twin
railway tracks carried on metal plates. The bridge is so familiar to those living on Merseyside that we
perhaps take it for granted. But with 49 and 16 arch approach viaducts to the north and one of 33
arches to the south it forms a magnificent Victorian structure, worthy of its Grade II* listing. - Once in Runcorn, Maurice steered us round to the terminal basin of Brindley’s Bridgewater Canal.
The canal follows the contours all the way from Manchester, but this basin is 82 feet above the
Mersey, so a flight of ten locks was built to connect the two, opening on the last day of 1772. Nine
locks had a fall of seven feet, with a fall at the river lock of 20 feet at low water. It allowed vessels to
enter and leave the canal on any state of the tide. Such was the expansion of merchandise
passing up and down the locks that a second line was completed in 1828. For over 160
years flats and narrow boats locked up and down in great numbers. The new line of locks
was used for traffic heading to Manchester, while the old line was used for traffic passing
down to the Mersey.
The old line of locks fell into disuse in the late 1930s and they were closed under the Ship
Canal Act of 1949 and filled in. The newer line of locks was filled in during the 1960s and is
now completely buried under modern development. The approach road to the 1961 bridge
blocked off all access to the lock flights. With the removal of this road there is now a project, led by
Graham Wallace, to re-connect the Bridgewater to the Ship Canal, using the line of the old flight.
Sure enough, Graham was waiting for us as we tramped down the flight and he explained the
scheme in his usual effusive fashion. There are those with reservations that this ambitious project
can be delivered for the quoted £15m, but there is no doubting the enthusiasm of the volunteers
behind it.
After lunch in Runcorn we returned to the Catalyst, and then embarked on an exploration of Spike Island. Maurice
guided us to a point opposite the new bridge where several abandoned Mersey flats are rotting away in the mud. - Most of them were probably built within a few miles of this spot, with Abel’s yard just across the river active until
1960, before it was obliterated by the footings of the new road bridge. We also saw the structures mentioned in the
“Copper” article elsewhere in this newsletter. These were constructed of very hard, black, “Obsidianite” bricks,
manufactured at the Ewloe Barn Brick and Tile Works which was active from 1933 to 1951. - Maurice saw them as the remains of a furnace for roasting pyrites to recover sulphur used in the manufacture
- of sulphuric acid. We returned to the Catalyst along the towpath of the Sankey Canal to complete a very instructive day.
- Many thanks to Maurice for another excellent trip.
RAINHILL STATION
A new sign has been erected on Rainhill Station to record that the railway is now designated as an International Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark. A photo of the sign is attached along with a transcription.
A new sign has been erected on Rainhill Station to record that the railway is now designated as an International Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark. A photo of the sign is attached along with a transcription.
INTERNATIONAL HISTORIC
CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK
LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY
OPENED ON 16 SEPTEMBER 1830, THIS RAILWAY PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION HISTORY. IT WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC RAILWAY FOR THE SCHEDULED
TRANSPORTATION OF PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT BETWEEN REMOTE CITIES. A TEAM LED BY GEORGE
STEPHENSON (1781-1848) DESIGNED THE 35-MILE, DOUBLE TRACKED LINE. OVERCOMING NUMEROUS
ENGINEERING CHALLENGES, INCLUDING OLIVE MOUNT, THE SANKEY VALLEY AND CHAT MOSS, THE RAILWAY
ESTABLISHED THE HISTORIC REPUTATIONS OF MANY ENGINEERS ASSIGNED TO ITS VARIOUS SECTIONS.
THE FIRST EVER LOCOMOTIVE TRIALS AT RAINHILL DURING 6-14 OCTOBER 1829 PITTED THE HORSE
TREADMILL CYCLOPED AGAINST FOUR STEAM LOCOMOTIVES, NOVELTY, PERSERVERANCE, ROCKET AND SANS
PAREIL. ROCKET DESIGNED BY AND BUILT BY ROBERT STEPHENSON (1803-1859) OUTPERFORMED THE OTHERS
AND PROVED THAT LOCOMOTIVE PROPULSION WAS PRACTICAL. STILL OPERATING ON ITS ORIGINAL
ALIGNMENT WITH MANY ORIGINAL STRUCTURES, THIS RAILWAY ESTABLISHED THE BASIC FORMAT FOR
ALMOST ALL SUBSEQUENT RAILWAYS AND ROLLING STOCK WORLD-WIDE.
(The sign displays the logos of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanicla Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers
CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK
LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY
OPENED ON 16 SEPTEMBER 1830, THIS RAILWAY PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION HISTORY. IT WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC RAILWAY FOR THE SCHEDULED
TRANSPORTATION OF PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT BETWEEN REMOTE CITIES. A TEAM LED BY GEORGE
STEPHENSON (1781-1848) DESIGNED THE 35-MILE, DOUBLE TRACKED LINE. OVERCOMING NUMEROUS
ENGINEERING CHALLENGES, INCLUDING OLIVE MOUNT, THE SANKEY VALLEY AND CHAT MOSS, THE RAILWAY
ESTABLISHED THE HISTORIC REPUTATIONS OF MANY ENGINEERS ASSIGNED TO ITS VARIOUS SECTIONS.
THE FIRST EVER LOCOMOTIVE TRIALS AT RAINHILL DURING 6-14 OCTOBER 1829 PITTED THE HORSE
TREADMILL CYCLOPED AGAINST FOUR STEAM LOCOMOTIVES, NOVELTY, PERSERVERANCE, ROCKET AND SANS
PAREIL. ROCKET DESIGNED BY AND BUILT BY ROBERT STEPHENSON (1803-1859) OUTPERFORMED THE OTHERS
AND PROVED THAT LOCOMOTIVE PROPULSION WAS PRACTICAL. STILL OPERATING ON ITS ORIGINAL
ALIGNMENT WITH MANY ORIGINAL STRUCTURES, THIS RAILWAY ESTABLISHED THE BASIC FORMAT FOR
ALMOST ALL SUBSEQUENT RAILWAYS AND ROLLING STOCK WORLD-WIDE.
(The sign displays the logos of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanicla Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers
Group at Blackbrook Milestone on Skew Bridge Rainhill Skew Bridge
Original L&M track Sankey Viaduct Replica Wagon at Blackbroo Stanley Bank Slitting Mill Replica Water Wheel Reconstruction of Slitting Mill
Original L&M track Sankey Viaduct Replica Wagon at Blackbroo Stanley Bank Slitting Mill Replica Water Wheel Reconstruction of Slitting Mill
On Saturday 29th June 18 MIHS members set off in St Andrew's minibus to explore various sites in the St Helens area. The programme had been drawn up by Maurice Handley and he had made an excellent job of it. We met at Rainhill where we had a walk round the village viewing the ancient milestone, the Skew Bridge (Maurice's favourite) and ending up at the very good exhibition in the library and the adjoining railway carriage. Next stop was the Sankey Canal Wharf at Newton Common Lock. We viewed the lock then walked to the Sankey Viaduct whiich we inspected and finished at Bradley Swing Bridge and Lock.Then it was on to St Helens for lunch which many had in the cafe at World of Glass. Replete, we had a walk along the canal viewing the remains of the famous "Hotties", long the home of tropical fish and a heated swimming "pool" before visiting the sad remains of the Cannington Shaw Bottle Shop. Our final stop was at Blackbrook where we viewed the end of the Sankey Canal and visited the Stanley Bank Slitting Mills. There are some replica wheels and recent excavtions have been carried out.
From here we made our ways home with many thanks to Maurice for a full and interesting day.
From here we made our ways home with many thanks to Maurice for a full and interesting day.
Lecture for Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge
A Talk will take place at Warrington Town Hall at 1900 on Friday 21st June. Parking is available alongside. There will be two talks, one on Warrington Transporter |Bridge and one on Tees Transporter Bridge. Although free, tickets need to be obtained from contact@warringtontransporterbridge.co.uk
A Talk will take place at Warrington Town Hall at 1900 on Friday 21st June. Parking is available alongside. There will be two talks, one on Warrington Transporter |Bridge and one on Tees Transporter Bridge. Although free, tickets need to be obtained from contact@warringtontransporterbridge.co.uk
FIELD TRIPS SUMMER 2019
Saturday 8th June 2019 - Field Trip: Birkenhead Docks and Tramcar Manufactories
Led by Rob Jones, this exciting trip will feature a tour of the Merseyside Transport Museum, a tram ride and an exploration of the Birkenhead Docks in a heritage bus. Sites visited will include Birkenhead Priory, two locations where tramcars were constructed, Cammell Laird’s Dry Dock No 4, where the infamous CSS Alabama was built, the 1920s Egerton bascule bridge and several others. Meet at Hamilton Square at 10.15. All this, plus tea and coffee in the museum, for £10.50.
Saturday 29th June 2019 - Field Trip: St Helens Area
This trip will be led by Maurice Handley and will feature visits to Rainhill Station and museum, Sankey Viaduct and Canal and the World of Glass museum with lunch. The afternoon will cover the industrial heritage of St Helens town centre, Cannington Shaw and Pilkingtons 19th century glassworks and the Sankey Canal Basin, Stanley Bank Slitting Mill site and copper works at Blackbrook. We hope to have a minibus available for this trip, picking up at Hamilton Square and also in Liverpool.
Saturday 13th July 2019 - Field Trip: Widnes, Runcorn, Warrington
This will be another trip led by Maurice Handley. We will meet at the Catalyst Museum for coffee, stroll round Spike Island, walk across the Jubilee Bridge (if re-opened), lunch at Runcorn, then explore the Bridgewater Canal, lock flight, 1868 railway bridge and 1905 transporter. We also hope to drive to Warrington to visit the Transporter Bridge.
These field trips are all “trial runs” for trips we will be running for next year’s AIA National Conference. There will be more details in our next newsletter but we will be starting to take bookings at the 8th April meeting.
Saturday 8th June 2019 - Field Trip: Birkenhead Docks and Tramcar Manufactories
Led by Rob Jones, this exciting trip will feature a tour of the Merseyside Transport Museum, a tram ride and an exploration of the Birkenhead Docks in a heritage bus. Sites visited will include Birkenhead Priory, two locations where tramcars were constructed, Cammell Laird’s Dry Dock No 4, where the infamous CSS Alabama was built, the 1920s Egerton bascule bridge and several others. Meet at Hamilton Square at 10.15. All this, plus tea and coffee in the museum, for £10.50.
Saturday 29th June 2019 - Field Trip: St Helens Area
This trip will be led by Maurice Handley and will feature visits to Rainhill Station and museum, Sankey Viaduct and Canal and the World of Glass museum with lunch. The afternoon will cover the industrial heritage of St Helens town centre, Cannington Shaw and Pilkingtons 19th century glassworks and the Sankey Canal Basin, Stanley Bank Slitting Mill site and copper works at Blackbrook. We hope to have a minibus available for this trip, picking up at Hamilton Square and also in Liverpool.
Saturday 13th July 2019 - Field Trip: Widnes, Runcorn, Warrington
This will be another trip led by Maurice Handley. We will meet at the Catalyst Museum for coffee, stroll round Spike Island, walk across the Jubilee Bridge (if re-opened), lunch at Runcorn, then explore the Bridgewater Canal, lock flight, 1868 railway bridge and 1905 transporter. We also hope to drive to Warrington to visit the Transporter Bridge.
These field trips are all “trial runs” for trips we will be running for next year’s AIA National Conference. There will be more details in our next newsletter but we will be starting to take bookings at the 8th April meeting.
2020 AIA Conference
Merseyside Industrial Heritage Society is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Association of Industrial Archaeology Conference in 2020 from Thursday 20th August to Wednesday 26th August. The venue will be Hope University and our conference committee has begun discussions on possible speakers and destinations for the several field trips that we will be offering to delegates. There is a wealth of industrial archaeology in Merseyside and we hope to offer an excellent experience to delegates during their time with us. Updates on progress will be posted on our website and in our newsletter in the coming months.
