Support Your Industrial Heritage
Whether you are interested in getting your hands dirty by volunteering at an industrial heritage site, or simply finding out a bit more about our industrial past from the comfort of your computer, there are lots of ways to get involved.
Join a society or volunteer at a site
Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA)
The AIA is a national membership society promoting the study, preservation and presentation of Britain's industrial heritage. You can keep up to date with the news and events sections and explore links to 60 affiliated societies (including most local groups), resources for support and funding, industrial museums and preserved sites.
IA Recordings
This site boasts an extensive archive of video footage, created from 1978 onwards. Run by a small team of volunteers, they're committed to recording people and processes while they're still working. With links to a further 640 Industrial Archaeology websites internationally, arranged by subject matter, you won't be short of ideas for further research.
Council for British Archaeology (CBA)
The CBA works closely with the AIA in monitoring and responding to the threats to industrial heritage. You can provide support on many levels, from becoming a member to volunteering at events and getting involved with activities with one of the CBA's many regional groups.
The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH)
TICCIH provides a global window on industrial heritage, campaigns for its international recognition and the rescue of threatened sites, advises on industrial World Heritage Sites and organises conferences and workshops throughout the world. Its website helps put our industrial heritage into its global context and gives you contacts for every imaginable category, including agriculture, mining and metallurgy.
Research industrial sites
Historic England (formerly English Heritage) has a number of useful resources for those wanting to know more about particular industrial sites:
A Guide to Industrial Collections describes the holdings within Historic England Archives. These include photographs, plans and drawings as well as individual site reports prepared by Historic England survey teams.
The National Record of the Historic Environment, maintained by Historic England, holds records of 45,000 different industrial sites and historic buildings. These can be searched via Pastscape.
Local authority Historic Environment Records also contain information on industrial sites in the local area and details including website addresses can be found on the Heritage Gateway.
Visit preserved sites in the UK and Europe
European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH)
Visit the ERIH website to plan fascinating days out or longer journeys that take in the industrial heritage of the UK and Europe.
