Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society (BIAS)

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Conferences, lectures and events of interest

Bristol Threatened History Society

BTHS SYMPOSIUM 2008: BRISTOL’S EARLY INDUSTRIES
To be held on Saturday 25 October 10-4 at the Chapel Lecture Theatre, St Matthias Campus, University of the West of England, Fishponds, Bristol This event is run in conjunction with the University of the West of England’s Regional History Centre. Booking form
Includes talks on Overview of Bristol’s industrial past Bob Jones (Bristol City Council); Excavations at 1-2 Redcliffe Street: clothworking and metals Richard Young (Cotswold Archaeology); Eighteenth-century glassworks in Portwall Lane Reg Jackson (Bristol and Region Archaeological Services); Glassworks in Avon Street Ian Miller (Oxford Archaeology North)

Archaeology in the Park At Warmley Gardens and Champion's Brassworks

Sunday 20th July - 10.30am to 4pm
Archaeology in the Park in South Gloucestershire will be held on Sunday 20th July between 10.30am to 4pm in the grounds of Warmley House, South Gloucestershire. The event will be opened by Mark Horton from Bristol University and BBC's Coast programme.
Warmley House was home of the eighteenth century industrialist, William Champion and is now also the grounds to Kingswood Heritage Museum. Kingswood Heritage Museum will be open for the day. The programme for the day includes tours of the site, including the grottos, illustrated talks, archery displays, finds recognition, displays and stalls, the opening of Warmley Clock Tower, Georgian music and geophysical survey.
More about Warmley Gardens
Warmley was the first site to integrate the production of copper, brass and zinc and was the first works in England to produce zinc on a commercial scale. Although it is not as famous as other cradles of the Industrial Revolution, the Warmley site is the first known factory to use a Newcomen steam engine for industrial purposes.
William Champion favoured an integrated approach to manufacture and subsequently built his house on the site. The house has a designer garden in which the factory formed an important part of the layout and entertainment. Features include underground grottos, a large lake (now a mobile home site), a summerhouse, enormous ice house, an echo pond and an impressive statue of Neptune.

2008 South Wales and Western Region Industrial Archaeology Conference

Will be organised by Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society. It will take place 17 May at Kigswood Civic Centre. The conference price is £15 to include buffet lunch and teas or coffees.
Booking form
9:30-10 • Introduction
10:00 - 12:30 Prof. Angus Buchanan (B.I.A.S.). The Dawn of Industrial Archaeology in the South West.'
• Dr. Malcolm Nixon and Capt. Len Holder (W.I.A.&L.H.S.). `Commercial Traffic and Trade on the Severn above Tewksbury.'
• Mr. Arthur Price (G.S.I.A.). `Cheltenham Stone, the Whitlington Underground Quarries.'
12:30 - 14:00 . Buffet Lunch.
14:00 - 15:30 Dr. Andrew Swift (B.I.A.S.). Building the Railway through Bath.' (G.W.R.)
• Mr. Denis Dodd (S.I.A.S.). The Nynehead Project.'
15:30 - 16:00 • Tea break

Clifton Rocks Railway


next open day 17,18 May 2008 10-4 in conjunction with transport Rally and Museums and Galleries month.
17th May 6-8 in conjunction with Military Vehicle Trust display.
Free vintage buses running on Sunday from Anchor Road.

INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY COURSE AT BRISTOL UNIVERSITY