Merseyside Industrial Heritage Society is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Association of Industrial Archaeology Conference in 2020 from Thursday 20th August to Wednesday 26th August. The venue will be Hope University and our conference committee has begun discussions on possible speakers and destinations for the several field trips that we will be offering to delegates. There is a wealth of industrial archaeology in Merseyside and we hope to offer an excellent experience to delegates during their time with us. Updates on progress will be posted on our website and in our newsletter in the coming months.
New GDPR Policy is at the top of the Diary Page.
Three photos from our social evening - Tower - Cottages - Replica lamp. Apologies for lighting.
JOIN THE MIHS
What ever your interests are in industrial archaeology the MIHS is the society for you. At the bottom of the page are six varied photos taken by your webmaster and showing the variety of things we visit, They are (starting top left) A WWII Fairmile launch now preserved. A preserved Royal Blue Coach; Spalding Maltings; The workings of a corn mill; Croyland Bridge; A Lancaster Bomber.
Please see our events page for more photos. Diary page for application or renewal form (the same!)
Visitors are welcome at £3 per meeting. Tea\coffee and biscuits £1 for members and visitors.
What ever your interests are in industrial archaeology the MIHS is the society for you. At the bottom of the page are six varied photos taken by your webmaster and showing the variety of things we visit, They are (starting top left) A WWII Fairmile launch now preserved. A preserved Royal Blue Coach; Spalding Maltings; The workings of a corn mill; Croyland Bridge; A Lancaster Bomber.
Please see our events page for more photos. Diary page for application or renewal form (the same!)
Visitors are welcome at £3 per meeting. Tea\coffee and biscuits £1 for members and visitors.
Three photos to supplement our 2017 Long Weekend with thanks to Maurice Handley
3 (Right) Gurnos Tramway with stone sleeper blocks in situ. It brought limestone from Gurnos Quarry to the Cyfarthfa ironworks. A leat also follows the route.
2 (Centre) Pont y Cafnau. A cast iron bridge built 1793 to carry the tramway over the River Taff. The bridge also carried two water troughs, one above and one below the tramway.
1 (left) Cefn Coed Viaduct. An impressive curving structure with 15 arches, Built in 1866 it is 120 ft high and 770 ft long, The arches are turned in brick rather than using the larger limestone blocks forming the rest of the bridge, presumably because its easier to follow the curve.
3 (Right) Gurnos Tramway with stone sleeper blocks in situ. It brought limestone from Gurnos Quarry to the Cyfarthfa ironworks. A leat also follows the route.
2 (Centre) Pont y Cafnau. A cast iron bridge built 1793 to carry the tramway over the River Taff. The bridge also carried two water troughs, one above and one below the tramway.
1 (left) Cefn Coed Viaduct. An impressive curving structure with 15 arches, Built in 1866 it is 120 ft high and 770 ft long, The arches are turned in brick rather than using the larger limestone blocks forming the rest of the bridge, presumably because its easier to follow the curve.
Silverdale Tern Teal
Swan Ambleside Pier Lakeside Pier
Fairbairn 42073 at Haverthwaite Repulse - Hunslet Austerity at Haverthwaite Car Ferry Mallard
De Winton Loco "Watkin" Velocipede Director's Coach
Nantlle Tramway Wagons Overseers Coach Fullerite Wagon
Swan Ambleside Pier Lakeside Pier
Fairbairn 42073 at Haverthwaite Repulse - Hunslet Austerity at Haverthwaite Car Ferry Mallard
De Winton Loco "Watkin" Velocipede Director's Coach
Nantlle Tramway Wagons Overseers Coach Fullerite Wagon
SWISS and AUSTRIAN TRANSPORT
Dolderbahn Zurich Lower Station Zurich tram at night Spirit of Innsbruck at Zurich heading a Budapest Train
Trolleybus in Salzburg Heritage tram in Vienna City tram in Vienna
EMU on Mariazellerbahn at St Polten EMU entering a much more scenic Mariazell
WINDERMERE and PENRHYN CASTLE.
During July I have had a couple of trips which have included an IA element. I did a World Ship Society Merseyside Branch trip to Lakeside from where I got an all day ticket on the steamers and also had a round trip on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. The three large steamers are Tern 1891 built by Forrest and Sons Wivenhoe, Teal 1936 and Swan 1938 both built by Vickers at Barrow. All three were brought to Lakeside where they were assembled. They are all on the National Register of Historic Ships.. The launch Silverdale dates from 1969 The first steamer, Lady of the Lake was launched in 1845 and regular services have existed since that date. Today there are no freight services but there are regular steamer and launch services to islands and places of interest around the lake.
The Lakeside Branch of the Furness Railway was opened to Newby Bridge in 1869 and extended to Lakeside in 1871. It was closed in 1965 to passengers (since WWII there had only been a summer service) and to freight two years later. It was reopened by enthusiasts in 1973 from Haverthwaite to Lakeside but the southern section is now the A490 trunk road. The two engines both date from 1950 and are in regular service.
The industrial railway museum at Penrhyn Castle was founded in 1951 and has a good collection of mostly local exhibits. I have photographed 6 of the less well known and they are as follows Watkin was built in 1893 for Penmaenmawr Granite Quarries to 3 foot guage. The Velocipede was 4 foot guage and ran on the Padarn Railway. The Directors' Coach of 1896 is also from the Padarn Railway. The Nantlle Tramway Wagon was owned by Pen - yr - orsedd Quarries and was mostly used internally whilst the overseers coach and the fullerite wagon were from the Penrhyn Railway,
During July I have had a couple of trips which have included an IA element. I did a World Ship Society Merseyside Branch trip to Lakeside from where I got an all day ticket on the steamers and also had a round trip on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. The three large steamers are Tern 1891 built by Forrest and Sons Wivenhoe, Teal 1936 and Swan 1938 both built by Vickers at Barrow. All three were brought to Lakeside where they were assembled. They are all on the National Register of Historic Ships.. The launch Silverdale dates from 1969 The first steamer, Lady of the Lake was launched in 1845 and regular services have existed since that date. Today there are no freight services but there are regular steamer and launch services to islands and places of interest around the lake.
The Lakeside Branch of the Furness Railway was opened to Newby Bridge in 1869 and extended to Lakeside in 1871. It was closed in 1965 to passengers (since WWII there had only been a summer service) and to freight two years later. It was reopened by enthusiasts in 1973 from Haverthwaite to Lakeside but the southern section is now the A490 trunk road. The two engines both date from 1950 and are in regular service.
The industrial railway museum at Penrhyn Castle was founded in 1951 and has a good collection of mostly local exhibits. I have photographed 6 of the less well known and they are as follows Watkin was built in 1893 for Penmaenmawr Granite Quarries to 3 foot guage. The Velocipede was 4 foot guage and ran on the Padarn Railway. The Directors' Coach of 1896 is also from the Padarn Railway. The Nantlle Tramway Wagon was owned by Pen - yr - orsedd Quarries and was mostly used internally whilst the overseers coach and the fullerite wagon were from the Penrhyn Railway,
STAR MODEL YACHTS FACTORY - BIRKENHEAD
This was a model yacht making company in Birkenhead that by 1922 was based in Marion Street, which went on to be the home of Star Yachts for almost 70 years until closure in 1990. Although no exact figures were kept, the estimate of total production well exceeded 200,000 yachts.
Starting with only one building in Marion Street, and expanding in 1937 by buying adjacent, a new two floor extension was built allowing the works to roughly double its floor area, giving the more recognisable frontage in the photos that you see today.
In the early 1950s the premises of builders’ merchants Coward & Davies to the right hand rear in the adjacent Adelphi Street became available. This was merged into an even bigger Star Works. This new acquisition was at first used for extra storage but was not fully utilised and was eventually sold on before closure.
For more information you can contact info@birkenheadstaryachts.co.uk or www.birkenheadstaryachts
The Star Yachts enthusiasts had a stall at the history fair in Birkenhead, and the former owner was there. He said that after the council compulsorily purchased the works, the factory lay empty but he was able to go back in, using his old keys, the power was on, and he could use his old wood working machines again! Rob Jones
This was a model yacht making company in Birkenhead that by 1922 was based in Marion Street, which went on to be the home of Star Yachts for almost 70 years until closure in 1990. Although no exact figures were kept, the estimate of total production well exceeded 200,000 yachts.
Starting with only one building in Marion Street, and expanding in 1937 by buying adjacent, a new two floor extension was built allowing the works to roughly double its floor area, giving the more recognisable frontage in the photos that you see today.
In the early 1950s the premises of builders’ merchants Coward & Davies to the right hand rear in the adjacent Adelphi Street became available. This was merged into an even bigger Star Works. This new acquisition was at first used for extra storage but was not fully utilised and was eventually sold on before closure.
For more information you can contact info@birkenheadstaryachts.co.uk or www.birkenheadstaryachts
The Star Yachts enthusiasts had a stall at the history fair in Birkenhead, and the former owner was there. He said that after the council compulsorily purchased the works, the factory lay empty but he was able to go back in, using his old keys, the power was on, and he could use his old wood working machines again! Rob Jones
Connah's Quay wharves looking upriver The Old Dock Connah's Quay Buckley Railway Bridge under A548 Connah's Quay
New Miners' Memorial Ffynongroew Point of Ayr Company Collier "Talacre" The Dock at Greenfield
Plaque at Greenfield Dock Bettisfield Colliery Engine House Bagillt The Harbour at Bagillt
New Miners' Memorial Ffynongroew Point of Ayr Company Collier "Talacre" The Dock at Greenfield
Plaque at Greenfield Dock Bettisfield Colliery Engine House Bagillt The Harbour at Bagillt
TRIP TO FLINTSHIRE COAST
On a glorious Saturday at the end of June 10 explorers left Hamilton Square to wend their way into a foreign country( or have a day trip to Wales!). We had already had a very stimulating lecture by Lorna Jenner during the winter and we were to meet her at the Kathleen and May Heritage Centre in Connah's Quay. There were at least 11 other members and friends already there and we were kindly welcomed with a drink and some biscuits. After a look round the centre we met John Coppack from the famous Connah's Quay shipping family and he gave us a talk on the
docks and quaysides as well as showing us the path of the Buckley Railway into the port. Most of the group then walked to Shotton looking at the remains of Summers Steelworks and were met by minibus and two cars which took us all back to Connah's Quay then on to Aberkhan in Llanerch y Mor where we ate. TYhe afternoon saw three visits. Firstly we went to the new Miners' Memorial at Ffynongroew which we inspected closely. Then it was on to Greenfield Dock, a new site for many, and we walked round the dock and heard about the history including involvement in the Slave Trade. Our final stop was Bagillt where we parked by the Bettisfield Colliery Engine House, walked up to the Dragon Beacon then down to the harbour and finally to the Milwr Tunnel. We split up at the car park and went our separate ways after a really enjoyable day. Our grateful thanks go to the local leaders John Coppack and Lorna Jenner who gave us so much information and Malcolm for organizing the whole thing.
On a glorious Saturday at the end of June 10 explorers left Hamilton Square to wend their way into a foreign country( or have a day trip to Wales!). We had already had a very stimulating lecture by Lorna Jenner during the winter and we were to meet her at the Kathleen and May Heritage Centre in Connah's Quay. There were at least 11 other members and friends already there and we were kindly welcomed with a drink and some biscuits. After a look round the centre we met John Coppack from the famous Connah's Quay shipping family and he gave us a talk on the
docks and quaysides as well as showing us the path of the Buckley Railway into the port. Most of the group then walked to Shotton looking at the remains of Summers Steelworks and were met by minibus and two cars which took us all back to Connah's Quay then on to Aberkhan in Llanerch y Mor where we ate. TYhe afternoon saw three visits. Firstly we went to the new Miners' Memorial at Ffynongroew which we inspected closely. Then it was on to Greenfield Dock, a new site for many, and we walked round the dock and heard about the history including involvement in the Slave Trade. Our final stop was Bagillt where we parked by the Bettisfield Colliery Engine House, walked up to the Dragon Beacon then down to the harbour and finally to the Milwr Tunnel. We split up at the car park and went our separate ways after a really enjoyable day. Our grateful thanks go to the local leaders John Coppack and Lorna Jenner who gave us so much information and Malcolm for organizing the whole thing.
