FOCUS on Industrial Archaeology No. 69, December 2007

Calshot Spit Light Vessel

Fire at Medusa’s Hythe boatyard

Meetings Reports

June 2007 - A trip on the Portsdown & Horndean Light Railway

July - Whitchurch Silk Mills

August - 40 Years of I.A.

September - Corsets and all that

October - Railway bridges and their engineers

November - Annual General Meeting and Photographic Competition

Conference

AIA Annual Conference, Preston

Visits

From Gater’s Mill to Cobden Bridge

Trip to Crossness Engines and Three Mills Complex

Reports

Twyford Waterworks Trust

Maritime Projects

HIAS Rescue and Restoration Section

Waterside Heritage

Canal Cuttings

Miscellanea

Eel house at Alresford

Theft of metal on the increase

Vulcan takes to the air

Cody Flyers

Snipits old and new

Properties for sale

Lindum Heritage

Tail-enders

Fire at Medusa’s Hythe boatyard                                Alan Watson, Medusa Trust

The work on Medusa (HDML 1387) was going well and our engines were about ready for their test run after 18 months of work. Then, on the morning of Tuesday 30 October, just as our team arrived for work, a fire broke out and rapidly consumed the workshop building.

Many of you will have seen this on the news; it was a major event involving six fire engines and nearly 100 fire fighters. When the site was handed back to us late Wednesday evening, the sight was beyond comprehension. We had lost most of the internal fittings from Medusa, all our tools and woodworking machinery, many parts that had been restored and the main engines were partially melted, full of water and rusting.

The good news was that no-one was hurt and Medusa herself is safe. We are now working out what was lost and costing its replacement. The main engines, Gardner 8L3 of 1940 manufacture, may be partially recoverable. The engines have gone to a specialist Gardner firm which has dismantled them and it looks like they may be salvageable. On the small one, the piston had melted in the bore and one of the large ones has the camshaft seized due to the bearing melting. We are waiting to hear how the crank bearings have fared. All the ancillaries such as injection pumps and starter motors are fried. Overall it looks like about £250,000 worth of damage when all the ship’s furniture/fittings are included.

We would be grateful for leads to Gardner parts and if anyone knows a second-hand table saw and planer/thicknesser (industrial rather than hobby rated) we would be most interested. Although this is a major setback, the project goes on. Work has continued unabated on Medusa and it is our intention to be back afloat next summer.

(Alan can be contacted on tel (023) 8026 1638, fax (023) 8090 7417 or e-mail alan@trinitystar.co.uk )

Calshot Spit Light Vessel, Ocean Village                    Angela Smith

This historic vessel has been on and off the agendas of the Southampton Heritage Federation since its formation five years ago and members have continually checked on its deteriorating condition. Matters have come to a head since July when it was discovered that developers Wilson Bowden, who are building the Admiral’s Quay apartment blocks on the Canute’s Pavilion site, wished to get rid of the light vessel as they needed to relocate their marketing suite – currently in the remaining portion of the former Southern Railway‘s Continental Booking Office, which will be demolished (sadly not listed nor even in the Canute Road Conservation Area) – to make way for the final block of the development. The company offered it free to a good home, otherwise it would be cut up for scrap. The initial problems were twofold – where to put it and who would pay to have it moved.

The Calshot Spit Light Vessel station was established in 1842 by Trinity House. This light vessel, No. 78, was built by the John I Thornycroft shipyard at Woolston in 1914 and is the sole surviving light vessel from that yard. No. 78 was previously stationed at “Mouse” and “Mid-Barrow” before moving to Calshot in 1951 where a five-man crew lived on board. It was converted to unmanned operation in 1973. Associated British Ports took over the Calshot Spit station on January 1st 1987 and decided to replace the aged No. 78 with a fully automatic solar-powered catamaran light float.

After it was withdrawn from service No. 78 was anchored in Cowes Roads while tenders were sought for its disposal. The Ocean Village consortium purchased it for £10,000 and it was lifted out in the spring of 1988, laid in a concreted hole on sleepers and surrounded by a cushioning bed of gravel to the waterline, which was later covered in brick paviors. Although there are a number of lightships preserved around the country, none are as old or of the significant traditional design as this one, which is also the smallest at 140 tons. It has a 55mm dioptic Paraffin Vapour Burner at a height of 32ft (c.9.75m), which had a range of 12 statute miles.

Members of the Maritime Group of the Heritage Federation (principally Graham Mackenzie) have recently stepped up efforts to try to save the vessel. An internal inspection revealed that the hull was filled with water to a height of 2ft above pavement (waterline) level, the rain having entered through vandalised ventilators. At least that proved it was sound. However, ABP has refused to allow it to be craned back into the water – even if that were possible bearing in mind that items such as lamp posts and the marina’s ramp were not there when it was lifted out nearly 20 years ago. Cllr John Hannides, the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture on Southampton City Council, has thrown his weight behind the effort and representatives from Wilson Bowden have been as helpful as they could possibly be – all credit to them.

