EDITORIAL

A warm welcome to you all. Writing this at the end of January we are over half way through the 2003/4 lecture programme admirably organised by David George. Apologies to those members who were expecting to hear Helen Gomersall speak on “Industrial Archaeology and the work of the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service” on 13 December. Unfortunately Helen was indisposed at the last minute and many thanks to David George who stepped into the breach with very little notice and gave a talk on one of his current research areas – the Luddites in Yorkshire, particularly as portrayed in two novels by Charlotte Bronte and Phyllis Bentley. We are hoping that Helen can give her talk in the 2004/5 season, which David is busy finalising – more details at the AGM on 17 April and in the next newsletter.

I am pleased to report that for the first time in some years we have two summer excursions organised, both are in the Calder Valley area. The first, on 15 May, will be a walk to view the unique three waterwheel tower at Lumbutts near Todmorden in the morning, followed by a walk around Todmorden in the afternoon. The second, on 27 June, is an afternoon visit in the company of other local history groups to the Castle Carr Estate in the Upper Luddenden Valley, the subject of the talk by David Cant and Clive Lloyd on 10 January. Details are given later in the newsletter and both sound very interesting – let’s hope for good weather!

Members may recall from the AGM and the last newsletter that the Section received a request from the main Society President Dr Peter Addyman for support for the ambitious programme of refurbishing Claremont and bringing its facilities into the 21st century. Following the AGM, the section wrote in support and agreed to consider more practical financial support at a special business meeting convened before the first lecture of the season on 4 October. There were 17 members present who approved a donation of £250 from Section funds to be paid to the Claremont Development Account. The meeting further approved a willingness to make a further donation of £250 when the second phase of the project i.e. the building phase was underway. I subsequently received an acknowledgement that the donation had been gratefully received.

As reported in the last newsletter, David Cant has revised the text of the two leaflets describing industrial archaeology walks around Hebden Bridge. Copies of the two leaflets are enclosed with this newsletter and further copies are available from Claremont as well as copies of the walk around Batley.

A reminder that the Section’s AGM will be held at 2.30pm on Saturday 17 April. Please consider whether you would be willing to take a more active role in the Section by standing for one of the officerships. David George has indicated that he would like to take a break from lecture organising so we will need a new Lectures Secretary. However the first year will not be too onerous because David has already identified speakers. Contact David (details at the end of the newsletter) if you would like to know more before volunteering.

I am pleased to welcome new members Dr & Mrs Wright who have joined since the last newsletter was produced.

I am planning to produce the next newsletter in April after the AGM which will contain the usual reports of the lectures given in the 2003/4 season, but I need your contributions also, so let me have those snippets of news from your area which have an industrial history content.

Margaret Tylee

NEWS FROM CLAREMONT

The Society has a new Treasurer, Mr Michael Lucas and Dr Peter Addyman has agreed to be nominated as the Society’s President for 2004-5. Dr Addyman will continue to be involved in discussion, negotiation and applications for the substantial grants necessary for the projected extension and improvements to Claremont. The Society’s Librarian, Robert Frost is also involved in a grant application to the Heritage Lottery Fund which if successful will enable the employment of another archivist to catalogue a special collection and develop a database and internet facility for accessing the collection.

 

HELP WANTED

The Honley Village Community Trust has acquired Magdale Dam with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund. One of the requirements of the grant is to prepare information for students and visitors about the site. The group are looking for general information about mill watercourses and in particular the history and ownership of the site and The mill associated with the dam, Lower Steps Mill. I have already provided some information, but if any member has any knowledge of the site, old photographs etc then please contact the Very Reverend Henry Stapleton FSA, Rockland House, 20 Marsh Gardens, Honley, Holmfirth HD9 6AF. 01484 666629.

 

NEWS ITEMS

The latest issue of Archaeology and Archives in West Yorkshire published by the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service includes details of the Local Heritage Initiative. The LHI is administered by the Countryside Agency and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is aimed at helping communities investigate, preserve and enhance their local heritage. Projects can now apply for 100% grants of up to £25,000 without any requirement to provide match funding. The Huddersfield & District Archaeological Society (HDAS) is one organisation that has benefited from the scheme. HDAS received a grant of £16,000 to investigate Myers Wood, a site thought to have been used for medieval iron smelting. All stages of metal production have been discovered on the site and the project has also helped to protect the site and improve public access. The project findings will be discussed at a symposium to be held on Saturday 6 March. Details are given below.

The North Yorkshire alum industry was one of England’s first chemical industries, active from the early 18th century to the 1860s. Many sites were on the coast and have suffered badly from erosion. The remains of the Peak works near Ravenscar are conserved by the National Trust (and were visited by the section about 10 years ago). Others are being surveyed in an English Heritage programme before they are lost, Kettleness was surveyed in 2002 and Loftus in 2003.

