The Canal & River Trust is now going to spend a total of £4m on clearing silt from Gloucester Docks.

2026 marks the hundredth anniversary of the City of Salford, with a variety of cultural events happening throughout the year to mark this notable milestone. This includes historical and archaeological activities. Having dug in Salford as an archaeologist for the Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit (1988-89) and having worked as head of the Centre for Applied Archaeology at the University of Salford (2009-2020), it is city and landscape I hold in great affection. The coin hoard excavation in 1989. Image copyright Dr Michael Nevell. Looking back on my time in the City, one of my favourite sites, and one that stands out for its surprising discovery, is the Boothsbank Roman coin hoard.

Penrhyn Quarry Hospital has undergone extensive work to stabilise the remains of the Scheduled Monument

The in-person Industrial Heritage Network meetings, run by the IHSO project, return this autumn, and the first round of dates are now available. These meetings are a great way of meeting fellow industrial heritage people working at industrial heritage and archaeology sites and exchanging experiences. The themes for this year's meetings are liaising with schools and adapting to hotter summers. Our first meeting of the season was last month (August), when the North West IHN met at Helmshore Textile Museum, where there was a great turn out and lively discussion. The confirmed dates for the in-person autumn 2026 meetings so far are:

Historic England has refreshed and relaunched their Heritage Gateway webpages this September. The Heritage Gateway provides access to summary records from national and local Historic Environment Records (HERs). As such, it contains thousands of records of industrial archaeology sites and buildings. Its a great resouce for searching across datasets and gaining an overview of England’s (industrial) historic environment in one place. The original Heritage Gateway website was launched nearly 20 years ago by the then English Heritage (now Historic England) in partnership with the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (

Campaigners in Thundridge are to improve security over fears they will "not be so lucky" next time.

Ten industrial heritage museums and sites have received a Sandford Award for 2026. This is a leading mark of quality for heritage learning, and is run by Lincoln Bishop University alongside the Heritage Education Trust. Applying for the Sandford Award is an opportunity to reflect on, strengthen, and gain independent recognition for the learning experiences sites offer. The industrial museums and sites that have been recognised for their excellence through recieving the 2026 Award recipients | Heritage Education Trust are: Bradford Industrial Museum Discovery Museum & Tyne & Wear Archives…

At least in south Manchester, it has felt like autumn, punctuated by some very hot days, since the beginning of August. This long September has been marked by the leaves turning colour on the shallow-rooted trees along the leafy suburban roads, an abundance of fruits, and the return of well-known puddles on pavements and roads as the drought broke. Archaeological sites, too, have their own seasons. At Coalbrookdale, in Ironbridge, Shropshire, I have been watching the restoration of Abraham Darby's old blast furnace, the one where he successfuilly used, for the first time, coke to power an iron blast furnace, rather than charcoal.

Three industrial heritage sites are facing an uncertain future this autumn. Ellis Mill in Lincoln, Whitburn Windmill in South Tyneside, and the Spa Cliff Lift furnicular in Scarborough are all facing temporary closure. Ellis Mill, which was built in 1798, is the last of nine that once stood on Lincoln's Yarborough hill and is currently on Historic England's at-risk register. Lincolnshire County Council, which owns the Grade II listed building, is planning to remove the deteriorating mill cap and sails, and to install a temporary weatherproof structure to maintain its structural integrity, ahead of a decision on repairs.

Plans to relocate and restore a partially collapsed Grade II listed signal box from Carnforth have been approved.

The National Trust says the Neolithic Avebury World Heritage Site was vandalised with gold paint.

The dig reveals several hut circles and small enclosures in the Lake District's Deepdale Valley.

Archaeologists found pieces of worked timber showing axe marks and wood-splitting, in a waterhole.

Archaeologists say the fragmented finds expand the known extent of Roman occupation in Bath.

Preston Brook Tunnel near Runcorn is undergoing a Canal and River Trust inspection, using boats, drones and 3D mapping to protect the historic canal…

The "forgotten village" was founded in 1853 for workers at Price's Patent Candle Factory.

Two industrial heritage sites are looking for volunteers and new Trustees this September: Amberley Musuem and the Sankey Canal Restoration Society. Amberley Museum, Sussex, is looking for a new Commercial Trustee to join their proactive board and help support the work of this unique open air working museum. They are looking for a new Trustee with a particular knowledge or experience of retail and catering sales and operations to bring those skills to their board. Marketing experience would also be helpful as well as a passion for heritage and the ability to think strategically, assess opportunities and manage risk.

Restoration work is ongoing on the 1,000-year-old watermill in the centre of Winchester.

