Footprints of Industry: Papers from the 300th anniversary conference at Coalbrookdale, 3-7 June 2009

This volume contains a selection of papers which were presented at the Fe09 Conference in June 2009. The conference was held as part of the Coalbrookdale 300 celebrations (Shropshire, England), commemorating the tercentenary of Abraham Darbys success with coke-smelted iron. This momentous event was a truly world-changing moment in human history; and its origins, consequences and wider impacts were the subject of debate and discussion throughout the conference. Contents: Foreword (Sir Neil Cossons); Introduction (Paul Belford and Roger White) 1) Ironworks to museum: Coalbrookdale 1709-2009 (Michael Darby); 2) Vegetation changes in former mining and metalworking areas of Wales and Ireland during prehistoric and medieval times (Tim Mighall, Simon Timberlake and Peter Crew); 3) Early industrialisation in a typical German upland region (Gerhard Ermischer); 4) Before the Lunar Society: the evidence for early post-medieval industrialisation in Birmingham (Chris Hewitson); 5) Technological advance in the Severn Gorge (Peter King); 6) New men on the block Sheffield steelmen in the Cutlers Company (Joan Unwin); 7) Steel away: the Trenton Steel Works and the struggle for American manufacturing independence (Richard W. Hunter and Ian C. Burrow); 8) Advancing the work of Prometheus: the impact of artificial light in the workplace and beyond (Ian West); 9) Bath in the Industrial Revolution: the harmony of tourism, trade, and innovation (Colin J. Axon and Stuart Burroughs); 10) A cast iron legacy: remembering the roots of an industrial village in Nottinghamshire (Emily Gillott); 11) Recording and protecting Glasgows water supply Miriam McDonald, Jelle Muylle and Miles Oglethorpe); 12) Diversity in structure: evidence for globalisation and local interaction in the archaeology, architecture and cultural tourism of industrial communities in Wales (Stephen Hughes); 13) Excavating the cotton mill: towards a research framework for the below-ground remains of the textile industry (Michael Nevell); 14) Projects ongoing: reflections on archaeology and industrial heritage in the Ironbridge Gorge (Paul Belford); 15) South-east Wales industrial ironworks landscapes (Richard Roberts); 16) Detritus or artefact? Examining archaeological approaches to the preservation and presentation of nineteenth and twentieth century industrial workshops (William Mitchell and Samantha Hepburn); 17) The Clee Hills: concrete heritage, missed opportunities and an extraordinary landscape (Roger White); 18) Industrial Heritage in the Greater Region (Norbert Mendgen); 19) Industrial World Heritage Sites: shifting perceptions from icons to cultural landscapes (Keith Falconer); 20) National and regional plans on industrial heritage in Spain: how can we complete the puzzle? (Carmen Hidalgo Giralt and Pablo Sánchez Pérez); 21) New life for old industrial archaeology records (Martin Newman); Appendix: Grey literature reports produced by the Ironbridge archaeology unit.