A deadline of December 3rd was given to remove the vessel and, at the time of writing, I am still waiting to hear how things have progressed. In the first instance the contaminated water inside No. 78 has to be pumped out into a road tanker and the gravel removed from outside, so that a thorough inspection can be made to assess the condition of the hull. Wilson Bowden agreed to pay for this since they would have to carry out this task anyway if they were to have the vessel scrapped. Then if all is OK, there are the ‘small’ matters such as finding a new home for it and getting a move financed. If this all works out – and it‘s a big IF – members of HIAS may well be asked to join working parties to do some chipping and painting.

Meetings                                                 report by Carol Burdekin

Our June speaker was Geoff Salter, a retired librarian, on A Trip on the Portsdown & Horndean Light Railway but it was in fact a tramway service. Authorised in 1899, it opened on the 3rd March 1903 and initially ran from Cosham to Horndean. Starting on the Portsmouth Road south of Cosham, the route ran alongside the London Road, now the A3, until the last tram ran on the 9th January 1935, by which time it had been superseded by buses, which would eventually become the Southdown Bus Company.

This new tram system inevitably transformed the area and amongst the beneficiaries was Waterlooville. Named after the Battle of Waterloo by soldiers making their way home from the docks, it consisted of just one pub called the Heroes of Waterloo before the advent of the tramway. Geoff had a considerable amount of slides to accompany his talk thanks to the enthusiasm of a Mr Marshall who started taking pictures as early as 1910, and thereafter kept a meticulous record in picture form of the construction of the tramway, as well as other local events in the area. Although greatly changed, many parts of Waterlooville were surprisingly recognisable. During the tramway’s heyday, the tram shed could accommodate up to 12 trams and, by 1905, the company had 15 trams, plus its own power station which also supplied the owner’s house nearby with electricity. 

Extremely popular in its day, especially during the “Fairs” when about 40,000 descended on Portsdown Hill for this annual event, it finally closed in 1935, although the tram shed was used in WW2 for the storage of torpedoes etc. Geoff showed us a slide of one of the original trams which has been beautifully restored and it is hoped it will be possible to put it on public view in the near future.

In July our speaker was Geoff Hide on Whitchurch Silk Mills. Geoff, who had been a volunteer at the Mill for the last twelve years, has a close family connection – his Great Grandfather being James Hide who bought the mill in 1889. James’ father John already ran a successful drapers business in Whitchurch. The Mill was modernised with the introduction of powered looms and winding frames together with a warping mill run by the waterwheel. 

The Hide family was related to the Burberrys at nearby Basingstoke by marriage, so the linings for Burberry raincoats were woven at the Mill. Everything changed with the event of the Second World War when silk supplies were difficult to get hold of, but when the War ended electric motors were installed replacing the water power. James Hide died in 1955 aged 92 and the business was bought by Stephen Walters & Company, Silk Weavers of Suffolk. The business then passed to Ede & Ravenscroft in 1971 who made legal gowns. The ottoman silk used was woven at the Mill and the legal gowns were made up on site.

The business was losing money and the Mill facing closure when, in 1985, the buildings and contents were purchased by The Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust who carried out extensive repairs, including nearby cottages which were then sold to help fund the repair work. It was then in 1990 that the Mill was leased to the Whitchurch Silk Mill Trust enabling the weaving to continue, still using the historic machinery. Today the Mill is very busy with orders coming in for silk from all over the place, including the National Trust, costume suppliers, as well as private clients, enabling the Trust‘s ethos of education and preservation to continue.

Geoff kindly passed round numerous silk samples for us to look at as well as different thread, cocoons, and other bits of machinery used in the process of silk making. Together with showing a selection of slides and sharing with us his own very personal memories of his family, it made for a very entertaining evening.

August found us with our very own Jeff Pain on 40 Years of I.A. Jeff has been involved in I.A for many years and told us that he was spoilt for choice on what slides to show us. Although not an engineer by trade, Jeff has always been interested in all forms of transport, and has been taking pictures of I.A. subjects for as long as he can remember. 

In no particular order or theme, we appropriately started with a view of Ironbridge, and then travelled around the country with Jeff looking at his collection of slides mainly taken on I.A. trips over the last forty years, as many members of the audience fondly remembered. These included canals such as the Basingstoke Canal, the Wey & Arun, the Kennet & Avon [including the beautiful Dundas Aqueduct] viaducts, the Gloucester Canal Junction and the Bude Canal, together with canal locks, in various states of repair, narrow boats and a steam dredger [now in the National Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port].