Transport Trust Weekend and AGM
Your webmaster is a member of the transport trust and, like us, they have a members weekend around their AGM. I follows a similar programme to ours with visits and speakers and is based at a hotel. This year the event is based at the Park Inn Bedford. We met on the Friday afternoon at the Summerfields Railway which is run by the Bedford Model Engineering Society. They have a track running on land rented from the Whitbread Family (no longer brewers) and they have an 1800 foot 7.5 inch miniature track from Haynes End to Hammerhill Junction. At the latter they have a 3.5 and 5 inch raised track running in a circle as well as a garden railway. We had plenty of rides over all parts of the main track with 3 engines running Skylark (battery), Lewis (Diesel electric) and Lady Margaret (Steam) and afterwards we had a talk about the railway by the president. In the evening we had an interesting talk by Jane Hamilton from the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterways Trust. They are committed to closing the gap between the Great Ouse and the Grand Union. She was interesting and dedicated.
Saturday We had the AGM which lasted 45 minutes (apparently a record length) after which we had a short walk along the river and waited for the John Bunyan. This is owned by the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust and was built to show the Great Ouse to more people as well as to raise money. All the crew are volunteers. We had a 2 hour trip both up and down the river which was beautiful and peaceful and we were served a ploughman’s on board. We disembarked at the Priory Marina then got a coach to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway. This was built in 1919 using war department stock from WWI. The steam locomotives proved unsuitable and were replaced by Simplex petrol locomotives. The railway served various sand quarries (although it did carry other goods) but never carried passengers. As the network was being cut back a group of enthusiasts started a passenger service in 1968 and when the commercial operation finished in 1981 took over the main line from Pages Park to Stonehenge works – a distance of 2.8 miles. This had been opened specially for our party (which was 50+) and after visiting the engine sheds and shop we had a ride from Pages Park to Stonehenge Works. The loco even had a Transport Trust headboard! Here was had plenty of time to look around the exhibits stored there before getting the train back to Pages Park where we had afternoon tea before returning to Bedford. In the evening we had a talk by David Bremner who has restored his grandfather's WWI Bristol Scout aircraft and we saw a couple of videos of it flying over the battlefields. We will see it in the flesh tomorrow.
Sunday we met at 0945 and boarded the coach which was to take us to Old Warden for a 3.5 hour visit to the Shuttleworth Collection. We had a guide who was very good and the collection is excellent but 2.5 hours did prove a little tiring for me. However I must say the collection is splendid. All cars, buses, bikes and planes on display, with very few exceptions, can run, fly or whatever; all are spotless and we saw three planes flying off to a display elsewhere. They are also well displayed with well researched information boards for all. My only complaint was the food at lunch time was very expensive - £2.10 for a bottle of diet coke and £3.65 for an egg sandwich! I would certainly recommend a visit, but take a picnic! We then moved on to Twinwood which is chalk and cheese. Its claim to fame is that it is where Glenn Miller took off from on his fatal flight and there is, of course, a Glen Miller museum – mostly photos but with his music playing. The is also an aviation museum, various rooms and shops displaying conditions in 1944, a model railway lay out, a reconstructed army barracks in a genuine building, a fire service museum and various other displays. None of them are massive, all is volunteer run and I think some of the museums are privately owned rather than all being one owner. The diet coke was £1! It was very different but also very enjoyable in a different way and I hope that it, too, is successful. After best part of 2 hours there we headed back to Bedford by coach arriving at 1715. We had a talk in the evening by Mike Green, Chairman of the Bassett Lowke Society and it was very interesting as we learnt a lot about the man as well as the company.
On the Monday morning we checked out and then went in two groups to Luton. We visited the Vauxhall Heritage Centre there which has 75 cars spanning the complete range of Vauxhall models from 1903 up to the Astra. We were in two groups and, as it is only open one day a year we were very lucky to get a private visit during which we got a full view of all the exhibits. We then dispersed after an excellent weekend.
The transport Trust and the MIHS have many kindred spirits and any TT member who lives near Merseyside would find joining MIHS a rewarding experience. Just contact me on petepurland@btopenworld.com Similarly any MIHS members with a particular interest in transport would enjoy the Transport Trust. info@transporttrust.com
Photos taken Sunday and Monday (Shuttleworth 1-11 Twinwood 12-18)
Charabus of 1921 (windows and rollback roof) Leyland of 1923 White Rose (Brookes Bros) of Rhyl DH88 Comet of 1934 (Successful racer)
Avro Triplane from film Those Magnificent Men etc 1931 Desoutter 1 used for pleasure flights Austin Seven 1935
Russian Polikarpov PO-2 of 1944 Bristol Scout of 1915 Bleriot XI 1909 Oldest plane in world still flying
1940 Supermarine Spitfire 1920 Hucks Aircraft starter Control Tower at Twinwood
Ready for inspection! The men's barracks The officer's room
Fire Operations Room Model Railway The Hardware Store as 1944
Cardington airship hangars 1926 "1938" model . First acquisition 1948 Three Post WWII models
Charabus of 1921 (windows and rollback roof) Leyland of 1923 White Rose (Brookes Bros) of Rhyl DH88 Comet of 1934 (Successful racer)
Avro Triplane from film Those Magnificent Men etc 1931 Desoutter 1 used for pleasure flights Austin Seven 1935
Russian Polikarpov PO-2 of 1944 Bristol Scout of 1915 Bleriot XI 1909 Oldest plane in world still flying
1940 Supermarine Spitfire 1920 Hucks Aircraft starter Control Tower at Twinwood
Ready for inspection! The men's barracks The officer's room
Fire Operations Room Model Railway The Hardware Store as 1944
Cardington airship hangars 1926 "1938" model . First acquisition 1948 Three Post WWII models
Photos taken Friday and Saturday
Summerfields Miniature Railway, Bedford . Turntable Steam engine Lady Margaret Diesel electric engine Lewis
B&MKWT trip boat John Bunyan 16c Swan Hotel Doll at Stonehenge Works Barclay of 1919
Rolling stock all built or restored by members x War Department Baldwin of 1917 Vintage Ruston Bucyrus face shovel at Stonehenge
Beaudesert (petrol) purchased 1999 with carriage Doll rounding a sharp curve at Vandyke Road Bristol Scout subject of Saturday night's talk
Summerfields Miniature Railway, Bedford . Turntable Steam engine Lady Margaret Diesel electric engine Lewis
B&MKWT trip boat John Bunyan 16c Swan Hotel Doll at Stonehenge Works Barclay of 1919
Rolling stock all built or restored by members x War Department Baldwin of 1917 Vintage Ruston Bucyrus face shovel at Stonehenge
Beaudesert (petrol) purchased 1999 with carriage Doll rounding a sharp curve at Vandyke Road Bristol Scout subject of Saturday night's talk
Mersey Gateway Opens
The new Mersey crossing between Widnes and Runcorn opened on 14th October 2017. The following facts are quoted from the websitehttp://www.merseygateway.co.uk/about-the-mersey-gateway-project/the-new-mersey-gateway-bridge/.
‘The unique design is based on a cable-stayed structure similar to the second Severn Crossing but with three towers. The 80m high central tower will be shorter than the two outer towers, which will be 110m high (north tower) and 125m high (south tower). Including the approach viaducts on each side, it will be 2,130 metres long with a river span of 1,000 metres. The main bridge deck will be made from reinforced concrete and the spans will be supported by steel cable stays attached to the three towers.’
The Jubilee Bridge has been closed for refurbishment and will reopen for local traffic on completion. Both bridges will be tolled (currently £2 for a car) and there are no toll gates - charging is made automatically by number plate recognition and, if your car is not registered with Mersyflow then you will have to pay within 24 hours or face a fine! For more details see the Merseyflow websitehttps://www.merseyflow.co.uk
The new Mersey crossing between Widnes and Runcorn opened on 14th October 2017. The following facts are quoted from the websitehttp://www.merseygateway.co.uk/about-the-mersey-gateway-project/the-new-mersey-gateway-bridge/.
‘The unique design is based on a cable-stayed structure similar to the second Severn Crossing but with three towers. The 80m high central tower will be shorter than the two outer towers, which will be 110m high (north tower) and 125m high (south tower). Including the approach viaducts on each side, it will be 2,130 metres long with a river span of 1,000 metres. The main bridge deck will be made from reinforced concrete and the spans will be supported by steel cable stays attached to the three towers.’
The Jubilee Bridge has been closed for refurbishment and will reopen for local traffic on completion. Both bridges will be tolled (currently £2 for a car) and there are no toll gates - charging is made automatically by number plate recognition and, if your car is not registered with Mersyflow then you will have to pay within 24 hours or face a fine! For more details see the Merseyflow websitehttps://www.merseyflow.co.uk
Group at tram museum Mark sorting out the tram pole with John checking!
TOP TEN ENDANGERED BUILDINGS - from David Willis
There is now less than one month remaining until the deadline for nominations for the 2017 Top 10 Endangered Buildings List. You have until 5pm on Friday 7th July to send your nominations to media@victoriansociety.org.uk. Remember: you can nominate more than one building per person; nominations are judged on merit not on how many nominations they receive (it is not a voting system). Buildings/structures that are listed and have never before featured in a Top 10 list are more likely to be chosen, and nominations which include at least one good photo are more likely to be considered. Thank you to everyone who has sent in nominations so far: please share our call for nominations with your friends and relatives on social media or just during a tea time chat, we want to hear about as many threatened buildings as possible.
There is now less than one month remaining until the deadline for nominations for the 2017 Top 10 Endangered Buildings List. You have until 5pm on Friday 7th July to send your nominations to media@victoriansociety.org.uk. Remember: you can nominate more than one building per person; nominations are judged on merit not on how many nominations they receive (it is not a voting system). Buildings/structures that are listed and have never before featured in a Top 10 list are more likely to be chosen, and nominations which include at least one good photo are more likely to be considered. Thank you to everyone who has sent in nominations so far: please share our call for nominations with your friends and relatives on social media or just during a tea time chat, we want to hear about as many threatened buildings as possible.
SAD NEWS FROM EAST TILBURY
Our Long Weekend in Essex two years ago started with a most enjoyable visit to the Bata Reminiscence and Resource Centre at East Tilbury. So I was very sad to read that it suffered an arson attack on 6th January. They lost a large number of irreplaceable items. If anyone wants to make a donation, to help restore damaged goods, why not send it to Mr Mike Tarbard, Waterview, Orsett Road, Horndon on the Hill, Essex SS17 8NS?
Our Long Weekend in Essex two years ago started with a most enjoyable visit to the Bata Reminiscence and Resource Centre at East Tilbury. So I was very sad to read that it suffered an arson attack on 6th January. They lost a large number of irreplaceable items. If anyone wants to make a donation, to help restore damaged goods, why not send it to Mr Mike Tarbard, Waterview, Orsett Road, Horndon on the Hill, Essex SS17 8NS?
Norman Redhead with group on site of Lock on Rochdale Canal as it enters Overflow weir on Bridgwater Canal
Roman Manchester Castlefields Basin
Gervase’ passing the Newcomen Engine House
at Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley (18/6/17)
Roman Manchester Castlefields Basin
Gervase’ passing the Newcomen Engine House
at Elsecar Heritage Centre, Barnsley (18/6/17)
Book Review: Man of Iron – Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain by Julian Glover (Bloomsbury Press, 2017)
Julian Glover, a journalist and former adviser to David Cameron on transport policy (including HS2), has produced a biography of Thomas Telford (1757 - 1834) which deals with Telford's activities far and wide and also gives the reader an insight into his personality through his letters and the comments of his friends. Telford, despite his name being given to the Shropshire new town is, Glover writes, ‘revered mostly by architects and industrial archaeologists’. The book is written in an engaging journalistic style making it accessible to a wider readership - it was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in early 2017.
