2025-2026
New Venue – St George’s Centre. As in previous years, meetings will take place at 11:00 am on Saturday mornings. We have a new meeting venue, St George’s Centre, 60 Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3DL. The meetings are open to all. Wherever possible, talks will be hybrid In-Person / Online, and the Zoom links will be circulated nearer the time
Non-members, a donation of £2 towards costs would be appreciated.
Saturday 25th October, Jowett – the Yorkshire Car. Barbara Atack, the Jowett Car Club
Jowett Cars were made in Bradford between 1910 and 1954, the only Yorkshire car that was really successful. Benjamin & William Jowett formed the Jowett Motoring Manufacturing Company in 1901 to undertake general engineering work, and produced their first car by 1906. It was after World War II that production flourished with over 40,000 “Bradfords” and 24,000 “Javelins”. The Jowett Car Club reached its centenary in centenary in 2023 and is the world’s oldest one-make car club.
Saturday 29th November, Leeds Engineering – from the Great Exhibition to the Great War – and its Distinctive Diversity, 1850-1918. Andrew Kirk
The talk starts with Leeds’s very particular response to the Great Exhibition, then details the rapid expansion of steam-driven engineering in the city. Andrew describes the main drivers of this expansion and its diverse spread of trades, examining the lack of reference to Leeds engineering in historical literature and its lack of celebration, even in Leeds. Finally, he describes, for the first time, the decisive influence that Leeds engineers had on national munitions policy at a critical point in British history.
Saturday 13th December, The Stockton & Darlington Railway at 200. Eric Branse-Instone (Historic England)
A whistle-stop tour down the 1825 main line of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, looking at what survives of this pioneering line, its many stories and myths. Eric will draw on his work reassessing the listings and scheduling as part of Historic England’s Heritage Action Zone 2018-2023, which helped support preparations for this year’s bicentenary celebrations. The talk will explore various aspects, such as the development of the railway station as a concept, how and why the S&DR proved to be so internationally influential, and the way in which pioneering development often works through learning from mistakes.
Saturday 24th January, joint meeting with the Newcomen Society at Armley Mills Industrial Museum
Morning seminar with talks by Dr Michael Bailey on Leeds Locomotive Builders, and John McGoldrick on The Locomotives in the Museum Collection and The Refurbishment of the Galleries.
Buffet lunch (charge will apply) followed by an accompanied tour of the museum galleries. Booking will be essential – details to follow.
Saturday 28th February, Mining in the UK – a 6,000 Year History. Steve Denton, retired H.M. Chief Inspector of Mines
This presentation looks at the history of mining in the UK from around the start of the Neolithic period through to modern times, describing what drove the various ‘mining revolutions’ and looks at the mining techniques used to exploit various minerals – starting with flint and ending with the whole raft of things we mine today. It concludes with a look at where the future may lie. Our speaker spent most of his working life within the mining sector. He trained with the National Coal Board as a mining engineer and operations manager before joining HSE as a Mines Inspector, eventually becoming H.M. Chief Inspector of Mines. He is a Chartered Mining Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Materials, Metallurgy and Mining.
Saturday 28th March, Hidden Beneath our Feet: The Story of Sewerage in Leeds. David Sellers, retired Flood Risk Manager for Leeds City Council
The sewerage network beneath our feet is taken for granted as one of the pre-requisites of civilised life, being very much ‘out of site, out of mind’. Consequently, the history of our sewerage inheritance is hidden even more effectively than the sewers themselves. This illustrated talk brings to light some of its milestones – from the cholera epidemics of the 1830s to the environmental controversies of the present day. The talk is based on a recently updated and re-published book of the same title (1997 and 2023). Our speaker spent nearly 30 years as a Chartered Civil Engineer designing sewer systems for Leeds. His main interest is the history of astronomy, and he is the author of several books on this topic.
Saturday 25th April, Section AGM and Members’ Contributions
After a very short AGM, members and guests are invited to share any knowledge of industrial history subjects.
