The UK Government has announced that £1.5 billion will be invested in the culture sector (including arts venues, museums, libraries, and heritage buildings) in England over five years in order to prevent closures and address urgent capital needs. The support includes more than £100 million of new monies specifically earmarked for local museums (many of which…
Canal & River Trust Recieves Extra Funding for Canal Repairs
With the British canal system facing pressures from extreme weather and rising maintenance costs, the UK Government has announced that it is providing an addtional £6.5 million in funding for the Canal and River Trust (CRT), who care for the majority of the canals and river navigations in England and Wales. This in addition to…
Science Museum Group & RICHeS Survey – Empowering Safety
The Science Museum Group is running a Collections Hazards project, ‘Empowering Safety‘, funded by RICHeS (the UK’s Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science). The ‘Empowering Safety’ project aims to increase knowledge and guidance around hazards in museum collections through targetted training, which is especially relevant for industrial heritage sites. As part of the project…
The National Lottery Heritage Fund: Museum Collections, Storage, Access, and Resilience Research
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is working with Heather Lomas and Emma Chaplin to research the current landscape for UK museum collections, including industrial heritage collections. The research focuses on how collections are stored, acquired, and rationalised, as well as the extent to which stored collections are accessible to the public. The findings will directly…
Early Engines Database Finds New Home With the AIA
The Early Engines Database of eighteenth century steam engines has a new permanent home, courtesy of the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA). The database is a record of the steam engines constructed in the United Kingdom up to the end of the year 1800. It records only the first erection of each engine, (although what…
Social Media Use in 2025 – Are Industrial Heritage Charities Still on X?
Facebook remainded the most popular social media platform for most Industrial Heritage sites in England during during 2025. According to Industrial Heritage Network members, hundreds of sites are hosting Facebook pages. There was also a noticeable increase in the use of the LinkedIn platform, although the numbers remain in the low tens. Dozens of industrial…
Charity Digital’s Advice On How to Set Up a ‘Just Giving’ Page
The start of a new year coincides with the middle of the annual the shut down period for many industrial heritage sites across Britain. Its a time to plan for the future, and many industrial heritage sites will be grappling with securing their finances in 2026, after a year of challenges in 2025. The ‘Just…
Historic Environment Scotland’ ‘Inform Guide’ to Ceramic Tiled Flooring
Historic Environment Scotland (HES)’s ‘Inform Guide’ on ceramic tiled floors is available to download. Fired clay tiles have been in use since the Middle Ages, and a large manufactruign industry developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The guide gives a brief overview of the traditional, and often decorative, floor tiles. The Inform Guide explores…
Winners of 2025 National Railway Heritage Awards Announced
The 2025 National Railway Heritage Awards – established in 1979 to recognise best practice in the re-use, restoration and upkeep of historic railway and tramway buildings – were presented on 3 December by the Minister for Rail, Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill. This year’s honours included the restoration of the former Cambrian Railways headquarters…
CBA & MOLA Publish “Trowel and Error” – A Public User Needs Survey for Archaeology
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) have published, online, a new survey of public users’ needs for archaeology. The “Trowel and Error” report is the most comprehensive study in 25 years exploring how people across the UK engage with, value, and access archaeological information. The research was led by…
Industrial Heritage Support 