Starting with his early life, friendships and influences, the author focuses on Telford's achievements building canals, roads, churches, harbours and bridges. Telford's tendency to claim all the credit for engineering a project is mentioned frequently, including his well documented conflict with William Jessop concerning the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
The biographer writes about the section of the Ellesmere Canal between Ellesmere Port and Chester: ‘They built the boring bit first...’. Building the Ellesmere Canal, introduced Telford to Merseyside - his portrait, painted at about that time and reproduced in the book, is in the Lever Gallery. In 1799 he suggested a plan to supply Liverpool with piped water using steam powered pumping stations but it did not come to fruition. A chapter headed ‘Pontifex Maximus’ (‘The Greatest Bridgemaker’) deals with the crossing of the Menai Strait - the subject of a talk to MIHS last year. In 1814 Telford proposed a suspension bridge spanning the Mersey at Runcorn Gap and which inspired his subsequent designs for the Menai and Conway bridges. If Telford had been able to use steel cables then perhaps we would not have had to wait until today to see a suspension bridge across the Mersey at Runcorn.
Unlike James Brindley and George Stephenson, Thomas Telford was a literate man - there are quotations from his poetry. Amongst the many illustrations there are examples of his copperplate writing in his letters and notebooks. However the 'Man of Iron' was not a 'Man of Iron Rails'; his contribution as consultant to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was dismissed by George Stephenson as "inaccurate and erroneous".
Telford's Holyhead Road (the modern A5) was eventually superseded by the railways. Despite the rise of the railways, Telford continued to work on canal schemes, surveying the line of the Macclesfield Canal and taking a role as engineer to the Weaver Navigation Trust. Perhaps not so well known among industrial archaeologists is that, during his later lifetime, Telford acted as a consultant for the thirty-two 'Parliamentary Churches' built in Scotland. These were built to a simple T-shaped plan with standardised details including cast iron window frames and internal supporting columns.
A six-page appendix lists his engineering works and there are endnotes for each chapter with an extensive bibliography. One minor niggle is that the map of Telford's selected works appears to show the Ellesmere Canal following the line of the Sankey Canal and finishing in Liverpool along the route of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Generally, technical rigor is avoided, which will appeal to the non-engineer and there is enough, at around 400 pages, to make this book a worthwhile and absorbing read (or present).
Photo of Ulva Church by Maurice Handley below right.
Julian Glover, a journalist and former adviser to David Cameron on transport policy (including HS2), has produced a biography of Thomas Telford (1757 - 1834) which deals with Telford's activities far and wide and also gives the reader an insight into his personality through his letters and the comments of his friends. Telford, despite his name being given to the Shropshire new town is, Glover writes, ‘revered mostly by architects and industrial archaeologists’. The book is written in an engaging journalistic style making it accessible to a wider readership - it was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in early 2017.
Starting with his early life, friendships and influences, the author focuses on Telford's achievements building canals, roads, churches, harbours and bridges. Telford's tendency to claim all the credit for engineering a project is mentioned frequently, including his well documented conflict with William Jessop concerning the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
The biographer writes about the section of the Ellesmere Canal between Ellesmere Port and Chester: ‘They built the boring bit first...’. Building the Ellesmere Canal, introduced Telford to Merseyside - his portrait, painted at about that time and reproduced in the book, is in the Lever Gallery. In 1799 he suggested a plan to supply Liverpool with piped water using steam powered pumping stations but it did not come to fruition. A chapter headed ‘Pontifex Maximus’ (‘The Greatest Bridgemaker’) deals with the crossing of the Menai Strait - the subject of a talk to MIHS last year. In 1814 Telford proposed a suspension bridge spanning the Mersey at Runcorn Gap and which inspired his subsequent designs for the Menai and Conway bridges. If Telford had been able to use steel cables then perhaps we would not have had to wait until today to see a suspension bridge across the Mersey at Runcorn.
Unlike James Brindley and George Stephenson, Thomas Telford was a literate man - there are quotations from his poetry. Amongst the many illustrations there are examples of his copperplate writing in his letters and notebooks. However the 'Man of Iron' was not a 'Man of Iron Rails'; his contribution as consultant to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was dismissed by George Stephenson as "inaccurate and erroneous".
Telford's Holyhead Road (the modern A5) was eventually superseded by the railways. Despite the rise of the railways, Telford continued to work on canal schemes, surveying the line of the Macclesfield Canal and taking a role as engineer to the Weaver Navigation Trust. Perhaps not so well known among industrial archaeologists is that, during his later lifetime, Telford acted as a consultant for the thirty-two 'Parliamentary Churches' built in Scotland. These were built to a simple T-shaped plan with standardised details including cast iron window frames and internal supporting columns.
A six-page appendix lists his engineering works and there are endnotes for each chapter with an extensive bibliography. One minor niggle is that the map of Telford's selected works appears to show the Ellesmere Canal following the line of the Sankey Canal and finishing in Liverpool along the route of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Generally, technical rigor is avoided, which will appeal to the non-engineer and there is enough, at around 400 pages, to make this book a worthwhile and absorbing read (or present).
Photo of Ulva Church by Maurice Handley below right.
Newly PUBLISHED - MIHS JOURNAL No 6!!
Contents:
Fawcett Preston & Co, a Liverpool foundry's involvement with the American Civil War
Skew Bridges in Merseyside and Beyond by Maurice Handley
The Willis Branch Railway
Trafford Mill
Cable making at Helsby
All for £4.50 plus postage and the Journal includes, for the first time, seven colour pages, plus maps, drawings etc. Copies will be available at the Wirral History Fair in Birkenhead Town Hall and at our next meeting.
Contents:
Fawcett Preston & Co, a Liverpool foundry's involvement with the American Civil War
Skew Bridges in Merseyside and Beyond by Maurice Handley
The Willis Branch Railway
Trafford Mill
Cable making at Helsby
All for £4.50 plus postage and the Journal includes, for the first time, seven colour pages, plus maps, drawings etc. Copies will be available at the Wirral History Fair in Birkenhead Town Hall and at our next meeting.
A VISIT TO HARTLEY’S VILLAGE by Rob Jones
Imagine my surprise while driving along Long Lane in Aintree to see a rather beautiful brick chimney with a grand daffodil at the top. I had to stop the car and take some snaps. I’d fallen on Hartley’s Village. I had to investigate. Wikipedia tells me some of the following:
The firm of Hartley's was founded by William Pickles Hartley near Pendle, Lancashire, in 1871. Later he moved to Bootle where he used earthenware jars to store marmalade in. The company was a great success and in 1884 he moved to Aintree and built his model factory and village.
Unfortunately, jam making moved to that mecca of the jam world, London. I can’t find a date for that. There’s a website for the community around Hartley’s Village, but it has that new phenomenon, “website decay” where it started with great enthusiasm around 2013 and seems to have died subsequently.
One of the early achievements was in December 2011, when Hartley's Village was designated a Conservation Area following a campaign by the HVHC with support from local residents, Liverpool City Council Conservation Team, local councilors and the city’s Heritage Champion. Conservation Area status was seen as an important step in enabling residents to protect the character and significance of the whole area and promote this important part of Liverpool's history for future generations. HVHC also believe that this status will help to generate opportunities for improvement.
They don’t make doorways like that these days.
The Company name was W Hartley & Son. The village was designed by Leek based Sugden & Sons after they won an architectural competition. It had a total of 49 houses, which surrounded a central bowling green, and later expansion took the number to 71. Within the village all of the streets were named after ingredients in jam, including “Sugar Street”,”Red Currant Court” and “Cherry Row.”
Please note. There are some good photos taken by Rob in the March bulletin. I am working on the technology for getting them on the website. All the other photos here are via word-pictures Webmaster.
CLOCKS AND A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM - by Rob Jones
I recently went to Nottingham for a Meccano convention, yes I know it's hard to believe, but that's another story, unless someone sends me copy for the next newsletter. I had some spare time before my convention and so visited the Southwell Minster and on reading the guide book discovered that when they installed a “clock” (I'm sorry I've not been able to find out the date), to enable it to be set to the right time, they built a sun dial. Of course, before the new-fangled clock was installed this was the most accurate time keeper. Well it makes sense doesn't it? The accuracy of time has only incrementally improved until now when it's accurate to, well, within a few seconds! What more could you want? (The picture is of the actual sun dial used to set the clock!) Close by was the “British Horological Institute” where the helpful and enthusiastic curator insisted on taking us on a personal tour. We saw the actual pocket watch that Captain Scott used. It was set to go off every two hours, so that hypothermia wouldn't set in during rest periods! Our guide asked where we were from and I said “Liverpool” and I made it sound like I had personally been involved in the writing of the History of Watchmaking in Prescot! And of course we bemoaned the closure of the clock museum there that we once visited. Anyway, the curator took us into a large room where “speaking clocks” were kept. And I was able to see the actual speaking clock from Liverpool and the electro - mechanical parts and glass rotating “disks” on which the words such as “At the first stroke” were embedded. The museum isn't always open so look it up on the internet first. It is located at a little village called Upton, Newark on Trent. Nice to know that a little bit of Liverpool's important telephone history is safe. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
Imagine my surprise while driving along Long Lane in Aintree to see a rather beautiful brick chimney with a grand daffodil at the top. I had to stop the car and take some snaps. I’d fallen on Hartley’s Village. I had to investigate. Wikipedia tells me some of the following:
The firm of Hartley's was founded by William Pickles Hartley near Pendle, Lancashire, in 1871. Later he moved to Bootle where he used earthenware jars to store marmalade in. The company was a great success and in 1884 he moved to Aintree and built his model factory and village.
Unfortunately, jam making moved to that mecca of the jam world, London. I can’t find a date for that. There’s a website for the community around Hartley’s Village, but it has that new phenomenon, “website decay” where it started with great enthusiasm around 2013 and seems to have died subsequently.
One of the early achievements was in December 2011, when Hartley's Village was designated a Conservation Area following a campaign by the HVHC with support from local residents, Liverpool City Council Conservation Team, local councilors and the city’s Heritage Champion. Conservation Area status was seen as an important step in enabling residents to protect the character and significance of the whole area and promote this important part of Liverpool's history for future generations. HVHC also believe that this status will help to generate opportunities for improvement.
They don’t make doorways like that these days.
The Company name was W Hartley & Son. The village was designed by Leek based Sugden & Sons after they won an architectural competition. It had a total of 49 houses, which surrounded a central bowling green, and later expansion took the number to 71. Within the village all of the streets were named after ingredients in jam, including “Sugar Street”,”Red Currant Court” and “Cherry Row.”
Please note. There are some good photos taken by Rob in the March bulletin. I am working on the technology for getting them on the website. All the other photos here are via word-pictures Webmaster.