Three sets of legislative changes coming into force over the next six months will have a material affect on how industrial heritage sites and museums are run in England. These are: Martyn's Law (which has been blogged about on this website earlier the year), the Crime & Policing Act 2026, and the Employment Rights Act 2025. Martyn's Law This new legislation relates to preparedness for public events and public safety. The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) has a useful article on the implications of this legislation for museums, inclduign industrial heritage museusm and sites.

The 4,000-year-old cairn on the Quantock Hills has had its stones removed and piled around it.

The research looked at 18 "Venus" models discovered in Ukraine and thought to be 18,000 years old.

London's Natural History Museum has partnered with the Stourbridge glass museum in a new environmental partnership.

Part of Clitheroe Castle is slowly being unveiled after a nine-month refurbishment, thanks to a £2.3million investment scheme.

Historic England has supported a special issue of the online peer reviewed journal 'Internet Archaeology', which showcases the power of heritage-led wellbeing and how it can help progress the democratisation of heritage, diversify engagement, and help address societal inequalities. Amongst the articles and case studies, two are especially relevant to industrial heritage museums and sites. Firstly, an article by Desi Gradinarove looks at two Historic England's pilot studies for using heritage and social perscribing, outlined in HE's Wellbeing and Heritage Strategy (see Historic England Research Issue 18, 2021). The two pilots showed the potential of heritage to deliver wellbeing and provided evidence on how it can work within social prescribing, and formed the basis of an HE sponsored…

UK Heritage Pulse's Skills Exchange, connecting heritage organisations with people keen to share their time, skills, and expertise has returned. The service, funded by the NHLF, helps organisations find support in areas including conservation, digital projects, leadership, marketing, and other specialist fields. This is a very useful resource for those industrial heritage sites looking for expertise to help with site maintenance, conservation, or business management. The scheme also gives volunteers, freelancers, and sector peers the chance to offer their expertise and connect with organisations looking for support. Central to the project is that the listings can be created for both offers and requests.

The site near Dumfries looks exactly as it would have when the last workers left in the 1940s.

Archaeologists uncover remains of a centuries-old building in the grounds of Temple Newsam in Leeds.

The government is investing nearly £700,000 into Flag Fen near Peterborough.

Archaeological digs linked to the Stockton and Darlington Railway will continue, organisers say.

The £2m conservation project at Corfe Castle in Dorset is finished after three years of work.

A community group says it wants to put Halton Castle "back on the map".

A record number of industrial heritage sites are opening for free as part of the 2026 Heritage Open Days running between the 11 and 20 September. Amongst the more than 250 industrial archaeology and heritage sites opening to the public are three newly renovated museums run by the National Trust in the Ironbridge Gorge (Broseley Clay Pipe Works, Jackfield China Works, The Old Furnace). The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings is also opening for free its Kibworth Harcourt Windmill, whilst English Heritage is making available Sibsey Trader Mill, and the Iron Bridge at Ironbridge.

The building is a nationally-important symbol of social reform.

Reigate's Caves may be only about 100 metres long, but they are packed with history.

The "tent cover structure" is restored at The Old Furnace in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Open day in July at the Staveley restoration works on the Chesterfield Canal. Image courtesy of the Chesterfield Canal Trust. The restoration of Britain's canals is often thought to have ended with the re-opening of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which celebrated this summer 25 years since it re-opened in 2001. However, the 21st century has seen a number of volunteer-led canal restoration projects progress across England and Wales, and several are now nearing the completion of their next stages. The Chesterfield Canal Trust have been working on restoring the canal since the beginning of this century, and the latest section to be restored is through Staveley town centre, where work continues on rebuilding locks and a canal basin.

This autumn's round of heritage grants include three available for industrial heritage museums (accredited or working towards accreditation) and other industrial sites. Museum Learning and Engagement Grants Museum Development is delivering  the 'Museum Learning and Engagement Grants' on behalf of Arts Council England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the Department for Education. This is a one-off, rapid-response small grant programme designed to give an opportunity for museums to undertake innovative pilot project projects to improve access to cultural learning opportunities for children and young people, particularly in underserved communities and areas of low engagement. 

Historian Alice Loxton has brought to light the lives of ordinary people who lived through the Industrial Revolution's boom and bust in a powerful new podcast.

The item, which was due to be sold to an overseas buyer, is described as "exceptionally rare".

One Leicestershire council is exploring how it could utilise old mines into heating powerhouses for the future

Visitors will get a rare chance to explore historic Force Crag Mine in the Lake District during a special open day this September.

We visited the excavations at Castleshaw Roman Fort to find out more about this year's findings and the people behind them

During the most recent Ice Age, researchers believe there was a "lost land bridge" between Wales and Ireland.

A 10-year-old boy was out looking for fossils along the shore in Islandmagee when he spotted the back of the skull.

It is the first time that the site has seen steam in about four years.