A new documentary from Forestry England delves into the life of the freeminers of the Forest of Dean. For centuries, the freeminers of the Forest of Dean have held a rare and ancient right, to mine coal wherever they find it beneath the forest floor. Freemining in the Forest of Dean was formally granted by…
Category: industrial archaeology
‘Mills Transformed – Stories of Mill Regeneration’ Book Launched
A new book has been published on the regeneration and restoration of historic textile mills. Entitled ‘Mills Transformed – Stories of Mill Regeneration’ https://johnhudsonpublishing.com/mills-transformed/. it is written by Neil Horsley with a forward by Charles Smith (Policy Director, Historic England). The volume looks at the regeneration of textile mills in northern England and is richly…
AIA 2025 Spring Tour to Catalunya Now Booking
The 2025 Association for Industrial Archaeology Spring tour is to Catalunya in Spain, from the 12th to the 18th May, and booking is now open. Catalunya tends to value most the heritage that distinguishes it from the rest of Spain, so the Romanesque and Gothic architecture, largely built while the rest of the Peninsular was…
Grant Funding Streams in 2025
There are many large and small grant schemes available for industrial heritage sites, museums and groups and it can be difficult to identify the right ones otogo for. Here’s a reminder for 2025 of three grant streams that regularly support such sites and groups. Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund The Museums Association (MA) awards…
Christmas 2024 & New Year 2025 Storms Higlight Vulnerability of Transport Industrial Heritage
The December 2024 storms, particularly Storm Darragh, and the New Year snow storms and flooding in England and Wales, once more highlights the vulnerability of Industrial Heritage sites to the increasing number of severe weather events brought about by Climate Change. Storm Darragh (7-8 December 2024) affected large areas of Britain and Ireland with high…
Museum of Cannock Chase Under Threat from Closure in 2025
Cannock Chase Council is proposing the closure of the Museum of Cannock Chase by April 2025, as part of proposed budgets cuts for 2025/2026. The Museum of Cannock Chase first opened in 1989 on the site of the former Valley Pit, a training pit for young coal miners. It covers the history of the Cannock…
Historic England & English Heritage Update Their Climate Change Adaptation Report for 2024
Historic England and the English Heritage Trust have updated their ‘Climate Change Adaptation Report’, a document written in response to the Government’s Fourth Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP4) call under provisions in Part 4, Section 62 of the Climate Change Act 2008. This latest edition builds on the Third Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP3) report submitted jointly…
Historic England’s 2024 Heritage at Risk Register & Industrial Heritage Sites
Earlier in November Historic England published their 2024 Heritage at Risk Register, which lists all the Garde II*, Grade I and scheduled historic structures and places that it believes are in danger of being lost. The Register gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s historic buildings and places. It helps to ensure they…
90,000 Records of London Archaeology Published on New Platform Includes Industrial Sites
Historic England and Getty have collaborated to produce the Greater London Historic Environment Record (GLHER), which consists of 90,000 entries collected over the course of 40 years, and will be available for anyone interested in learning more about archaeological sites, historical buildings, industrial sites, national parks, and more in the Greater London Area. Visitors to…
Historic England Digitise Air Pictures Portleven Collection
Historic England has published (October 2024) the Air Pictures Portleven Collection – a unique collection of interwar aerial images taken by little known aerial photographer, Arthur William Hobart, which has been newly digitised by the Historic England Archive. The collection features 242 black and white aerial images showing the national landmarks, towns, industrial sites, construction…
Industrial Heritage Support 