CLOCKS AND A VISIT TO NOTTINGHAM - by Rob Jones
I recently went to Nottingham for a Meccano convention, yes I know it's hard to believe, but that's another story, unless someone sends me copy for the next newsletter. I had some spare time before my convention and so visited the Southwell Minster and on reading the guide book discovered that when they installed a “clock” (I'm sorry I've not been able to find out the date), to enable it to be set to the right time, they built a sun dial. Of course, before the new-fangled clock was installed this was the most accurate time keeper. Well it makes sense doesn't it? The accuracy of time has only incrementally improved until now when it's accurate to, well, within a few seconds! What more could you want? (The picture is of the actual sun dial used to set the clock!) Close by was the “British Horological Institute” where the helpful and enthusiastic curator insisted on taking us on a personal tour. We saw the actual pocket watch that Captain Scott used. It was set to go off every two hours, so that hypothermia wouldn't set in during rest periods! Our guide asked where we were from and I said “Liverpool” and I made it sound like I had personally been involved in the writing of the History of Watchmaking in Prescot! And of course we bemoaned the closure of the clock museum there that we once visited. Anyway, the curator took us into a large room where “speaking clocks” were kept. And I was able to see the actual speaking clock from Liverpool and the electro - mechanical parts and glass rotating “disks” on which the words such as “At the first stroke” were embedded. The museum isn't always open so look it up on the internet first. It is located at a little village called Upton, Newark on Trent. Nice to know that a little bit of Liverpool's important telephone history is safe. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
LION SALT WORKS, MARSTON
Iron Salt pan 1860's boiler Salt wagon for use on railway Interior of Smithy Engine for brine pump Brine Pump (Nodding Donkey) Red Lion Inn (now a museum) Roman Salt Pan Bagging shovel, Rake, Barrow
Interior of Pan House Four Oil Tank and Pan House Four Crushing Machine
Interior of Pan House Four Oil Tank and Pan House Four Crushing Machine
I visited the Lion Salt Works at the beginning of December and had an excellent guided tour by Celia, one of the volunteers. The original Alliance Salt Works was established by the Thompson Family next to the Red Lion Inn in 1856 but in 1888 they sold out to the Salt Union in 1888. The works were closed and the buildings demolished. However salt was in the Thompson's blood and in 1894 Henry Ingram Thompson bought the Red Lion and set up the Lion Salt Works next door. As open pan works declined the Lion works became the last such in Britain and, after the Biafran War and the loss of a Nigerian contract the writinf was on the wall and the works closed in 1986. Prior to this visitors had been allowed in parts of the works. On final closure the works was purchased by Vale Royal Council (later Cheshire West and Chester) and restoration began. Fortunately these councils are far sighted unlike some and in 2015 the works reopened to the public. I can assure readers that they are well worth a visit.
G H Wood of 1905 at Douglas Station A very well loaded Trailer 47 (1899) at Derby Castle Power Car 19 (1899) at Derby Castle
SMR No 1 at Summit station Horse Tram 45 (1907) at Derby Castle Strathallan Suite formerly horse tram depot Ticket Office at Derby Castle (Douglas Terminus) Groudle Glen Station for Groudle Railway Baldrine Station
Laxey Station Ramsey Station Ramsey The Old (Goods) Shed
SMR No 1 at Summit station Horse Tram 45 (1907) at Derby Castle Strathallan Suite formerly horse tram depot Ticket Office at Derby Castle (Douglas Terminus) Groudle Glen Station for Groudle Railway Baldrine Station
Laxey Station Ramsey Station Ramsey The Old (Goods) Shed
Isle of Man Railways October 2016
Each October I visit to work at the Isle of Man International Chess Tournament. Once it is underway I can often have 3 hours off in the morning I wanted to get a full view from the top of Snaefell so did two runs up the Manx Electric. The first time I continued from Laxey to Ramsey but the second time I got to the top and was able to see all 6 kingdoms although not the Principality. The first great pleasure I had was seeing a horse tram trotting down the promenade and, now it is owned by the railways it is running through until the end of October albeit Wed, Sat and Sun only in October. Even so I was able to have a journey down the promenade. My first 5 photos are of the steam railway, electric railway (power car and trailer ), Snaefell Mountain Railway and a horse tram. I also decided to take some stations and sheds to add to my views of the actual traction.
Some notes on the Photos. (4) Snaefell Mountain Railway No 1 is no older than the others but has been repainted in the original colour scheme and wording. (6) The Strathallan Suite was originally the Horse Tram Depot. (7) The original booking office of 1897. To say the facilities are basic is an understatement. The Terminus has never had toilets!! (8)The first terminus of the M.E.R, Groudle Glen is blessed with a large wooden waiting shelter and postbox. The station is also the interchange for the Groudle Glen Railway, which runs during the summer months from Lhen Coan to the cliffs at Sea Lion Rocks. I have been on an evening excursion from Douglas carrying well over 100 people. (9) This stop serves the small village of the same name, and is fitted with a corrugated iron shelter, with hanging baskets and tubs tended to by the local community. (10) Laxey is the interchange for the Snaefell Mountain Railway, which shares the area and runs to the larger gauge of 3ft 6, with the need to accommodate the central rail. The station also has a building housing a booking office for both M.E.R and S.M.R trips, along with a small cafe and toilets. (11) Ramsey is the northern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. The station boasts a brick building, built in 1963, which houses the station masters office, waiting area and toilets. (12) The goods shed was formerly the home to a museum, now converted into a youth drop-in centre, ‘The Shed’.
Each October I visit to work at the Isle of Man International Chess Tournament. Once it is underway I can often have 3 hours off in the morning I wanted to get a full view from the top of Snaefell so did two runs up the Manx Electric. The first time I continued from Laxey to Ramsey but the second time I got to the top and was able to see all 6 kingdoms although not the Principality. The first great pleasure I had was seeing a horse tram trotting down the promenade and, now it is owned by the railways it is running through until the end of October albeit Wed, Sat and Sun only in October. Even so I was able to have a journey down the promenade. My first 5 photos are of the steam railway, electric railway (power car and trailer ), Snaefell Mountain Railway and a horse tram. I also decided to take some stations and sheds to add to my views of the actual traction.
Some notes on the Photos. (4) Snaefell Mountain Railway No 1 is no older than the others but has been repainted in the original colour scheme and wording. (6) The Strathallan Suite was originally the Horse Tram Depot. (7) The original booking office of 1897. To say the facilities are basic is an understatement. The Terminus has never had toilets!! (8)The first terminus of the M.E.R, Groudle Glen is blessed with a large wooden waiting shelter and postbox. The station is also the interchange for the Groudle Glen Railway, which runs during the summer months from Lhen Coan to the cliffs at Sea Lion Rocks. I have been on an evening excursion from Douglas carrying well over 100 people. (9) This stop serves the small village of the same name, and is fitted with a corrugated iron shelter, with hanging baskets and tubs tended to by the local community. (10) Laxey is the interchange for the Snaefell Mountain Railway, which shares the area and runs to the larger gauge of 3ft 6, with the need to accommodate the central rail. The station also has a building housing a booking office for both M.E.R and S.M.R trips, along with a small cafe and toilets. (11) Ramsey is the northern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. The station boasts a brick building, built in 1963, which houses the station masters office, waiting area and toilets. (12) The goods shed was formerly the home to a museum, now converted into a youth drop-in centre, ‘The Shed’.
The Tide Mill at Woodbridge showing the Lucam and Suffolk boarding; Crown Wheell on second floor; Beam Scales
A cut away view of the millstones The damsel feeding the grain Wallower and gearing - waterwheel beyond
A cut away view of the millstones The damsel feeding the grain Wallower and gearing - waterwheel beyond
Woodbridge Tide Mill
The Woodbridge Tide Mill is the only one currently working in England although Eling hopes to reopen in 2017. There is also one in Wales at Carew. The first mention of the Mill was in 1170 when it was run by Augustinian Friars. This lasted until the Dissolution when it was in Royal hands until sold by Elizabeth !. It then passed through various private owners becoming the last working tidal mill in England until in 1957 the oak shaft broke and the mill closed. The future looked bleak but, in 1968 Mrs Jean Gardner purchased the Mill and gave it to a charitable trust. It reopened to the public in 1972 and the machinery was in working order by 1976 and a new pond was made in 1981. By 2010 the whole experience needed updating and, thanks to a lottery grant the Mill closed in 2012 for a total refurbishment with new displays and became the well presented experience it now is.
The Woodbridge Tide Mill is the only one currently working in England although Eling hopes to reopen in 2017. There is also one in Wales at Carew. The first mention of the Mill was in 1170 when it was run by Augustinian Friars. This lasted until the Dissolution when it was in Royal hands until sold by Elizabeth !. It then passed through various private owners becoming the last working tidal mill in England until in 1957 the oak shaft broke and the mill closed. The future looked bleak but, in 1968 Mrs Jean Gardner purchased the Mill and gave it to a charitable trust. It reopened to the public in 1972 and the machinery was in working order by 1976 and a new pond was made in 1981. By 2010 the whole experience needed updating and, thanks to a lottery grant the Mill closed in 2012 for a total refurbishment with new displays and became the well presented experience it now is.
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Linen was used by all classes in Ireland from the noble chief to the lowly milkmaid . In early times it was a domestic industry as can be seen above.
Shopa and factories came in to use and on the left we see a Danask works and, centre, a Jacquard Machine.. On the right is HMS Caroline
Caroline is the sole survivor of Jutland and the three interior shots show a navigating officer's cabin, the Ward Room and the engine room.
The final three pictures show the Marines' Mess; the Sick Bay(complete with toilet and bath) and the upper bridge which was the main control area.
Linen was used by all classes in Ireland from the noble chief to the lowly milkmaid . In early times it was a domestic industry as can be seen above.
Shopa and factories came in to use and on the left we see a Danask works and, centre, a Jacquard Machine.. On the right is HMS Caroline
Caroline is the sole survivor of Jutland and the three interior shots show a navigating officer's cabin, the Ward Room and the engine room.
The final three pictures show the Marines' Mess; the Sick Bay(complete with toilet and bath) and the upper bridge which was the main control area.
Visit to Northern Ireland
I paid another visit to Northern Ireland and, amongst visits to Historic Sites I visited Lisburn which is known as the birthplace of Ireland's linen industry, which was established in 1698 by Louis Crommelin and some fellow Huguenot's.. An exhibition about the Irish linen industry is housed in the old Market House in Market Square. It shows how all classes in Ireland used linen. How it was made, the conditions from homes to factories and the machinery used. I did not know that Damask got its name because it was material brought through Damascus (sadly not today) and the Dobby machine on show is over 100 years old whilst the Jacquard Machine was first patented in 1804.
HMS Caroline was launched 28\1\14 and is the only surviving vessel that fought in the Battle of Jutland. After WW! she served on the East Indies station and in 1924 was converted into a drill ship for RNVR in Belfast. In WW2 she was HQ for Belfast Naval Base and afterwards was returned to the RNVR. In 2009 the unit moved ashore and in 2011 she was decommissioned. However she was acquired by the Royal Navy Museum and refitted as she was in 1916 and opened to the public. They have done an excellent job!
I must say that all of the Heritage I have seen in Northern Ireland has been very well presented. It is an interesting and friendly area and well worth a visit.
Waverley at Pier Head Waverley at Pier Head Glyndyfrdwy Station
7822 Foxcoyte Manor at Carrog Taffy preparing to tow our boat One horse power on the Llangollen Canal
7822 Foxcoyte Manor at Carrog Taffy preparing to tow our boat One horse power on the Llangollen Canal
WAVERLEY AND LLANGOLLEN
My latest wanderings have included a sea trip on the Waverley up the Lancashire Coast. I am sure most of my readers will know the Waverly and how she was sold to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society for £1 by owners Caledonian Steam Packet Co. She is now the only sea-going passenger paddle steamer in the world. This year is the 70th anniversary of her launch by A&J Inglis on the Clyde for London and North Eastern Railway (whose colours she wears). Her main sailings are on the Clyde but each year she visits various areas of the country delighting crowds wherever she goes.
The Llangollen Railway was part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line and opened to Corwen in 1865 (having reached the eastern edge of Llangollan 3 years earlier. Exactly 100 years later the Beeching cuts closed the line. Llangollen Station was reopened in 1975 but with only 60 foot of track. Work proceeded gradually and by 1990, Carrog had been reached, It was 2014 before the line reached Corwen and, as the old station site was in industrial use, a temporary station has been built at Corwen east. It is hoped to extend the railway back in to the town in the not too distant future.
7822 Foxcote Manor is a Manor Class locomotive which was built at Swindon in 1950. It was rescued from Barry in 1974 and has just had a major overhaul. The Horse Drawn Boat trips on the end of the Llangollen Canal (built about 1808 by Telford as a water feeder from the Horseshoe Falls) is a very pleasant and relaxing way to spend 45 minutes. I am not certain if it is IA but it is certainly good fun!
