President
This update is being done on the 28/10/24. We had our AGM recently and there have been some changes and new developments.
The membership agreed that the annual subscription, which had been unchanged for 20 years should be simplified and increased. Members will be advised of the details well before the next renewal date of 1/5/25.
If you have tried contacting the society through the webpages and not received any response, it is not because we are not here. All the links shown on this site are routed to the personal emails of the relevant committee members and those links have a mind of their own. If we find that we cannot pick up messages through the site, we will have to revise how contact details are given out. You will appreciate that putting personal emails or phone numbers on a public site is not always a good idea. The site does have an email log which is reviewed regularly and enables us to pick up messages which escaped the re-routing process.
At the AGM an appeal went out for members, old and new, who fancy becoming more involved to get in touch. We need more help with administering the membership, arranging the lecture programme, arranging and leading excursions and representing us on other groups and at events. It might also be obvious from the lack of activity on this website that we would greatly appreciate help from anyone who is good at these things or uder the age of 4o which may be the same thing!
We have recently published Volume 5 of the Society’s journal after a rather long hiatus following Volume 4. We would like Volume 6 to be a bit quicker. There is plenty of material out there so we need you to write it and maybe even help being editor. All the current publications can be seen on this website and they can be obtained by contacting the President who holds the stock. Copies of Volume 5 and the previous 4 can also be obtained this way.
If you have more practical skills we have projects running at our various sites which can also be seen by findind the right page on this webiste. Anything from chopping down vegetation to restoring old engines.
The main site is Wortley Top Forge, which has its own Topforge website. This property is based around the Grade I listed forge and has water wheels, a wide range of working and non working machinery, buildings which need care and attention and recently added archive material and pictures. The site is open to the public but we need guides
Visitors can now see the entire works area including the yard and offices which, until 2 years ago, were a private residence. We are now well on the way to getting a proper archaeological evaluation of the cleared area. We know that Thomas Andrews has a test rig set up in this area when he was conducting research into the strength of the Forge products and we think we have identified the base plates for where it stood. There are plans for community involvement if any digging can take place.
Those who look at old maps will know that the water system upstream included the weir on the Don and extensive head goit. It also included what is now one of the adjacent fishing lakes. Maybe future generations will be able to re-incorporate that in the site. That will involve money if you have any.
It will be seen from the lecture programme that we are mostly at Kelham Island Museum, but we do try to get out to other places in South Yorkshire if anybody has any ideas. After all, we are meant to be the Society for the whole of the county.
As well as the lectures, there are also events which are open to members and often the general public. One last year one was a walk, or perhaps more accurately a paddle, around the Elsecar site to see what was happening and to hear about plans for the future. We were able to see the Newcomen engine in action.
Father Christmas has Wortley in his diary for Sunday 8th December. The Easter / May event resurrected earlier this year was a great success and will likely be repeated. There should also be events like Sheffield Heritage Fair and South Yorkshire Archaeology Day in the calendar in 2025. Covid still has a lot to answer for.
The smaller property at Hoylandswaine Nail Forge is opened ocassionally to the public usually in conjuction with other events like Heritage Open Days. It requires occasional maintenance. The property at Rockley Forge and Engine House is open access and just needs occasional maintenance and the clearance of vegetation. We are grateful to a local group who deal with what is rather a notorious local fly-tipping site adjacent to our land.
The Society remains actively involved in the Local Heritage Listing project being run through the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service. The project objective is to provide a database of all the sites in South Yorkshire which are considered important to heritage. Society representatives sit on the committee which considers sites (mostly pubs it must be said) nominated for listing. There is a website for the LHL which is publicly accessible and you may nominate your favourite location if it qualifies and you know a bit about it.
The City of Rivers exhibition at Weston Park Museum has just finished its succesful run. We were able to collaborate on the industrial side, of which there is a lot. It has been very enlightening dropping in on the exhibition occasionally and (discreetly) listen in to visitor conversations. If you corrected every misconception overheard you would be there all day ……. or possibly asked politely to leave.
The Bower Spring restoration project has been making good, if slow, progress, Plans have now been submitted to and agreed with Historic England and a grant application submitted. While we wait for developments there we have been attempting to tidy up the site. It may look derelict but we hope that soon changes. A flamethrower would be good but garden shears and saws have the same effect more slowly. You need very heavy duty clothing because of the brambles, nettles and buddleia but any help is always welcome. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, so supervision is necessary.
With respect to Bower Spring, I have also been gathering together the Society archives and re-establishing some of the lapsed contacts with individuals and organisations previously involved. The medium term plan is that a book can be written on the history of the site from the first known reference to a spring in 1736 to a hopefully pristine public showpiece in the near future. Sheffield City Council will not come well out of this story if it is told at the moment, but there is still time for Planning, Highways and Property Services to redeem themselves. If you know anyone who works in these areas, we would like to speak to them.
The Butterthwaite Weir project on the Blackburn Brook still continues although it is now rather more a question of recording the construction details that doing any repairs. Anyone with any local knowledge is always welcome to contact us and perhaps help hold a tape measure. Wellies are essential.
The Weir is being dealt with the Society’s Field Recording Group which meets regularly and actively goes to various sites. It is open to all Society members.
The subscription year of the Society runs from 1st May to 30th April so you should have renewed for 2023/24 by now, especially if you have had a polite reminder from the membership secretary. We always appreciate electronic payments, particularly a standing order on 1st May, but please make sure there is a reference which identifies you. Subscription rates, bank and contact details can be found on the membership and contact pages of this site.
Tony Ball : President