We also looked at ocean liners including the Queen Mary on her last voyage out of Southampton with the Queen Elizabeth following a year later. Other ships included were three from the Union Castle line, cable ships [which Jeff had been involved with], Royal Mail ships including the Transvaal Castle which sailed the Southampton to South Africa route, and a lovely little slide of the Calshot Spit light ship. 

Also included were various factories, kilns, pumping stations including Cromford internal as well as external shots, steam traction engines, old fingerpost sign posts, mills including our own Woodmill and Timsbury where preservation work is still ongoing by the Hampshire Mills Group. Steam trains including those taken at Southampton & Eastleigh Stations, railway bridges, buses including vintage Hants & Dorset, trams, and trolley buses including Bournemouth ones. Unfortunately, time was running out, although Jeff still had another box of slides to go, but hopefully he will be back next year to complete his very entertaining presentation on Forty years of I.A.

I was unable to attend September’s meeting, so once again thanks to Angela for providing a report. As might be expected, combine Ray Riley with a lecture entitled Corsets and all that and you know you are in for a good evening.

Ray said that, after meeting Dr Edwin Course in the 1960s, he began looking into the industrial archaeology of the Portsmouth area. The 19th century corsetry industry was small-time businesses when only a small building was needed and also employing many women who worked from home. He had looked at directories from the 1840s to 1911 to see how the percentages of people employed varied between garment manufacture and shipyard workers: in 1841 there were 41% working at home in the garment industry and 26% in the shipyard, whereas in 1911 14% were in the dress industry (hats, gloves, shoes, tailoring for the navy, suits, etc), 21% shipbuilding and 24% metal and engineering.

Much of the male population of Portsmouth were sailors, soldiers and men in the dockyard, many of whom were overseas leaving their wives to support themselves. A lot of them turned to the “oldest profession” with so many pubs to “work” from, but women who could knit or sew were set up by London businesses to work at home and take their products to a warehouse.

The reason for the explosion in the corset industry can not be easily explained, but a large number of women in Portsmouth were employed. It may be that, because of the sailmaking in the port which is heavy material, the women adapted to corsets as they were of a similar weight. The suburb of Southsea became very fashionable for the upper classes in the 1840s/50s, and the ladies wanted corsets. In the 1860s about 500 were employed but by 1900 there were 3,000. A decline in fashion meant the run-down of the corset industry which had more or less come to an end by 1911. One (male) manufacturer still exists in Rowlands Castle making fashionable corsets for the Ann Summer outlets, and Rosie said that Madonna buys her basques from Portsmouth (these are generally coloured and worn outside as is the current fashion).

To round off the most interesting evening, Ray showed a few slides of surviving buildings used as corset workshops, now re-used for other purposes. Most were destroyed during the war. One of the major manufacturers was Leatham. In one small workshop original machinery can still be seen preserved.

For our October meeting, we were very pleased to welcome back Dr Bill Fawcett who has spoken to us before and whose various books on railway topics can be found in our library. The talk began with a review of some of the later works of Thomas Telford born 250 years ago and whose bridges anticipate, and often exceed in ambition, those built by the early railways. We then saw the earliest surviving railway bridge, the 1727 Causey Arch built for the horse drawn Tanfield Waggonway in County Durham, followed by the oldest masonry railway viaduct – Laigh Milton on the 1811 Kilmarnock and Troon Railway in Ayrshire.

Conventional railways were introduced via George Stephenson’s Stockton & Darlington railway with its Skerne Bridge at Darlington designed not by Stephenson, but by the architect Ignatius Bonomi. On the world’s first trunk railway, the Liverpool & Manchester, opened in 1830, Stephenson had the benefit of the great dock builder Jesse Hartley as consulting engineer. We saw Hartley’s sturdily idiosyncratic Sankey Viaduct and the River Irwell Bridge and typical overbridges with their heavily rusticated masonry. 

We then looked at the work of two established civil engineers experienced in dock and canal work and not normally associated with railways: Francis Giles and James Walker. Walker’s elegant elliptical arched overbridges for the early Leeds & Selby Railway [1834] were incredibly designed to span four tracks although only two were laid, while his Wear Bridge at Penshaw in County Durham [1838] with main spans of 120 & 140 feet was one of the most ambitious of early railway structures. Giles enjoyed a reputation as a gifted surveyor and the London & Southampton Railway was laid out on his alignment, although early in its construction he had been superseded as engineer by James Locke because of the slow rate of progress.  This had happened earlier with the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway [begun in 1830] where we saw examples of his elegant viaducts and bridges.