FROM THE TREASURER Bargain of the year!
or a bargain price you can attend a series of talks throughout the winter, a near monthly newsletter, an annual weekend away and summer field trips (costs extra!) - and all about your favourite subject - industrial history. Subscriptions for the 2016/17 season will be due as we start our new year in September. These will remain unchanged at £10 for full time students, £16 for single membership and £22 for a family. If you would like to receive your copy of the bulletin by post there is an additional charge of £2 to help cover the costs. Address at the top, cheques payable to MIHS please, Graham Gladden, 104 Frankby Road, West Kirby CH48 9UX
or a bargain price you can attend a series of talks throughout the winter, a near monthly newsletter, an annual weekend away and summer field trips (costs extra!) - and all about your favourite subject - industrial history. Subscriptions for the 2016/17 season will be due as we start our new year in September. These will remain unchanged at £10 for full time students, £16 for single membership and £22 for a family. If you would like to receive your copy of the bulletin by post there is an additional charge of £2 to help cover the costs. Address at the top, cheques payable to MIHS please, Graham Gladden, 104 Frankby Road, West Kirby CH48 9UX
Old photo of Ditherington main Mill Dyehouse, Cross Mill Upper Floor Maltings
Supporting Columns Ground Hall Beams at top of Cross MIll Cross Mill and main tower with crown
Apprentice House Longdon on Tern Aqueduct Longdon on Tern Aqueducti
Smithy - now Visitor Centre Group at Ditherington Mill London on Tern - Metal Trough
Wappenshall Transshipment Warehouse First floor Storage area Barge unloading dock lower floor
Group on skew bridge Wappenshall Telford Warehouse Crane at Telford Warehouse
Supporting Columns Ground Hall Beams at top of Cross MIll Cross Mill and main tower with crown
Apprentice House Longdon on Tern Aqueduct Longdon on Tern Aqueducti
Smithy - now Visitor Centre Group at Ditherington Mill London on Tern - Metal Trough
Wappenshall Transshipment Warehouse First floor Storage area Barge unloading dock lower floor
Group on skew bridge Wappenshall Telford Warehouse Crane at Telford Warehouse
On Saturday 16th July a group of 14 MIHS members had a very good day out in Shropshire arranged courtesy of John Ryan and, of course, Malcolm Verity. We had a minibus which met most of the party at Hamilton Square and Malcolm and Charley Verity at Ellesmere Port. We had a good run down to Shrewsbury and our first stop was Ditherington Flax Mill where we were greeted with a cuppa and a video before looking round the Visitor Centre (in the old Smithy) and embarking on a comprehensive tour of the site. The mill was the first of its kind when built in 1796 to the design of Charles Bage and with money from Thomas and Benjamin Benyon and the machines and expertise of John Marshall. It was made entirely of brick and iron and its iron frame was the precursor to modern skyscrapers. When flax milling finished the mill reopened in 1897 as William Jones Maltsters and continued as such until 1987. In 2005 the derelict site was purchased by English Heritage who are working with the friends of Flaxmill Maltings (who showed us round) and Shropshire Council to restore the site. We had lunch at a nearby pub (The Dolphin) before moving to Longdon on Tern to see Telford's cast iron viaduct. This was built in 1797 to replace a stone one washed away in 1795. It is said to be the model for Pontcysyllte. Although the canal was closed in 1944 the viaduct remains in a field and accessible and is grade one listed. Our final visited was to the Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust at Wappenshall. The Shrewsbury Canal was originally a stand alone one but in 1835 it was joined to the Shropshire Union by a branch from Norbury Junction which joined at Wappenshall. In 2009 the trust gained ownership of the warehouses there and we saw the two structures and were able to go in both. The trans shipment warehouse is the last in the country still in water. We had a cuppa and a talk before another excellent tour which included a skew bridge. The trust have a lot of work to do but are very enthusiastic and progress is being made. We wish both groups the best of luck. From here we had a very good run through to Wirral where the tour ended.
MONMOUTHSHIRE AND BRECON CANAL
Dragonfly leaving Brynich Aqueduct Entering the lock at Brynich Toll House or Stewards House for racecourse
The Brecknock and Abergaveny Canal, engineered by Thomas Dadford, reached Brecon in 1800 but did not reach its promised junction with the Monmouthshire Canal until 1812 (thanks to a loan from Thomas Crawshay). Despite today's rural idylll it was built for coal and iron and had many tramroads connecting to it and the usual limekilns and interchange wharfs. Control passed to the GWR in 1880 and within 30 years there was little commercial traffic. It was formally closed in 1962 but within 8 years the Brecon section was being reopened and today you can cruise along the whole Brecon section. I went on Dragonfly Cruises which does a 2.5 hour cruise through Brynich Lock to Brynich Aqueduct where you can stretch your legs and look at the works and scenery.
RHEILFFORDD LLYN TEGID
Diana at Bala terminus (Bala Lake Halt) Holy War in shed at Llanuwchllyn Interior of Llanuwchllyn signal box
The Bala Lake Railway is a two foot gauge railway built on the trackbed of the Bala and Dolgelly (sic) Railway of 1868. It was taken over by the GWR and formed part of the Ruabon to Barmouth route. It was closed in January 1965 but Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid was registered in 1972. The first company to be registered in Welsh. It follows the old line from Llanuwchllyn to Bala Lake Halt running alongside Llyn Tegid with stunning views over the lake and Arenig Mountains. I rode behind Diana which was built in 1917 by Kerr Stuart for the Kerry Tramroad. She was sold to Oakley then Pen yr Orsedd Quarries but laid up with boiler problems in 1950. She did not run again for over 60 years and this was one of her first outings. Holy War was built by Hunslet in 1902 and worked at Dinor wic until 1967 when she was the last steam engine in a British slate quarry, In 1979 she moved to Llanuwchllyn and has been a regular ever since.
FINCH FOUNDRY STICKLEPATH
General view of forge including trip hammer Shears Forge and Anvil
Wheel gearing inside forge Overshot wheel Carpenter's shop
Wheel gearing inside forge Overshot wheel Carpenter's shop
There have been mills on the site for over 500 ranging from fulling mill through woollen mill to grist mill. The Finch family took over the mill (closed) in 1814 and gained a reputation for high quality edge tools. Although most family and village forges had closed before WWII but Ralph Finch kept the business going until 1960. It is said that about this time the rear wall of the forge collapsed - fortunately whilst the workforce was in the pub! They inspected the damage then finished their pints. The forge was restored to working order by North Dartmoor Museums Association and in 1994 was given to the National Trust - the present owners. It is open daily April to October
DARTMOOR RAILWAY OKEHAMPTON
kehampton Down Platform 37838 with Meldon Viaduct Shuttle Meldon Viaduct
BRYNTAIL LEAD AND BARYTES MINE
General view of Bryntail Lead Mine Barytes preparation plant Settling Tank
The buildings at Bryntail are 19c and associated iwth the extraction of Lead and Barytes. The amounts winnable were never large and, despite being taken over in 1869 by the Van Consols Group the site closed in 1884. The site, situated in the shadow of the Clywedog Dam, is cared for by CADW and is open daily 1000-1600.
Dalegarth Station Rebuilt 2007 Yes it is an upturned boat (the third on site) View from Dalegarth Station
River Irt 1894 - rebuilt 1917 Northern Rock Built Ravenglass 1976 Lady Wakefield Built Ravenglass 1980
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The original railway was of 3ft gauge and opened in 1875 to serve haematite mines near Boot. It carried passengers from 1876-1908 and finally closed in 1813 (having been declared bankrupt 15 years earlier.) In 1915 it was rebuilt to 15inch guage by Basset-Lowke and Proctor-Mitchell and by 1917 the whole line was regauged although in some sections there was mixed gauge. The present terminus at Dalegarth was reached in the 1920s. The line was owned by the Keswick Granite Company after WWII but was sold to a preservation company in 1960. It remains a very popular Lake District attraction.
The original railway was of 3ft gauge and opened in 1875 to serve haematite mines near Boot. It carried passengers from 1876-1908 and finally closed in 1813 (having been declared bankrupt 15 years earlier.) In 1915 it was rebuilt to 15inch guage by Basset-Lowke and Proctor-Mitchell and by 1917 the whole line was regauged although in some sections there was mixed gauge. The present terminus at Dalegarth was reached in the 1920s. The line was owned by the Keswick Granite Company after WWII but was sold to a preservation company in 1960. It remains a very popular Lake District attraction.
The Standedge Experience
The Standedge Tunnel is the Highest, Deepest and Longest canal tunnel in England.. It was opened in 1811 (Telford overseeing the later phases) and is 3.25 miles long without a tow path. It was closed in 1943 but reopened in 2001. There is an exhibition in the restored warehouse (above left) and there are hourly boat trips taking you about 500 yards inside the tunnel. Every couple of weeks there are trips right through the tunnel. The other two views show the tunnel portal and a view inside the tunnel.
The Standedge Tunnel is the Highest, Deepest and Longest canal tunnel in England.. It was opened in 1811 (Telford overseeing the later phases) and is 3.25 miles long without a tow path. It was closed in 1943 but reopened in 2001. There is an exhibition in the restored warehouse (above left) and there are hourly boat trips taking you about 500 yards inside the tunnel. Every couple of weeks there are trips right through the tunnel. The other two views show the tunnel portal and a view inside the tunnel.
Bold Bridge, Nr Bold Bridge Cottages, Bold, St Helens / Halton - Awarded Listed Building Status Grade II
Thanks to Maurice Handley for his efforts to achieve this
Thanks to Maurice Handley for his efforts to achieve this
Stone Sleeper Court Hey Stone Sleeper Sankey Canal Conjectural illustration of Bourne's Tunnel,
Rainhill beneath L & M R c1830
Rainhill beneath L & M R c1830
Stone Sleepers
Stone sleeper blocks were commonly used on horse tramways in the 18th century, for example on Benjamin Outram's Peak Forest tramway at Bugsworth. Typically the blocks were between 18 in and 2 ft square and about 12 in deep. The top surface had two holes into which a wooden plug was inserted so that a metal spike could be driven to fix the chair or pedestal supporting the rail.
Local sandstone sleeper blocks were used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L & M R) except where the line was subject to settlement when wooden sleepers were preferred (e.g. across Chat Moss or on embankments). However the higher speeds and greater loads on the railway meant that the stone blocks tended to break or sink into the ballast. Also they were labour intensive to quarry, dress, transport and lay. Within ten years of the opening of the L & M R, the stone sleepers were replaced by wooden sleepers.
Perhaps they used stone blocks because the original plan was for the L & M R to be horse drawn and they needed to leave a space for the horse to run between the rails. Before the invention of a preservative for the wooden sleepers, oak would have been in demand for shipbuilding and may have been more costly than stone. Suitable sandstone is abundant in the Merseyside area.
Bertram Baxter in his book Stone Blocks and Iron Rails (Tramways) estimates that 4000 stone sleepers were needed for one mile of single railway line, so its not surprising that many of the redundant blocks were reused in a variety of locations. Some may have been recycled in tramways such as at Hilbre Island and others were perhaps reused more than once in walls and buildings. Original L & M R rails are thought to have been reused at Storeton Quarry but the quarry probably supplied its own sleeper blocks.
A novel use of the blocks can be seen on the entrance drive to the Wildflower Centre at Court Hey in Huyton, where they have been stood on end to form a kerb. Robertson Gladstone, (the elder brother of the prime minister W. E Gladstone) was a director of the L & M R and he arranged for the blocks to be sold to his mansion at Court Hey. Some of the blocks have the plug holes arranged diagonally indicating that the blocks were set in a diamond pattern under the rails, presumably in an attempt to stabilise the blocks.
Stone sleeper blocks can also be found built into the wall on the south side of Huyton Station. Nearby, alongside Hale Bank Road, broken sleeper blocks are incorporated in a stone wall on the site of the Willis Branch Line which opened in the mid 1830's. The branch linked the L & M R with collieries in Whiston and was probably constructed using stone sleepers and iron rails discarded from the main line.
A good place to see these recognisable blocks is on the tow path of the Sankey Canal near the new bridge leading from the World of Glass Museum to the rugby ground in St Helens (also nearby are the remains of the Cannington Shaw Bottle Works). Perhaps this collection of straight and diagonal sleeper blocks came from the nearby St Helens and Runcorn Gap railway which opened shortly after the L & M R; or were they reused on one of the many colliery tramways in the area before being used to repair the towpath edge?
