TY  -  JOUR
TI  -  Connecting places and collections
  AU -Ben Russell
AU -Wayne Cocroft
PY  -  2023
VL  - Congruence Engine
IS  - Autumn 2022
KW - air photography
KW - archives
KW - Congruence Engine
KW - Historic England
KW - historic environment
KW - industrial heritage
KW - power stations
KW - Science Museum

AB - In aspiring to investigate diverse industrial and technological collections the Congruence Engine project highlights the fragmentation and loss of knowledge that often occurs when an industry or an individual workplace closes, or when a technology becomes obsolescent or redundant. Until relatively recently (often due to narrow institutional responsibilities and collecting policies) the heritage sector has had little ability to secure a holistic understanding of workplaces and the inter-connectedness of people, places, technology, objects and their associated records.
The Historic England Archive[1], which is essentially a place-based collection, may be unfamiliar to many in the museum sector and academia. This paper introduces its archive collections that relate to industry and technology, describes their evolution through past recording and collecting policies and discusses how they might be used to further a deeper contextualisation of museum objects. A case study of recent work at the Science Museum to secure the historical legacy of post-war power stations follows. It describes the processes and challenges involved in collecting large industrial heritage objects and illustrates how closer working relationships between heritage institutions might ensure that a more rounded response is made to the loss of obsolescent industries, plant and technologies.[2]

N1 - https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/ 
N1 - This paper is illustrated by a selection of Historic England archive images to reflect the range of material held by the archive and its potential to add to the richness of narratives, understanding and presentation of industrial history. 
N1 - https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/1004434/ (accessed 6 December 2022)
N1 - Later amended warrants allowed for greater discretion to include monuments worthy of mention beyond that date (RCHME, 1981, p xvi).
N1 - https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/photographs/john-laing/ (accessed 30 August 2022)
N1 - https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/ (accessed 5 July 2022)
N1 - https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/aerial-photos/ (accessed 5 July 2022)
N1 - Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware TP270 A12D9, Vol 35, 5
N1 - https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/funding-projects-untold-stories-working-class-heritage/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=news (accessed 2 August 2022)
N1 - https://www.islingtonmill.com/heritage/ (accessed 5 December 2022)
N1 - https://www.highlifehighland.com/nucleus-nuclear-caithness-archives/
N1 - https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/osp-57.pdf (accessed 5 December 2022)
N1 - https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/about-us/policies-and-reports/inspiring-futures-strategic-priorities-2022-2030/
N1 - Far from being a gimmick, the bikes were often used by the team to get around the enormous site. One was even used by a team member (satirically dubbed ‘Action Man Andy’ by his colleagues) for a sponsored ride. Conversation during initial trip to Cottam, 14 March 2019.
N1 - Science Museum inv. 1968-721, model of 500 MW alternator for Cottam Power Station, 1970, scale 3/8" = 1ft.
N1 - Following discussion with the Museum’s retained surveyors, the valuation methodology adopted was one used in industry allowing for depreciation of elderly plant, equalling 5/35ths of the desk’s replacement value.
N1 - It is usually possible to revert to smaller items if large ones aren’t manageable – but it is impossible to ‘scale up’ from small to large.
N1 - Science Museum inv. 2021-202, unit control desk for 500MW power generation unit, designed and commissioned by the Central Electricity Generating Board, 1968 – https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8662137/cottam-power-station-control-desk-control-desk (accessed 23 August 2022)
N1 - The National Collections Centre is the Science Museum Group’s newly developed storage facility near Swindon https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/about-us/collection/national-collections-centre/.
N1 - Science Museum inv. 2021-1250, set of twelve black and white photo albums documenting the construction, commissioning and early operation of Cottam power station by the Central Electricity Generating Board, 1963–c.1970.
N1 - Ric Tyler has produced similar reports for a number of ‘Hinton’s Heavies’ – see https://www.rictyler.com/project/1960s-coal-fired-power-stations/ (accessed 23 August 2022).
PB - The Science Museum Group
 
SN -  2054-5770
LA -  eng
DO -  10.15180/221811
UR -  https://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/article/connecting-places-and-collections/
T2 -  Science Museum Group Journal