Arguably the major figure considered is Robert Stephenson who made a considerable contribution to the evolution of the steam locomotive before turning his attention to civil engineering in partnership with his father. Robert’s first major work which made his reputation was the London & Birmingham Railway, and we saw examples of the masonry and iron bridges including the notable tied-arch bridge over the Regent’s Canal. Unfortunately, the enlargement and modernisation of the railway has led to the loss of many of these structures. However, we were able to see something similar in principle to the Regent’s Canal Bridge on the Manchester & Leeds Railway built shortly afterwards and engineered by George Stephenson and Thomas Longridge Gooch. This was the cast iron bridge carrying the line over the Rochdale Canal near Chadderton, now maintained in excellent condition. We also looked briefly at the work of George’s former assistant Joseph Locke who took over from him on the Grand Junction Railway and went on to a very distinguished career.

Among lesser known, but major, figures we encountered John Miller and Thomas Grainger whose Ballochmyle Bridge in Ayrshire remains the largest single span masonry railway arch in Britain. As the system expanded the challenge arose of spanning large waterways such as the Menai and Tamar. We saw Robert Stephenson’s innovative cast iron double decker road and railway bridge – the High Level – over the Tyne at Newcastle whose construction overlapped that of his immense tubular bridge across the Menai. Stephenson and William Fairbairn also patented a “side box girder” system and we saw one of the last of these to remain in use, at Cahir in Ireland, brought back to life after an unfortunate encounter with some cement wagons. We then saw Brunel’s equally inventive approach to a similar problem with his now vanished Wye Bridge at Chepstow and the well known Tamar Bridge at Saltash. Perhaps more of a surprise was his wrought iron tied arch across the Thames at Windsor.

After a brief reminder of Brunel’s timber viaducts, the talk closed with a glance at the technology which made both Brunel and Stephenson‘s innovations somewhat redundant. Sir John MacNeill‘s Boyne Bridge at Drogheda, a wrought iron lattice structure drawing on American timber bridges, was an early and notable example; even earlier were Joseph Mitchell’s designs for the Highland Railway. We ended by seeing William Law’s Tyne Bridge at Wylam, which reinterpreted Stephenson and Brunel’s tied arch designs with the use of a lattice girder arch which prefigures such 20th Century masterpieces as the Tyne Bridge at Newcastle and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

At the Annual General Meeting in November, Jeff Pain was elected as the new Chairman. A big thanks was given to outgoing Vice-Chairman Roger Hedge (who presided at the meeting in the absence of Rodney) for his three years in that rôle and the preceding three as Chairman. Alison agreed to continue as Treasurer. Re-elected to the Committee were Keith Andrews and Mick Edgeworth, and volunteering to become committee members from ‘co-opted’ status were Rob Fish and Angela Smith. Three prizes were presented for the photo competiton, and all were won by female members  – overwhelmingly first was Carol Burdekin, second was Eleanor Yates and third was Angela Smith. The quality and quantity of entries this year was excellent, so we look forward to next year’s competition.

Conference

Association for Industrial Archaeology Annual Conference               Rodney Hall  

The conference this year was held on the campus of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) close to the centre of Preston, between August 10th and 16th. After the omission last year, on the Isle of Man, a seminar was again held on the Friday, followed as usual by the weekend conference with lectures and business on Saturday and Sunday morning and field trips in the afternoon with a formal dinner on Saturday evening. After the conference, field trips were organised until Thursday.

The seminar was entitled Urban regeneration and the adaptive re-use of industrial buildings: problems and potential, attracting both professional and amateur speakers. Starting with slides illustrating the mixed fortunes of industrial buildings in the Bolton area – demolished, transformed and re-used – it was apparent that industrial complexes often occupy prime locations and large sites. Maintenance of older structures is expensive and there is still prejudice in some areas against retaining the buildings. A more hopeful sign was provided by a speaker from the organisation Planning Aid England wherein ‘heritage’ is often linked to enterprise and innovation and which encourages older areas to be refurbished rather than demolished. Using a current ‘in’ phrase, the ‘carbon footprint’ for re-use is less than for demolish and build new, at the same time skills in construction are maintained. Among changes required to further encourage re-use are: equalising VAT, maintaining a ‘buildings at risk’ survey, promotion of training and skills in re-use, and a higher priority in agreeing grant schemes.

Another speaker, from a firm of consultants, agreed that finding uses for large industrial complexes can be difficult, housing is another matter though. In the recent past, official policy has usually been for wholesale demolition and build new, but now, often led by conservation and/or residents groups, there is increasingly reassessment of the policy with refurbishment and re-use becoming more common. As an instance, the next speaker was a leading campaigner of one of these protest groups fighting to save the area of terraced housing in Nelson she has lived all her life, against the ‘demolish and rebuild’ plans of the local council. It is not only the houses that go, the community also disappears.