Spring 2008 Session

The lectures take place on Fridays, fortnightly from 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 pm. in Room 612, Department of Continuing Education, 8-10 Berkeley Square, Bristol. The fee for this six lecture session is £40. Enrolment may be made in advance with the Public Programmes Office (quoting Reference B07F013HS), or at the first meeting.
Further details from the Public Programmes Office, University of Bristol, 8-10 Berkeley Square, Bristol BS8 1HH or the Course Chairman /Organiser, Joan M Day FSA, 35 Dragons Hill Court, Keynsham, Bristol BS18 1JQ
Jan 11 Some interesting projects of the Dorothea Restoration Company.
Jeff Wallis, Dorothea Restoration Company
Jan 25 Airfields surrounding Bath.
John Penny, Recorder of industrial past of the Bristol Bath area
Feb 8 Roads of the Bath and Bristol Turnpikes.
Brenda Buchanan, Bristol Industrial Archaeological Society
Feb 22 Bristol Maritime.
Nigel Coombs, Observer of all things maritime
Mar 7 A review of household technology.
David Eveleigh. Curator: Blaise Castle House Museum
Mar 28 The later phases of znc smelting at Avonmouth.
Tony Barbour and former colleagues, Imperial Smelting Research

Events and Lectures likely to be of interest

Radstock Museum

The Radstock, Midsomer Norton and District Museum Society has organised a series of events each year
Norton Hill Pit Disaster 1908
100th Anniversary talk by Charles Chillcott, President Radstock Museum 7,OOpm Wednesday 9 th April 2008 Old Town Hall, Midsomer Norton
A wonderful opportunity to learn more about what happened on that evening in April 1908 and its impact on the lives of Nortonians at the time
Entrance by ticket: £4 To book please contact the secretary of The Midsomer Norton Society on 07768 632483
Exhibition at Radstock Museum, April 2008 A new exhibition to mark the 1908 disaster looking at the colliery disasters in the Somerset coalfield. For details visit www. radstockmuseum. co. uk
This event is being run jointly by Radstock, Midsomer Norton & District Museum Society & The Midsomer Norton Society

NEWCOMEN SOCIETY (WESTERN BRANCH)

Programme for 2008
BIAS members are invited to meetings of the Western Branch of the Newcomen Society. These are held in the GWR Boardroom, British Empire and Commonwealth Museum at Temple Meads Station, Bristol at 7.00 p.m. for 7.15 p.m. Access to the Boardroom is via the stone arch on Temple Gate. There is some car parking available through the entrance arch. Visitors are welcome and admission is free.
For details of the programme, contact Branch Secretary, Ian Broom, 9 Bradley Avenue, Winterbourne, Bristol B536 lHU
Jan 17 members evening- joint meeting with BIAS.
Feb 21 History of Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co.
JD Francis (Head of Research) and Mark Glover (Sales and Marketing Manager)
Mar 20 Steam under the sea- K class submarine of World War 1.
Chris Hodrien (ISSES)NB This has been replaced by another lecture
Apr 17 Life in a 1950s Drawing Office.
Clive Ellam (past president)

LECTURES AT THE MUSEUM OF BATH AT WORK -

THE MICHAEL CROSS LECTURE

The annual Michael Cross Lecture will take place on Monday 9th. October at the Museum of Bath at Work commencing at 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. The subject this year will be "I. K. Brunel and the Heroic Age of British Engineering", the speaker being BIAS President Professor Angus Buchanan. Tickets, at £5 each are available from the Museum.

MUSEUM OF BATH AT WORK HERITAGE WEEK

As in previous years the museum is open free to residents in Bath & North East Somerset during the week October 21st to 29th. Free admission is available to all those possessing a Discovery Card. During the week the museum has also organised a series of short talks. Each lasts about 15 minutes. For more details contact Museum of Bath at Work on 01225 318348

LUNCHTIME LECTURES

All the lectures are at 1 p.m at The Museum of Bath at Work, with lunch from 12.30. Admission is £4.00
All lectures will begin at 1.00 p.m. and finish at 2.00 p.m. Refreshments will be available from 12.30 p.m.
Normal admission price at the door on day of lecture £4.00
Pre-booked tickets at a discount are available from the Museum before 26th. October
Contact the Museum on 01225 318348 for further details.

South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group

Talks held 7.3Opm in the Miners Institute, Coalpit Heath. Do not assume these events will happen without contacting the relevant person to express interest or request details
There are fortnightly underground working parties at Serridge, for details contact Dave Hardwick.

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