More surveying of industrial remains has taken place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Lead mining sites, including that of the smelt mill at Kettlewell, have been surveyed by Martin Roe and EDAS have surveyed the surface remains of the Burtersett stone mines near Hawes. Also in the Yorkshire Dales, an excavation at Healey near Masham has revealed extensive remains of a pottery industry, including the foundations of a two storey building containing a small kiln and 150,000 shards of late 15th and 16th century pottery.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced a grant of £585,000 to the North East Civic Trust to acquire and restore Gayle Mill just south of Hawes. The mill was built in the 1780s as a waterpowered spinning mill and later used in the 19th century for flax, then woollen spinning and finally as a sawmill. It is a three storied six bay mill with an internal waterwheel which was replaced by a water turbine in 1879. A second turbine was introduced in 1920 to generate electricity for Hawes.

A large industrial complex at Mytholmroyd in Calderdale has been cleared for housing development. On part of the site was one of the earliest worsted spinning mills in Yorkshire, developed in the late 18th century with water power by Thomas Edmondson. In the 1830s the Fieldens of Todmorden changed it to cotton spinning and parts were later used for an ironworks called the Empress Works.

Winterbottom’a Wire Mill at Oxspring near Barnsley has closed and its closure marks the end of the Barnsley wire industry which dated back to the 17th century. Winterbottoms began in 1858 and came to Oxspring in 1888. The mill was originally water powered but was extensively rebuilt in the 20th century. The wire was used for needles, fish hooks and other specialist uses such as railway models.

FUTURE EVENTS

14 Feb
Yorkshire Cotton. YAS Family History Section talk by George Ingle. Claremont. 11am.

16 Feb
History under the Arches: the River Don and its crossings in Sheffield. South Yorkshire Industrial History Society talk by Simon Ogden. Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield. 7.30pm.

21Feb
Rotherham Steel United: Park Gate & Steel Peech 1940-1995. (SYIHS) talk by Trevor Lodge. Rotherham Central Library & Arts Centre. 10.30am

6 Mar
The Remarkable Iron-makers of Myers Wood. One day symposium organised by the Huddersfield & District Archaeological Society. Held at the University of Huddersfield, Firth Street, Huddersfield. 10am –4.30pm. £15 including lunch and refreshments (£12.50 for over 60s, students and HDAS members). For more details and booking contact HDAS Secretary 72 Moorside Road, Kirkheaton, Huddersfield, HD5 0LP ? 01484 511400

9 Mar
Davy: the history of a Sheffield engineering firm. 13th Dr Kenneth Barraclough Memorial Lecture, given by Michael Steeper. Holiday Inn Royal Victoria Hotel, Sheffield. 5.30pm for 6pm.

15 Mar
Monk Bretton: from the monks to the present time. Joseph Bramah lecture given by John Hislop. Cooper Gallery, Church Street, Barnsley. 7pm.

27 Mar
Northern History Colloquium. Marks the publication of the 40th volume of Northern History with papers on northern historical topics including one by David Hey on the South Yorkshire steel industry. Held at the University of Leeds. £20 (£10 for full time students) includes lunch and refreshments. Details from Dr David Lamburn, School of Continuing Education, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9TT.

3 Apr
The Sand Hutton Light Railway. Railway Ramblers walk. Details from Jane Ellis ? 0113 249 4644

3-4 Apr
AIA Ironbridge weekend. The subject will be canals. Held at the Ironbridge Institute, Coalbrookdale. Advance notice only at this stage. Further details will be available later.

19 Apr
John Fell &Co. of Sheffield, Ironmasters. SYIHS talk by Peter King. Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield. 7.30pm

8 May
Priestley 2004. A day school to mark the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Priestley. To be held at the Conference Room, Edward Boyle Library, University of Leeds. 10am – 5pm. £15 including lunch and refreshments. Details and application forms from the Leeds Library, 18 Commercial Street, Leeds LS1 6AL ? 0113 2453071

8 May
EMIAC 67: Bang in the Middle of Grantham. The 67th East Midlands IA Conference on Grantham’s engineering past. Hosted by the Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology at the Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham. For details send SAE to N R Wright, EMIAC 67, 32 Yarborough Road, Lincoln, LN1 1HS

15 May
Industrial History Section visit to the Todmorden area. 10.30 am – 3.45pm. For details see page 4.

17 May
The History of Rivelin Chase and Stanage Moors. SYIHS talk by David Hey. Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield. 7.30pm.
23 May
Foss Islands Branch and Derwent Valley Light Railway. Railway Ramblers walk. Details from Jane Ellis as above.

19 June
Architectural visit to Newcastle Central Station and guided trip through the Victoria Tunnel, an 1840s waggonway. Organised by the Railway Ramblers. Details from Jane Ellis as above.