The ports and harbours of Lancaster and West Cumbria have severely declined as the nearby industries have disappeared. Lancaster has refurbished and adapted warehouses on the old quay, and Whitehaven has restored many of its Georgian buildings, the former aided by revival of the local economy and the latter by grants for regeneration schemes. This speaker emphasised there is a problem in maintaining buildings once refurbished (or even newly built!). Manchester still has many textile related buildings. Archaeological recording of the buildings and excavation of below-ground remains is giving more understanding of the structures, leading to more sympathetic re-use of the remaining, often complex, industrial sites.

Another example of where below-ground archaeology is assisting in sympathetic re-use of a large complex industrial site is Woolwich Arsenal in London. Here the location and foundation work for new structures is being considered with conservation of below-ground remains in mind. Most projects need to be financed and recently money for many refurbishment and urban regeneration schemes has come from the National Lottery. The last speaker in the seminar gave case studies and evaluation of some projects involving Industrial Heritage which have been funded through the National Lottery.

The conference proper started on the Friday evening and concentrated on the cotton industry, and was confined to the present county of Lancashire (the Annual Conference in 2000 was in Manchester and covered ‘cotton’ in the Manchester region). Instead of the usual general introductory industrial overview of the area, short talks were given by three speakers on textile mill engines, textile machines and textile mill buildings, during which it was pointed out that the present area of Lancashire was predominantly concerned with weaving and finishing textiles, spinning predominating in the Manchester region.

A speaker from the Northern Mill Engine Society traced the changes and development of power sources for textile mills from human, horse and water, through steam, to electricity. The progression of textile machinery from fulling stocks, which are considered the first textile machines, through the important 18th century inventions with a brief look at modern weaving machines followed. The speaker from the Lancashire County Museums Service illustrated the importance of the distance between the drawing rollers which made Arkwright’s Water Frame successful. Instead of tracing a strict progression of buildings, the range, different uses and architecture of buildings was explored by an A.I.A. member who has studied mill buildings for many years.

Saturday began with a run-through of Lancashire’s archaeology. The county had major medieval towns in Lancaster, Preston and Blackburn, the textile industry being mainly responsible for the emergence of Accrington, Burnley, Colne, Darwen, Nelson and other towns along with the resorts of Blackpool, Morecombe and St Annes. Putting on his County Archaeologist’s ‘hat’ the speaker went on to aspects of Town Planning. Considering the importance of textiles in the county, industrial remains are under-represented in statutory protection. For instance, within the 140 SAMs there are only 5 textile mills and only 4 mill engines (3.6% of the total). Loss of industrial buildings occur through permitted developments, illegal action and general decay. Both expansion and contraction of industries pose threats to buildings and sites. Changes in technology can result in existing buildings and structures being inadequate for new processes. Land values have a major influence in saving or demolition of buildings.

Recent typical figures given are; 410 planning applications passed with no ‘strings’ attached; 196 applications were permitted with records being made; 35 a watching brief was required to be kept; 16 needed further evaluation, and 2 had other restrictions. Most planning applications are allowed as they stand, seldom is a record insisted on and rarely are applications refused outright. Most problems with planning applications revolve round lack of knowledge of actual number of sites in the county; their type; distribution; importance locally, regionally or nationally; professional priorities and public perception.

A lecturer from UCLan has made a study of weavers housing. Invention of machines for weaving did not keep pace with the invention and development of spinning machines with the result that hand-loom weaving enjoyed a boom time and the construction of many houses with domestic accommodation and loom shops in the same building. A humid atmosphere is desirable in weaving cotton, but also good light. Although some loom shops were on the ground floor, mostly they were either on the top floor, with good light and where coarse weaving could be carried on; while fine weaving needed damp cellar loom shops. Example of both top floor and cellar loom shops can still be found. Eventually weaving looms were developed which required factories, with consequent loss of employment for hand weavers. Estimates put 170 000 hand-loom weavers in the old county of Lancashire around 1820.

Lancashire had other industries, many rural and based on woodland, some still being in existence. The extreme northern part of the Lancashire coalfield is in the present county with minor deposits elsewhere. Many of the industries are common with Cumbria, whose County Archaeologist was the speaker.

The conference ended with the Rolt Memorial Lecture, where an eminent person in IA speaks on a subject of their choosing. This year a person from the University of Cork spoke on the industrialisation of Ireland and role of the Quakers in that movement, and differences they found between Ireland and England.

A series of lectures were laid on in evenings during the week, directed at giving background information for field trips the following day. The first lecture traced the history of the Lancaster Canal from Preston to Kendal and the formation and development of Glasson Dock with the linking canal. The Wigan to Preston length of the canal was briefly mentioned.

The next evening, the history of aircraft manufacture in the Preston area was the subject. The initiation and growth of the industry from early 20th century to the present day was traced. Manufacture of aircraft parts is still an important industry locally.

