Concerns about the condition of the listed Barton Swing Aqueduct have led a local group to set up a petition to have the bridge restored. The swing aqueduct was built as part of the construction of Manchester Ship Canal and opened to traffic on January 1st 1894. The 235ft long steel aqueduct, which weighs 800…
SPAB Mills Section Lunchtime Lecture, 19 April 2023
The SPAB Mills Section’s latest online lunchtime lecture on 19th April 2023 will look back at what became the standard work on windmills: Rex Wailes’s 1957 book ‘The English Windmill’. Its content blended technical, historical, and anecdotal information to create a work that is still highly readable and relevant today. In the 65 years since…
Museum Estates & Development Fund (MEND) Round 3
Arts Council England has announced details of the Museum Estates and Development Fund (MEND) Round 3. This is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums based in England and/or English local authorities who are responsible for maintenance of non-national Accredited museum buildings. This is an opportunity to apply for funding to undertake vital infrastructure…
Heritage, Carbon & Historic Buildings Report
Grosvenor, Peabody, Historic England, The National Trust and The Crown Estate have collaborated in research that highlights the skills and training challenges that will be needed to ensure the UK’s historic buildings contribute to a net zero future. They have commissioned research, and shared insights, to help identify how businesses, industry, and Government can unlock…
Museum Development ‘Getting Your House In Order’ Programme for 2023-24 Open for Applications
Applications from museums to join the Getting Your House In Order programme for 2023-24 are now open. Its run jointly by Collections Trust, Museum Development North West, Museum Development North East and Museum Development Yorkshire. This programme will take a cohort of museums from across the North of England through a programme of workshops and…
AIM Pilgrim Trust Grants 2023 Open for Applications
Applications for Collections Care Audits, Collections Care grants and Remedial Conservation grants are now open. AIM is grateful to the Pilgrim Trust for funding the scheme for a further three years from 2023-2025. The grants support small to medium sized museums to care for their collections more effectively and efficiently and to meet the standards required…
Eight Industrial Heritage Sites Receive Latest Cultural Investment Fund Support
Eight industrial heritage sites in England are to receive support through the latest round of the Cultural Investment Fund announced in March 2023. The Cultural Investment Fund, delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is a package of the three capital funds: the Museum Estate and Development…
Crofton Beam Engines is Looking for a Consultant
Crofton Beam Engines is a Grade 1 listed site, home to the oldest beam engine in the world still in its original location and still capable of carrying out the job for which it was built over 200 years ago. It is owned by The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust (KACT), a charitable company limited…
Remains of the World’s First Iron Railway Bridge to be Conserved
Historic England has awarded Durham County Council £161,000 to repair and revitalise the remains of the world’s first iron railway bridge. Completed in 1823, Gaunless Bridge was designed by ‘father of the railways’ George Stephenson and spanned the River Gaunless in West Auckland, in County Durham. It formed part of the line serving the Witton…
SPAB National Mills Weekend, 13 & 14 May 2023
This year’s SPAB National Mills weekend will take place on 13 and 14 May. The theme will be ‘Millwrighting – Past and Present’ to celebrate the repair of wind and watermills which allows these important historical buildings to survive for future generations to come. National Mills Weekend takes place across Britain every May, with more than…
Industrial Heritage Support 