One of the more unusual uses can be found in Preston, where limestone sleeper blocks from the Preston and Longridge Railway were used to build the steeple of St Walburge's Church. However there are few sites where blocks remain in their original location and if you know of any near Merseyside let me know.
Maurice Handley
Sources:
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway by R. H. G. Thomas
Stone Blocks and Iron Rails (Tramways) by B. Baxter
Liverpool & Manchester Railway Operations by T. J. Donaghy
A History of Court Hey Park by G. Peet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Walburge,_Preston
Stone sleeper blocks were commonly used on horse tramways in the 18th century, for example on Benjamin Outram's Peak Forest tramway at Bugsworth. Typically the blocks were between 18 in and 2 ft square and about 12 in deep. The top surface had two holes into which a wooden plug was inserted so that a metal spike could be driven to fix the chair or pedestal supporting the rail.
Local sandstone sleeper blocks were used on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L & M R) except where the line was subject to settlement when wooden sleepers were preferred (e.g. across Chat Moss or on embankments). However the higher speeds and greater loads on the railway meant that the stone blocks tended to break or sink into the ballast. Also they were labour intensive to quarry, dress, transport and lay. Within ten years of the opening of the L & M R, the stone sleepers were replaced by wooden sleepers.
Perhaps they used stone blocks because the original plan was for the L & M R to be horse drawn and they needed to leave a space for the horse to run between the rails. Before the invention of a preservative for the wooden sleepers, oak would have been in demand for shipbuilding and may have been more costly than stone. Suitable sandstone is abundant in the Merseyside area.
Bertram Baxter in his book Stone Blocks and Iron Rails (Tramways) estimates that 4000 stone sleepers were needed for one mile of single railway line, so its not surprising that many of the redundant blocks were reused in a variety of locations. Some may have been recycled in tramways such as at Hilbre Island and others were perhaps reused more than once in walls and buildings. Original L & M R rails are thought to have been reused at Storeton Quarry but the quarry probably supplied its own sleeper blocks.
A novel use of the blocks can be seen on the entrance drive to the Wildflower Centre at Court Hey in Huyton, where they have been stood on end to form a kerb. Robertson Gladstone, (the elder brother of the prime minister W. E Gladstone) was a director of the L & M R and he arranged for the blocks to be sold to his mansion at Court Hey. Some of the blocks have the plug holes arranged diagonally indicating that the blocks were set in a diamond pattern under the rails, presumably in an attempt to stabilise the blocks.
Stone sleeper blocks can also be found built into the wall on the south side of Huyton Station. Nearby, alongside Hale Bank Road, broken sleeper blocks are incorporated in a stone wall on the site of the Willis Branch Line which opened in the mid 1830's. The branch linked the L & M R with collieries in Whiston and was probably constructed using stone sleepers and iron rails discarded from the main line.
A good place to see these recognisable blocks is on the tow path of the Sankey Canal near the new bridge leading from the World of Glass Museum to the rugby ground in St Helens (also nearby are the remains of the Cannington Shaw Bottle Works). Perhaps this collection of straight and diagonal sleeper blocks came from the nearby St Helens and Runcorn Gap railway which opened shortly after the L & M R; or were they reused on one of the many colliery tramways in the area before being used to repair the towpath edge?
One of the more unusual uses can be found in Preston, where limestone sleeper blocks from the Preston and Longridge Railway were used to build the steeple of St Walburge's Church. However there are few sites where blocks remain in their original location and if you know of any near Merseyside let me know.
Maurice Handley
Sources:
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway by R. H. G. Thomas
Stone Blocks and Iron Rails (Tramways) by B. Baxter
Liverpool & Manchester Railway Operations by T. J. Donaghy
A History of Court Hey Park by G. Peet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Walburge,_Preston
TOP TEN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE SITES AT RISK IN ENGLAND
ELSECAR ENGINE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE This is the only Newcomen engine to survive in the World in its original location.
SHREWSBURY FLAXMILL MALTINGS Built 1797 and the first building in the World to have a fireproof internal iron frame.
BACKBARROW IRONWORKS - CUMBRIA Many of the surviving features of this Ironworks cannot be found anywhere else in England.
SOHO FOUNDRY - WEST MIDLANDS The World's first integrated steam engine factory, capable of supplying complete engines.
BOWES RAILWAY - TYNE AND WEAR One of the earliest and best preserved rope hauled railways in England.
STANLEY MILL - GLOUCESTERSHIRE Has the finest cast iron framing in the Country.
BATTERSEA POWER STATION - LONDON The iconic landmark.
SLEAFORD BASS MALTINGS - LINCOLNSHIRE
STANLEY DOCK WAREHOUSES - LIVERPOOL, believed to be the biggest brick building in the World (about 27 million bricks).
CHATTERLEY WHITFIELD COLLIERY - STOKE ON TRENT The first “one million ton” coal mine in 1937.
ELSECAR ENGINE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE This is the only Newcomen engine to survive in the World in its original location.
SHREWSBURY FLAXMILL MALTINGS Built 1797 and the first building in the World to have a fireproof internal iron frame.
BACKBARROW IRONWORKS - CUMBRIA Many of the surviving features of this Ironworks cannot be found anywhere else in England.
SOHO FOUNDRY - WEST MIDLANDS The World's first integrated steam engine factory, capable of supplying complete engines.
BOWES RAILWAY - TYNE AND WEAR One of the earliest and best preserved rope hauled railways in England.
STANLEY MILL - GLOUCESTERSHIRE Has the finest cast iron framing in the Country.
BATTERSEA POWER STATION - LONDON The iconic landmark.
SLEAFORD BASS MALTINGS - LINCOLNSHIRE
STANLEY DOCK WAREHOUSES - LIVERPOOL, believed to be the biggest brick building in the World (about 27 million bricks).
CHATTERLEY WHITFIELD COLLIERY - STOKE ON TRENT The first “one million ton” coal mine in 1937.
LONG WEEKEND 2016
This will take place from 29th April to 2nd May and will be to Carlisle. It promises to be yet another excellent weekend so if you want to join in please contact Malcolm Verity (see contacts) as soon as possible.
This will take place from 29th April to 2nd May and will be to Carlisle. It promises to be yet another excellent weekend so if you want to join in please contact Malcolm Verity (see contacts) as soon as possible.
Crumlin Road Jail entrance Prisoners' reception area D Block (supergrass unit on bottom floor
Typical cell of 1970's and 80's Hangmans Cell Central area of jail
Typical cell of 1970's and 80's Hangmans Cell Central area of jail
Crumlin Road Jail
I am not sure if a jail is industrial archaeology but the tour of the former jail is certainly another excellent way to spend two or three hours. Most of us have heard of the jail but now you can visit it (and even have ghost tours or music concerts there.) It has been closed for about 20 years but still retains its atmosphere.
I am not sure if a jail is industrial archaeology but the tour of the former jail is certainly another excellent way to spend two or three hours. Most of us have heard of the jail but now you can visit it (and even have ghost tours or music concerts there.) It has been closed for about 20 years but still retains its atmosphere.
A trio of County Donegal "locos" No 2 Blanche of 1912, Railcar No 1 of 1920, No 12 Phoenix of 1924 built as a steamer for Clogher Valley Railway
Track inspection bicycle BNCR 1902 Express loco Maeve 1936 Great Southern Rly Hill of Howth Tram no 4 1901
Fintona Horse Tram no 4 1883 Giants Causeway trams 2 + 5 1883 Booking office for trams and trains Portrush
Belfast Corporation Trolley bus 112 of1948 The infamous De Lorean of 1981 a Belsize of 1911
Track inspection bicycle BNCR 1902 Express loco Maeve 1936 Great Southern Rly Hill of Howth Tram no 4 1901
Fintona Horse Tram no 4 1883 Giants Causeway trams 2 + 5 1883 Booking office for trams and trains Portrush
Belfast Corporation Trolley bus 112 of1948 The infamous De Lorean of 1981 a Belsize of 1911
Ulster Transport Museum
This is actually across the road from the folk museum and consists of 6 galleries of which I managed three and was there nearly 5 hours (although I do confess to spending 20 minutes eating). The railway gallery is very interesting and I spent a long time there including a guided tour. I then moved on to the Road vehicle section (buses trams vans etc) and ended up in the car gallery. The signage was very good and all the exhibits were in excellent condition. I did not go in the special exhibition area (Titanic) nor get to the land, sea and air galleries which were 10 minutes walk away. All three museums are well worth a visit and, coupled with non IA related things I did it was a very full visit and, being the first week in January I was not fighting crowds all the time.
This is actually across the road from the folk museum and consists of 6 galleries of which I managed three and was there nearly 5 hours (although I do confess to spending 20 minutes eating). The railway gallery is very interesting and I spent a long time there including a guided tour. I then moved on to the Road vehicle section (buses trams vans etc) and ended up in the car gallery. The signage was very good and all the exhibits were in excellent condition. I did not go in the special exhibition area (Titanic) nor get to the land, sea and air galleries which were 10 minutes walk away. All three museums are well worth a visit and, coupled with non IA related things I did it was a very full visit and, being the first week in January I was not fighting crowds all the time.
Mill Lane Labourers Cottage Dressmakers' Cottage
Cushendall Courthouse Pound Forge National School Ballyverdagh
Cushendall Courthouse Pound Forge National School Ballyverdagh
Ulster Folk Museum
I visited this on a fairly rainy day and we only managed the "town". Again, it is not cheap but you could easily spent a whole day here. It is the usual format of buildings either transported to the site or built on site and the contents of the original building place in their new home. It seems to be predominantly shops, agriculture, and town buildings although I did not go to the furthest reaches. I always have liked this style of museum and found this particular one very good.
I visited this on a fairly rainy day and we only managed the "town". Again, it is not cheap but you could easily spent a whole day here. It is the usual format of buildings either transported to the site or built on site and the contents of the original building place in their new home. It seems to be predominantly shops, agriculture, and town buildings although I did not go to the furthest reaches. I always have liked this style of museum and found this particular one very good.
Nomadic in Hamilton Dry Dock Caisson for Hamilton Dry Dock (preserved) Crews quarters on Nomadic
The new Titanic Museum The forge in the recreated shipyard Launch of the Titanic
The new Titanic Museum The forge in the recreated shipyard Launch of the Titanic
Titanic Museum and Nomadic
Since our visit in 2008 a lot has been done to the area. The drawing office has plans but is still virtually empty, the slipway area has been beautified, the Nomadic has been restored to a high standard and there is a brand new Titanic Museum. As with all modern architecture you can love or hate it but for unimaginative people it is 4 Titanic bows radiating from a central core and, from above, it looks like a White Star! It is not cheap to get in (£12.50 for an OAP) but you can happily spent all day there and it has a good souvenir shop and cafe. The first section tells the story of Belfast industry and then moves on to Harland and Wolff, the building and fitting out of Titanic (including a ride round the "shipyard"), the voyage, the sinking and finally the rediscovery. There are lots of information boards and pictures including some very good photographs taken on board between Southampton and Queenstown plus a good selection of internal shots (some being Olympic of course) and the only criticism I would have is a lack of artifacts. Even if one could argue that there are not many left of Titanic there could have been more from the industries and also what happened to the industries. Nomadic is very well done and, in both areas, the staff were friendly and helpful.
Since our visit in 2008 a lot has been done to the area. The drawing office has plans but is still virtually empty, the slipway area has been beautified, the Nomadic has been restored to a high standard and there is a brand new Titanic Museum. As with all modern architecture you can love or hate it but for unimaginative people it is 4 Titanic bows radiating from a central core and, from above, it looks like a White Star! It is not cheap to get in (£12.50 for an OAP) but you can happily spent all day there and it has a good souvenir shop and cafe. The first section tells the story of Belfast industry and then moves on to Harland and Wolff, the building and fitting out of Titanic (including a ride round the "shipyard"), the voyage, the sinking and finally the rediscovery. There are lots of information boards and pictures including some very good photographs taken on board between Southampton and Queenstown plus a good selection of internal shots (some being Olympic of course) and the only criticism I would have is a lack of artifacts. Even if one could argue that there are not many left of Titanic there could have been more from the industries and also what happened to the industries. Nomadic is very well done and, in both areas, the staff were friendly and helpful.