The Rossendale Valley, although looking geophysically part of the Manchester region, is still in modern Lancashire, and the rise of industry in the valley was explained and some of the still extant remains of the textile industry to be seen noted. The following talk the same evening explained the position of the canal and tramway between Wigan and Preston with results from an excavation of part of the tramway (seen by SUIAG members on the field trip to the Lake District in August 1990). The history of the large Royal Ordnance Factory near Chorley built for filling WWII shells followed, with pictures of some of the latter-day products. The talk on the final evening covered the history and conservation of the ‘Weavers Triangle’ area of Burnley and the history and development of a museum from Queen Street Mill cotton weaving shed in Burnley.

Five conference members gave presentations on widely different subjects. Several paintings by the famous artist John Constable were compared with what could be found extant on the ground with the conclusion that the pictures are not accurate depictions. From London, records made of a wool import warehouse were described. A quick history and the state of restoration of the Sankey Canal was seen. An aspect of land drainage of the fens, pumps and flood defences was also given. Finally the story of a small cycle firm manufacturing mainly velocipedes in Ryde, Isle of Wight around 1880 was traced.

The AGM of the A.I.A. was held on the Sunday with nothing of note. Awards were presented, and as announced at meetings, the HIAS Journal again won the Journal Award. The Dorothea Award for Restoration was won by the Kelly Mine (shiny iron ore mine) near Bovey Tracy in Devon. The Recording Award was won jointly, and members of both teams gave presentations of their work. A professional archaeology organisation has made a detailed record above and below ground of the Ministry of Supply World War 2 chemical weapons factory at Rhydymwyn in North Wales. A community all-volunteer group in the Craven District of Yorkshire has searched for and recorded lime kilns and lime burning bowls in the District and has excavated six of them.

A total of 13 field trips were run over 6 days, thus choices had to be made and as usual difficult decisions were necessary. There were 3 afternoon trips on the Saturday. One went to the well-established textile mill museum at Helmshore Mill which is having major work carried out on displays. Another group went to Blackpool, and split between a conducted tour of the Tower complex, including behind the scenes, and a perambulation around sites of interest near the centre of the town. The third trip was to the remains of the Old Sedgewick gunpowder works not far from Kendal, followed by Carnforth railway station, where the cafe in the film ‘Brief Encounter’ has been restored.

On Sunday another 3 trips, this time around Preston. Two groups walked round within the city, one group concentrating on workers’ housing and the other on textile mills and remains of the Lancaster Canal. The third group toured Preston Dock, which is now given over mainly to housing and a marina but also has the volunteer-run Ribble Steam Railway on part of the old dock railway system. This group then went onto view the Ribble Link, the Millennium project linking the River Ribble to the Lancaster Canal so enabling boats from the latter to reach the country’s canal network for the first time.

One all-day trip on Monday visited the Lancaster area, starting at Rennie’s Lune canal aqueduct, visiting the Maritime Museum on St George’s Quay and ending at Glasson Dock. The other tour that day visited Nelson, viewing textile mills and terraced housing in the area which was planned for demolition and heard about in the seminar. The interior of one mill building and a redundant church, both being restored for re-use and owned by the local Trust, were seen. Lunch at Pendle Heritage Centre was followed by looking inside Higherford Mill, another mill in ‘Trust’. The day ended at the restored engine of Bancroft Mill, Barnoldswick which was in steam.

Tuesday saw one group going to St Helens where the World of Glass is an important museum of the glass industry, followed by exploration of the main features of the Sankey Canal. The other trip made a short call at the BAE Systems factory site at Warton, followed by a visit to a WWII shadow factory at Blackpool airport (Squires Gate). In part of the factory a firm assembling car exhausts is situated and a tour of the production lines was made. Why did many industrial archaeologists take photographs of elephants in a zoo?!!! The answer being that Blackpool Zoo occupies part of the site of the former Stanley Park aerodrome and the old clubhouse still stands, behind the elephant enclosure. Also seen were five former hangars in re-use by the zoo. Finally a visit to BAE Systems, Salmesbury, where guides explained the modern machine shop and the working assembly line for the front fuselage section of the Typhoon/Eurofighter. Tomorrow’s industrial archaeology!

On the following day, one group perambulated along part of the remains of the Lancaster Canal tramway, also viewing remains of later railways in the area and an extant, but now empty, textile mill. A visit to the Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland near the site of Leyland Motors works was followed by a drive through what remains of RAF Chorley. Few original buildings remain but housing development is proceeding apace. Lastly a look at Coppull Ring Mill, a late cotton mill built especially for ring spinning, not mule, spinning of cotton. The other trip visited the Rossendale Valley. First the small Weaver’s Cottage Museum in Rawtenstall was visited and from where a walk round the immediate area was made. The nearby Grain Mill was next on the list. A small part of the weaving shed remains but the engine and boiler house are complete. The engine is at present turned over by electric motor attached to the barring engine. Two Lancashire boilers remain in situ, unused. It is very early days in the restoration of the site, the boiler house has not been touched and building materials, ironwork etc. is stacked everywhere – a real IA delight. A steam train on the East Lancs Railway took the group to Bury and the coach then went to Ramsbottom and the remains of Ramsbottom Mill. This is a large site where several large buildings have been demolished and the rest are in multiple occupancy.

