As the Historical Metallurgy Society has become more international in recent years, we are planning to undertake short visits to various areas with metallurgical history throughout Europe. Our first such visit is planned for next September to the Ruhr region in Germany. The highlights of the visit are:

• The 20^th century blast furnace at Duisburg re-invented as a recreational area with cinema, diving, climbing areas and much more. Guided tour of the furnace with torches in the evening.
• Presentations on current research in Germany on historical metallurgy by some of the leading professionals in their fields. To be held in the old control room of the blast furnace.
• Open-air museum at Hagen with working 18^th and 19^th century metalworking mills. Also, the last chance to see the experimental Iron Age domed iron smelting furnace, to be demolished shortly after our visit.
• The German Mining Museum in Bochum

Programme

Friday 20 September

• Arrival at hotel ‘Am Sportpark’, Duisburg

Saturday 21 September: Landschaftpark Duisburg-Nord

Decommissioned blast furnace (1903 – 1985) transformed into recreation zone

– Morning: free visit (bicycle tour optional)

– Afternoon: presentations on recent research in Germany on historical metallurgy (see below)

– Dinner in restaurant in LandschaftsPark with light show on the ironworks

– Evening: guided tour (in English) of the blast furnace with torches

Sunday 22 September

• Morning: visit to Open Air Museum Hagen
  • Brass stamphammer, zinc rolling mill, cowbell forge, wire drawing mill
  • Experimental Iron Age domed iron-smelting furnace with explanation by Dr. Jennifer Garner
• Afternoon: Bochum Mining Museum
• Back at Duisburg station by 6pm

Presentations

Price and booking

Per person in a single room: £300 (c. 355 euro), per person sharing a double room: £250 (c. 295 euro)

Click here for the single room booking option.

Click here for the two-person/double room option.

Please contact the HMS Event Officer (prondelez@yahoo.com) with any questions about the event.

Included:

• Two nights hotel stay with breakfast
• Bus to and from the Landschaftpark
• Bus to Hagen/Bochum, return to Duisburg station
• Evening meal in Landschaftpark restaurant on Saturday
• Coffee/tea during presentations
• Torch tour on Saturday evening
• Entry fees to Hagen and Bochum museums

Not included

• Flights and transport to and from Duisburg
• Lunches in the Landschaftpark and in Hagen
• Bicycle rental in the Landschaftpark (optional)

Practical

Getting there:

There are several close international airports to Duisburg (link to airport destinations in brackets)

Cologne/Bonn https://tinyurl.com/4espvjey

Düsseldorf https://tinyurl.com/2dpuer6e

Dortmund https://tinyurl.com/2m258ha7

Weeze (Ryanair only) https://tinyurl.com/4espvjey

!Note that some online flight aggregators have recently stopped including Ryanair flights!

There are trains from all these airports to Duisburg station. From the station, take bus NE4 and get off at Kulturstrasse. Busses every hour on the half hour all day Friday till after midnight.

Also:

• Please make sure to wear sturdy shoes and have weather-proof clothing.
• Be aware that there is quite some walking involved on both days

HMS networking weekend Sheffield 3^rd and 4^th June 2023

Friday 2^nd June

7 pm on               Pre meeting get together at the Sheffield Tap, Sheffield Railway Station bar.

Saturday 3^rd June

10:00am – 12:00pm          Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet.

Lunch                   There are plenty of sandwich shops and pubs available.

2:00 – 6:00pm   A leisurely guided walk along parts of the River Don and Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, originally developed by HMS Member Brian Bastow.

If the walk is not for you the Shepherds Wheel (not that far from Abbeydale) is well worth a visit, or perhaps Weston Park Museum may be more up your street. Other options are available.

Evening               Dinner choose your own venue & companions.

Sunday 4^th June

10:00am – 12noon           Wortley Top Forge – (£5 entry fee OAPs £3)

12:00 – 2:00pm                Lunch,   Choose your own venue, the café at Kelham Island Museum would be very suitable.   There is time to visit the Cementation Furnace on Hoyle Street before or after lunch.

2:15– 5:00 pm  Kelham Island Museum. Housed in a very early Electricity Power Station (1899), this features among many other exhibits a Bessemer converter.

For more information:

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet –  (https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/abbeydale-industrial-hamlet/).

Shepherds Wheel – https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/shepherd-wheel-workshop/)

Weston Park Museum – https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/weston-park-museum.

Wortley Top Forge – https://www.topforge.co.uk/

Cementation furnace, Hoyle Street –  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cementation_furnace,_Sheffield

Kelham Island Museum.  – https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/kelham-island-museum/

Please email us on libertyship.eb@gmail.com with any other enquiries.

Click here to register.

HMS networking weekend

Sheffield 3^rd and 4^th June 2023

What does everyone miss about “face to face” conferences?  It’s not so much the papers, it’s the connections we make!

The first HMS networking event will take place near Sheffield on Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th June 2023.

Everyone will be responsible for their own travel, accommodation and meals – but we have some suggestions which you can find below.

The event will be free. If you are coming by car and can offer lifts between sites please indicate this on the Registration Form. It’s been some time since we’ve been able to meet in person so offering a lift might be a way to reconnect.

The outline plan is very free and easy and one can do as much or as little as one wants.  Apart from Wortley Top Forge, entrance to all sites is free.

The weekend starts with a pre-meeting get together at the Sheffield Tap, Sheffield Railway Station bar from 7 pm on Friday 2^nd June.

Saturday has visits to Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet (https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/abbeydale-industrial-hamlet/) and a ‘Metal Industry in Sheffield along the Canal & River Don’ walk. For those less keen on a 4 hour (or shorter) walk an alternative might be the Shepherds Wheel (https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/shepherd-wheel-workshop/) , Weston Park Museum  (https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/weston-park-museum/) or other alternative family activities.’

Sunday starts at Wortley Top Forge with a site visit: a water powered heavy iron forge whose history can be traced back to at least 1640 and has been used for bloomeries and fineries. (£5 entry fee: this is the bit that is not free. Concessionary rates may be available, but participants must pay at the gate for this element of the event.) https://www.topforge.co.uk/

The Sunday afternoon visit is to Kelham Island Museum https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/kelham-island-museum/ which is housed in a very early Electricity Power Station (1899) and features among may many other exhibits a Bessemer converter.

A programme can be found here.

Registration: click here.

Alternatively contact: secretary@historicalmetallurgy.org.

Suggestions for eating/drinking/accommodation can be found here.  

If more information is needed contact Eddie Birch at libertyship.eb@gmail.com .

See you there.