Industrial archaeology remains the gawky and introverted teenager of the archaeological world – at least in the UK. In Britain it often feels like industrial archaeology (and its sibling Post-medieval Archaeology) is in equal measure misunderstood, ignored or looked-down upon by the academic world. It’s been left to voluntary societies, the profession, local authorities and some of the statutory heritage bodies (supported by a handful of pioneering academics) to explore, save, and understand Britain’s globally important industrial archaeology.
The popular image is dominated by evocative and massive sites, from bottle kilns and coal mines to railway stations and textile mills. But that is to overlook the archaeology of consumption and mass production, from ceramics to fabrics, and to turn a blind eye to Britain’s controversial role in the slave trade, the development of empire, and globalisation, which are all bound up in the industrialisation process. There’s no doubting, though, that…
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ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH TRANSPORT & ENGINEERING MUSEUMS 