The final event of the conference was a field trip to Burnley. The Weaver’s Triangle with its mills and canal, was toured on foot. After lunch a visit to Queen Street Mill was made with the steam engine in operation. This is a working weaving museum in contrast to Helmshore which concentrates on the spinning side of the industry.

Again a very enjoyable conference, with much to see and learn. Next year the Annual Conference is much nearer to Hampshire, being held at Lackham Countryside Centre, about 3 miles from Chippenham, Wiltshire. The dates are from Friday August 22nd to Thursday 28th. Details are usually available in February.

Visits

From Gater’s Mill to Cobden Bridge                 Carol Burdekin

Sunday, June 10th, turned out to be a beautiful day when about twelve of us met at the White Swan at Mansbridge to walk from Gater’s Mill to Cobden Bridge. Jon Sims, familiar to all of you I am sure, led the walk ably assisted by John Silman, who told us more about the mills, and Bill White with his extensive local knowledge. 

We started by going in the opposite direction to have a look at Gater’s Mill. The mill is now a mixture of houses and small businesses, and we were able to have a look round after asking permission from one of the residents, who we came across as he was unloading an enormous salmon he had found along the river bank. The information from the handout John [Silman] passed round told us that “Gater’s Mill was the largest complex of watermills in the vicinity of Southampton, and paper was made here by Huguenot refugees, who were granted a Charter in 1686 by James II. It was to this Company of  White Paper Makers that Henry Portal came in 1702 to learn his trade, and in the 19th Century it became known as ‘West End Flour Mills’.”

From Gater’s Mill we retraced our steps back to the White Swan and joined the Itchen Navigation where we took a short detour to have a look at the old City Reservoir, now partly covered in water lilies, many of them in flower. Just before reaching Woodmill we were fortunate to come across an ice cream van, which was very welcome, as the afternoon kept getting hotter and hotter! During our “refreshment” stop, we were able to look at some old postcards and photographs that Bill kindly brought along as a “then and now” exercise, which was extremely interesting.

On reaching Woodmill – now the Woodmill Sailing & Canoeing Centre and Shop – we were lucky enough to meet Malcolm Zobel who runs the centre on behalf of Southampton City Council and, as it was a quiet Sunday afternoon, he kindly showed us around and for his kindness and obvious interest in I.A. [a possible new recruit!] I promised to let him have a copy of Seaplanes & Flying Boats of the Solent as a thank you. Malcolm also found Bill’s old photographs and postcards of the mill and surrounding areas, as they used to be, very interesting.

Unfortunately, none of the mill’s original fittings remain, and the mill house has been demolished, but nevertheless it was interesting to see the mill’s massive timber beams and iron columns supporting the floors. John’s handout told us that the mill is built of brick with a slate roof, and this 19th Century mill stands at the head of the tidal River Itchen with the by-pass channels of the mill forming the salmon pools below South Stoneham House. Malcolm also showed us around the grounds of the mill, and we saw for ourselves a medieval salmon pool, together with  some of the “activity” aids including a “rock climb” used by schools, which is hugely popular with the kids.

Moving on to Riverside Park, we made our way to the miniature railway and, although not a great deal to see, we were able to have a look through the doors of the maintenance shed and talk to one or two of the people who maintain the engines and tracks. Some of us, who have not been able to “transcend our childhood”, took a ride on the train and enjoyed every minute of it! 

It was now getting on for teatime, when we finally arrived at “Southampton‘s best kept secret” as Jon called it, the St Denys Rowing & Sailing Club where we were able to have a very welcome cup of tea and have our picnic sitting outside in the very warm sunshine and admiring the view of the river. Jon promised us a sail in some of the club’s vintage rowing boats, but instead we had an even bigger treat in store by being taken out in a 40-year-old ex-Thames survey launch by one of the club members, Dick Bampton, who took us all the way from Cobden Bridge past the Itchen Bridge and back again. We could not have wished for a better day with brilliant sunshine and were very grateful to Jon for providing us with an enjoyable few hours exploring the River Itchen.

HMG/HIAS trip to Crossness Engines and Three Mills Complex                Nigel Smith

On Sunday September 16 about 25 members and friends from HMG and HIAS visited Crossness Engines and the Three Mills complex in East London in two mini buses driven by John Silman and Andy Fish.