Museum building, formerly the cotton store Non-dead-centre engine 1893 Uniflow engine 1926
Tandem compound engine 1902 (side view!!) Fire Pump 1890 Horizontal cross compound Engine 1935
"McNaughted" beam engine 1904 Twin beam engine 1840 oldest in museum Diamond Ropeworks engine 1914
BOLTON STEAM MUSEUM OPEN DAY DECEMBER 29TH 2015
I visited the museum during its Christmas/New Year Steaming Day and had an enjoyable couple of hours there. It seems a very well run museum and the exhibits are in running order with a fair number in steam at different times. A list of Steaming Days can be found on their web site www.nmes.org (it is also a good web site). There is free parking and also free admission although donations are welcome and they also provide a shop and light refreshments. They can be found in the Morrison's complex just by the petrol station. I have, below, put additional details of the photos shown above starting top left.
The society was founded in 1966 and thanks to the generosity of the Mason family was able to use number 3 mill engine room at the Atlas Mill. 15 years of hard work saw the museum open to the public in 1983. However in 1990 disaster appeared to strike when the site was sold for retail development and the museum building would have to be demolished. Fortunately William Morrison Supermarkets were sympathetic and gave the society the former cotton store on the far side of the site. This is where the engines have been moved to and is shown in picture one.Picture two shows one of John Musgrave's engines built at Bolton for A & J Hoyle's Park Street Mill in Radcliffe. It was the first engine purchased by the society in 1966. Picture three is an engine of the type originally developed by Professor Stumpf in Berlin in the 1900s and build for the Baltic Sawmills in Ammanford. It was later used at the Manchester College of Technology (1938 -47) and then was bought by Thomas Mitchell of Bolton before being purchased by the society. Photo four (sorry about the side view) is "Elsie" built in Rochdale by J&W McNaught for Barchant Spinning Company where it served for 15 years before moving to the Wasp Mill at Wardle near Rochdale. Here it served for 50 years before purchase by the society in 1967. It has run on both museum sites. The Fire Pump (5) was built by Walker's of Radcliffe for Fern Mill in Shaw and used to pump water to feed the sprinkler system. Photo 6 shows an engine built by Robery of Lincoln as a teaching engine for Manchester College of Technology and in 1947 it went to Thomas Mitchell of Bolton and was kept in store before purchase by a society member in 1987 and loaned for display. The engine in photo 7 was from an unknown builder but was rebuilt in 1908 by Woodhouse and Mitchell and used in the Cellarsclough Mill of Fisher Firth. It is the largest exhibit. Number 8 was rebuilt in 1893 and worked for a further 60 years at Crosfields Mill in Wardle. It lay derelict for 14 years before being purchased in 1967 by the society. The final photo shows "Lily" an inverted vertical compound engine built by Scott and Hodgson of Guide Bridge for Hardman and Ingham's Diamond Rope Works at Royton near Oldham. The mill was badly damaged by fire in 1973 and the engine never ran again. It was rescued from a scrap yard by the society in 1995.
More detailed accounts of the technical side can be found on the website.
The award winning Ballure Viaduct MER Lady Isabella from Snaefell Railway SMR number 5 at the summit
Remains of Snaefell lead mine Kissack No 13 at Douglas Kissack no 13 at Port Erin
It is interesting that when we went over for the long weekend in 2014 (qv) I have a photo of Kissack's boiler under repair in the loco works
Remains of Snaefell lead mine Kissack No 13 at Douglas Kissack no 13 at Port Erin
It is interesting that when we went over for the long weekend in 2014 (qv) I have a photo of Kissack's boiler under repair in the loco works
REQUEST FOR HELP: MEDIEVAL TIDE MILLS
Formby historian, Reg Yorke, believes there was a medieval tide mill at the mouth of the River Alt and he needs some technical advice. If anyone is an expert on tide mills, or knows someone who is, could they contact Reg via Maurice Handley, (mahandley@tesco.net
Formby historian, Reg Yorke, believes there was a medieval tide mill at the mouth of the River Alt and he needs some technical advice. If anyone is an expert on tide mills, or knows someone who is, could they contact Reg via Maurice Handley, (mahandley@tesco.net
On The Waterfront
A new exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum explores the rich history of the Albert Dock, the city and port of Liverpool. Through photographs, paintings, film and audio, you’ll discover the commercial, industrial and architectural development of the area from the 18th century up to the present day. Marking the 300 year anniversary of the city’s Old Dock, personal stories show how the area was shaped and the impact it has had on the lives of local people. Learn more about On The Waterfronton our websit
A new exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum explores the rich history of the Albert Dock, the city and port of Liverpool. Through photographs, paintings, film and audio, you’ll discover the commercial, industrial and architectural development of the area from the 18th century up to the present day. Marking the 300 year anniversary of the city’s Old Dock, personal stories show how the area was shaped and the impact it has had on the lives of local people. Learn more about On The Waterfronton our websit
Cannington Shaw no. 7 Bottle Making Shop, St Helens
The uncertain future of the Cannington Shaw Bottle Shop glass works in St Helens is causing concern and has been highlighted on regional TV and in the local press. The building has been described as of 'outstanding significance' by Oxford Archaeology North and is recognised by Historic England as a 'Building at Risk'. It is an internationally important part of St Helens' industrial heritage and is a Grade II listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The Bottle Shop is the only remains of what was claimed to be the largest bottle making factory in the country. It was built in 1866 and was in operation until mechanisation of bottle making led to its closure in 1918. It was then used as a store and as an air raid shelter during World War II.
The Bottle Shop originally contained a Siemens Tank Furnace beneath a 'cone' shaped structure which served to ventilate the working area around the tank. Gas and air were fed into the furnace from one side to the other and the hot exhaust gases then passed through a 'regenerator' beneath the furnace before escaping via a tall chimney. The regenerator was heated by the hot gases and after half an hour flow was reversed so the incoming gas and air were heated in the regenerator. Although the tank has been removed, the system of ducts used to heat the gases is still in situ.
The furnace tank was rectangular in plan with a curved end which had a series of access holes where the glass blower could collect molten glass. The bottle would be formed using a mould and manually finished before annealing. Four teams of five men worked in the Bottle Shop at each shift; each team producing three bottles per minute. Additional workers fed the raw materials into the furnace and operated the annealing process. The structure surrounding the working area also had a curved end with ventialtion openings (now bricked up). For more information on the building and its history there is an article in the Society's Journal no. 4, 2014.
The building is in a ruinous and deteriorating condition and lies within a new development site incorporating the St Helens rugby league ground and a Tesco supermarket. The company which owns the site has a duty of care and says it has a management plan to prevent further decay. The Friends of Cannington Shaw have been formed to secure the preservation, conservation and protection of the building, to promote public interest in the site and to create a sustainable future for this important cultural and heritage asset. www.facebook.com/CanningtonShaw
Please see events for a report and pictures of our field trip to Darkest Cheshire
A post on July 14th (Black Country Day) covers visits to the Anderton Boat Lift and Dean Forest Heritage Museum
Latest post (30\5) on the events page is a visit to the Gwili Railway
I have put an article on Hooton Park's Bus Running Day and also a Devon Snippets article on the events page
I have put an article on Cenarth Mill and the National Coracle Centre on the events page.
I have put an article on Formby Oil Wells and some photos of Bank Quay Transporter Bridge on the events page.
The two summer field trips can be found on the diary page.
A post on July 14th (Black Country Day) covers visits to the Anderton Boat Lift and Dean Forest Heritage Museum
Latest post (30\5) on the events page is a visit to the Gwili Railway
I have put an article on Hooton Park's Bus Running Day and also a Devon Snippets article on the events page
I have put an article on Cenarth Mill and the National Coracle Centre on the events page.
I have put an article on Formby Oil Wells and some photos of Bank Quay Transporter Bridge on the events page.
The two summer field trips can be found on the diary page.
At our AGM on 8th December Anna Alexander was elected our new Chairwoman. All of the committee and membership would like to thank Roy Forshaw for his 10 years of inspired leadership and unstinting work at the helm of the Society. It was also confirmed that our Long Weekend 1st-4th May will be to Essex and will be based in Chelmsford. For application form please contact Malcolm Verity (see contacts).
MERSEYSIDE'S INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE IN ONE BOOK
“MERSEYSIDE’S INDUSTRIAL PAST”
PUBLISHED BY MIHS and CONTINUALLY UPDATED
Gazetteer of the Industrial Heritage of Merseyside
o Edited by Paul Rees and Roy Forshaw
o covers all known sites in Merseyside
o full addresses and map references
o potted histories by subject experts
o more than 100 photos
o third edition since 1974, totally updated
For more details or to obtain your copy contact Malcolm Verity malcolm.verity1@btinternet.com
Some photos I got of a brickworks in the Mekong Delta. The one bottom right was taken by Maurice Handley during a visit to the north of Vietnam
Brick making machine Bricks drying in the hot sun Looking inside a full kiln
Looking up a bottle kiln Exterior of bottle kiln The brickworks in the north of Vietnam
Brick making machine Bricks drying in the hot sun Looking inside a full kiln
Looking up a bottle kiln Exterior of bottle kiln The brickworks in the north of Vietnam
JOIN THE MIHS
What ever your interests are in industrial archaeology the MIHS is the society for you. Below are six varied photos taken by your webmaster and showing the variety of things we visit, They are (starting top left) A WWII Fairmile launch now working out of Torquay; A preserved Royal Blue Coach; Spalding Maltings; The workings of a corn mill; Croyland Bridge; A Lancaster Bomber.
Please see our events page for more photos. Diary page for application or renewal form (the same!)
What ever your interests are in industrial archaeology the MIHS is the society for you. Below are six varied photos taken by your webmaster and showing the variety of things we visit, They are (starting top left) A WWII Fairmile launch now working out of Torquay; A preserved Royal Blue Coach; Spalding Maltings; The workings of a corn mill; Croyland Bridge; A Lancaster Bomber.
Please see our events page for more photos. Diary page for application or renewal form (the same!)
If anyone can help with the request below please contact me. petepurland@btopenworld.com
I am researching ships built by some early Liverpool iron ship builders, in particular Thomas Vernon, active 1833-1867. I have been trying in vain to find a building list for this yard.
I have made a visit to the library and archives of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, but they had nothing. From Lloyds Register and other sources, I have created a list of 72 ships, but they built many more, probably at least 300.
Do you or someone else in MIHS have any information about this yard? ANY leads or pieces of info would be greatly appreciated.
I am also interested in finding out more about the yards of Thomas Wilson (1830:s), James Hodgson (1840:s) Rennie, Johnson & Rankin
(1850:s) and Hart & Sinnot (1860:s)
Best regards
Bjorn Laquist,
Stockholm, Sweden
Please see Long Weekend Page for details of May 2014 visit to Isle of Man.
I am researching ships built by some early Liverpool iron ship builders, in particular Thomas Vernon, active 1833-1867. I have been trying in vain to find a building list for this yard.
I have made a visit to the library and archives of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, but they had nothing. From Lloyds Register and other sources, I have created a list of 72 ships, but they built many more, probably at least 300.
Do you or someone else in MIHS have any information about this yard? ANY leads or pieces of info would be greatly appreciated.
I am also interested in finding out more about the yards of Thomas Wilson (1830:s), James Hodgson (1840:s) Rennie, Johnson & Rankin
(1850:s) and Hart & Sinnot (1860:s)
Best regards
Bjorn Laquist,
Stockholm, Sweden
Please see Long Weekend Page for details of May 2014 visit to Isle of Man.