27 June
Industrial History Section excursion to Castle Carr Estate. For details see page 5.

FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF

The History of J&H McLaren of Leeds: Steam & Diesel Engine Makers. John Pease. Landmark Publishing. 2003. 240pp. ISBN: 1-84306-105-8. £24.95

Section member John Pease gave a comprehensive talk in the 2001/2 lecture programme on the history of J&H McLaren. I ended the report of the talk in the Spring 2002 Newsletter with the comment “ An interesting and informative talk which deserves wider publication as a company history”. I am pleased therefore to see that Landmark Publishing agreed with my view and this volume in their Landmark Collector’s Library is the result. John’s interest in the company began as a result of his grandfather spending all his working life at McLarens. It appears that no significant company records exist so John had to rely on information from past employees, company catalogues, articles in technical journals and records held by preservation groups.

The book tells the story of the company established in 1876 making steam powered machinery including an invention for a steam powered roundabout. McLarens moved to oil engines and became a major provider of automotive type diesel engines. The McLaren family gave up the company in 1943 but it continued in production becoming part of the Associated British Oil Engine Company who were taken over by Hawker Siddeley in 1957. The works closed in January 1959, As well as telling the history of the company, the book contains a number of appendices giving details of prices, patents and a glossary of terms. The book is well illustrated with photographs from John’s collection and from past employees and gives a fascinating view of what was once an important Leeds based company. John tells me he is currently researching another Leeds based company – Manns Patent Steam Wagon Company and he has agreed to talk about that company in the 2004/5 lecture season.

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY SECTION EXCURSIONS FOR 2004
ADVANCE NOTICE

 

15 MAY 2004 VISIT TO THE TODMORDEN AREA

David George has kindly arranged a guided walk in the Todmorden area. The walk will start from the Tourist Information Centre, High Street, Todmorden at 10.30am. We will walk to Lumbutts to view the triple tiered waterwheel tower, taking in mills and the Rochdale Canal en route. There will be a break at Lumbutts for a pub lunch or bring a packed lunch before the return to Todmorden.
NOTE: This walk involves some steep and muddy field paths so will require a reasonable level of fitness, walking shoes/boots and suitable clothing.

The afternoon visit will commence at 2.15pm from the Todmorden Tourist Information Centre and will consist of a gentle stroll around Todmorden looking at buildings of interest. The aim is to finish around 3.45pm.

Members and friends can join for either or both walks. Our guides will be David George and Jonathan Orford (local from Todmorden). David can be contacted at ? 0161 790 9904.

The 9.32 train from Leeds arrives Todmorden at 10.29 and the 9.48 train from Manchester arrives Todmorden at 10.21. Note that these times may change with the summer timetable.
27 JUNE 2004 VISIT TO CASTLE CARR

As a follow up to the lecture on 10 January David Cant and Clive Lloyd have organised a visit to the Castle Carr Estate. The Estate is not normally open to the public and this will be an opportunity to see as first hand the site described by David and Clive in their talk. Details are as follows.

Access to the Castle Carr Estate
From Halifax, follow Pellon Lane and Moor End Road through Mount Tabor to Wainstalls. At the Delvers Arms in the village, take the left fork (Wainstalls Road) past the school. Follow this road for a mile and a half to Height Lodge, continue under the arch and through the gate onto the estate.

Please close the gate and follow the road to the parking area beside Lower Dean Head Reservoir. A steep footpath leads down to the water gardens. Transport down (and back up!) can be arranged if notified beforehand. You are recommended to arrive by 2.15 to allow time to walk to the gardens.

Timetable for the Visit

2.30
Introduction by the Pump House above the gardens
3.00
Fountain will play (courtesy of Yorkshire Water)
3.15
Walk round the lake and up to the site of the house (lifts can be arranged)
4.00
Brief talk by the remains of Castle Carr Mansion
4.15
Look at the remains of the building – you are advised not to go near the standing structures
4.30
Walk to the gasholder (about 15 minutes each way – optional)
5.00
Conclusion of the visit

The visit is by kind permission of the Scholefield family. The organisers and the owners have taken care in preparing this visit for your enjoyment. Please note that you are here at your own risk and take care whilst in the estate. Sturdy shoes will be required.

Contact for information: David Cant 01422 883846 or Clive Lloyd 01422 883542

Lumbutts Mill Wheelhouse, near Todmorden

Built around 1830 for the Fielden family, to power a cotton spinning mill designed by William Fairbairn. The wheelhouse is in the form of a 30 metre high tower with three overshot wheels, each 9.1x1.52 metres, arranged vertically inside the tower. A series of dams above the mill supplied water to the wheels. The water was re-used from wheel to wheel and taken together they could produce a maximum power over 50hp. The adjacent chimney is 30.25 metres high and there is a spiral staircase inside. The mill finally closed in 1926. The sketch shows the arrangement of the wheels.

(Information taken from Yorkshire Textile Mills 1770-1930 published by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service. 1992)