The weather was fine and, after an early start, we arrived at Crossness shortly after its opening time of 10.30am to find it was already quite busy. The four beam engines, which are the main attraction there, were constructed by Boulton & Watt in 1865, but were totally rebuilt in 1899 from simple to compound working. They were used to pump London’s sewage into the tidal reaches of the Thames as part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s major improvement works for the Metropolitan Water Board. Each engine was named and the fully restored Prince Consort was in steam and running for long periods – they are said to be the largest rotative beam engines in the world. All visitors to the main engine hall were issued with hard hats as there is still a lot of unrestored iron work and steep metal staircases to negotiate. In line with the special nature of this weekend being ‘Open London’, there were some vintage vehicles and antique oil engines on display.

In the afternoon we travelled via the Blackwall Tunnel to the Three Mills complex and were split into two groups for a guided tour of House Mill. There have been mills on this site since the Domesday report, but this building dates from 1776 and is Grade I listed. It, and the adjacent Clock Mill (Grade II listed), were owned by a Huguenot family and over the years were used for grinding corn, meal, animal feed and materials for the production of raw alcohol for the gin industry. House Mill was rated to be the largest tide mill in Western Europe in its heyday with four waterwheels and six pairs of millstones.

Both mills ceased work during the Blitz and Clock Mill is now a film studio. (The third mill was a windmill close by). After our guided tour we were free to explore the mill and the surrounding area which is rich in wildlife living cheek by jowl with busy roads and railways, and to patronise the tea shop.

Reports

Twyford Waterworks Trust                 www.hants.org.uk/twt             Ian Harden

With another successful open day season recently ended, it seems appropriate to continue at the point the previous report left off. The continuing efforts of the Wednesday Conservation Volunteers cleared the way, literally, for a wildlife and nature theme to the August event with guided walks, a lace-making demonstration and some owls and falcons on show. September’s Emergency Vehicle day provided much of interest for children of all ages and included the return visit of a French Citröen fire appliance. The end of season open day in October attracted the highest attendance of the year, including a coach party of stationary engine enthusiasts from Norfolk who combined their visit to Twyford with one to Whitchurch Silk Mill in the afternoon.

Various social events are gaining in popularity with the now traditional autumn barbecue having just taken place and preparation for another Wassail at the Works for December 15th well under way. Similarly, we look forward to receiving visitors courtesy of the Friends of King Alfred Buses Running Day on the first day of 2008.

Visitors to Twyford Waterworks next year will notice an immediate difference on arrival. The former Jewry Street kiosk from Winchester is now essentially externally complete after the fitting of new guttering, cladding and roof slates. An electricity supply has been installed to enable the internal fitting-out to proceed during the winter and, to this end, some redundant counter units have been obtained locally which will suit the kiosk admirably. Completion is scheduled to be in time for the May 2008 open day.

Of the somewhat larger items of kit at the Waterworks, by the time this report is published, most of the remaining Haines water filters tanks should be installed in the Filter House, freeing up space around the Boiler House and Quarry. As regards the boiler restoration project, this remains at the paperwork and planning stage so little actual progress is evident at the present time. The final structural report on the Babcock boilers is awaited on which decisions on their restoration will be based.

Planning of the winter work schedule is being finalised and, in addition to the aforementioned areas, further attention will be given to upgrading of some of the railway infrastructure and vegetation clearance resumed around the quarry and along the Hazeley Road frontage.

Another open day season will then be upon us before we know it, the provisional programme repeating the themes of 2007, although taking place on the first Sundays of the respective months.

Maritime Projects                                                        Angela Smith

S.S. Shieldhall    ( www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk )

The Shieldhall has had a fairly successful excursion programme in 2007, with three trips still to take place in December – Friday 7th, greet new Cunard liner Queen Victoria as she arrives from her builders (7.30am dep); Sunday 9th, Christmas lunch cruise (fully booked); Tuesday 11th, bid Queen Victoria bon voyage on her maiden trip (evening). Some winter maintenance work has already been undertaken but, after Christmas, the engines will receive their annual overhaul, while deck crew will be sprucing up the paintwork. In 2008, May will also see a West Country programme in addition to the annual visit to Weymouth in August. The ship is likely to dry dock in Falmouth again and running excursions helps to recoup the fuel costs. Fuel prices have risen by over 30% and this will have to be reflected in ticket prices.

British Military Powerboat Trust ( www.bmpt.org.uk )

In the fire at Medusa’s yard in Hythe on October 30th, the BMPT lost around £4000 of parts it was using to restore FMB Ark Royal, which was under restoration in a part of the yard unaffected by the fire. A new Perkins S6M diesel engine and gearbox were being worked on in the burnt-out workshop. Any offers of help, please contact Richard Hellyer on (023) 8089 0900.