I.A.Recordings was founded in 1982 by a small group of volunteers, to record past and present industries on film and video, as a resource for industrial archaeology

Industrial archaeology

Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...

 (I.A.).

When possible, they capture the processes and activities of an industry while it is still working; but moving pictures also add an extra dimension to the recording of industrial remains.

All the footage they shoot is kept in a storage archive for posterity}. From time to time, they produce edited programmes from some of the material, to make it available to the public on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

.

History

Their first project in 1982 was to work with the historian W.K.V.Gale to record the famous John Bradley Rolling Mill in the English Midlands

English Midlands

The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...

, as it was due to close within a week and was the last of its kind in the area.

Since then they have recorded many industries, several of which have since closed. They have also produced several documentary history programmes, particularly about inland waterways (canals) and mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

.

I.A.Recordings started in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 but have since recorded sites in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and the USA.

They have developed their own specialist video

Video

Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...

 technology such as helmet-mounted cameras for use underground and MineCam

MineCam

The MineCam is a remote exploration camera built by I.A.Recordings. It is used for mine shafts exploration and other similar environments. It was originally conceptualized in 1988, and since went under several design revisions...

, a remote-controlled camera for mine shaft exploration.

I.A.Recordings use broadcast

Broadcast

Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...

 equipment and techniques and since 2005, High Definition Video.

By 2008, they had over 38,000 minutes of original footage in the archive, but as they are voluntary they have only had time to edit a relatively small amount for release on DVD.

Major subjects

Subjects already available for public viewing include a brickworks

Brickworks

A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....

 employing hand-moulders, making brass hames for horse harnesses, many locksmith workshops in Willenhall

Willenhall

Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...

 recorded for the Lock Museum, making files by hand, a history of the Shropshire Union Canal

Shropshire Union Canal

The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....

 made for the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is an industrial heritage organisation which runs ten museums and manages 35 historic sites within the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, widely considered as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution....

, a history of the Birmingham Canal Navigations

Birmingham Canal Navigations

Birmingham Canal Navigations is a network of navigable canals connecting Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and the eastern part of the Black Country...

, building new canal tunnels in 1984 and 1989, the last run of 'Tom Pudding

Tom Pudding

Tom Pudding was the name given to the tub boats on the Aire and Calder Navigation, introduced in 1863 and used until 1985, which were a very efficient means of transferring and transporting coal from the open cast collieries of the South Yorkshire Coalfield near Stanley Ferry to the port of Goole,...

' compartment boats, a history of the Manchester Ship Canal

Manchester Ship Canal

The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...

, an underground tour of the ancient Clive Copper Mine, a history of Snailbeach

Snailbeach

Snailbeach is a village in Shropshire, England, located near Shrewsbury at . The village was formerly home to a large lead mine.-Early history:A village was built for workers at the local lead mine - Snailbeach Mine, which reputedly dates back to Roman times...

 Lead Mine, many mines in Ireland including Glengowla, Avoca, Glendalough

Glendalough

Glendalough or Glendaloch is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin, a hermit priest, and partly destroyed in 1398 by English troops....

, Glendasan, Glenmalur, Tara, Silvermines

Silvermines

Silvermines, historically known as Bellagowan , is a village in North Tipperary in Ireland. It lies immediately north of the Silvermine mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver nearby...

, Shalee, Allihies

Allihies

Allihies is a coastal parish in the west of County Cork, Ireland. The largest village in the parish is Cluin, but is often mistakenly referred to by the name of the surrounding parish...

; Bunmahon

Bunmahon

Bunmahon Village , also called Bonmahon, is a coastal village in County Waterford, Ireland, at the mouth of the River Mahon.-History:Bunmahon was a mining village. Copper was mined here between 1827 and 1877. The population of the village swelled to over 2000 at that time. A temperance hall was built...

 and Tankardstown on the Copper Coast

Copper Coast

*This article is about a region in Australia. For coast of County Waterford, Ireland, see Copper Coast .Copper Coast is a region of South Australia situated in Northern Yorke Peninsula and comprising the towns of Wallaroo, Kadina, Moonta, Paskeville and Port Hughes. The area approximately bounded...

; and Ballycorus; Drakelow Tunnels

Drakelow Tunnels

The Drakelow Tunnels are a former underground military complex beneath the Kingsford Country Park near the village of Kinver, Staffordshire, which cover...

 underground factory, Carrs and other lead and zinc mines in the Nenthead

Nenthead

The small village of Nenthead in the county of Cumbria is one of England's highest villages, at 1,500 feet. It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages in Britain...

 area, working and disused Cornish

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 mines including South Crofty

South Crofty

South Crofty is a metalliferous Tin and Copper mine located in the village of Pool, Cornwall, England UK. An ancient mine, it has seen production for over 400 years, and extends almost two and a half miles across and down and has mined over 40 lodes. Evidence of mining activity in South Crofty has...

, Geevor, Cligga Head, Rosevale, Taylor's & Michell's shafts near Redruth

Redruth

Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...

, Tolgus Tin Company, Wheal Jane

Wheal Jane

Wheal Jane is a disused tin mine near Baldhu and Chacewater in West Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The area itself consisted of a large number of mines.-History:Wheal Jane was probably seriously worked for tin from the mid-18th century...

 and Kennall Vale Gunpowder Works; mines around Llangollen

Llangollen

Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...

, Pontneddfechan Gunpowder Works, carrying pottery on the Caldon Canal

Caldon Canal

The Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...

, Donisthorpe

Donisthorpe

Donisthorpe is a village in the East Midlands of England, administered as part of the Leicestershire district of North West Leicestershire.The historic county boundary between Leicestershire and Derbyshire is the River Mease, which runs through the village, with the village centre being on the...

 Colliery, Alan Paine Knitwear, Bagworth

Bagworth

Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....

 Colliery, Helsington Snuff

Snuff

Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...

 Mill, a steam-powered dredger, dry barrel coopering, Morse's Level coal mine, Charlecote water-powered flour mill, stone quarrying and cutting in the Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...

, carrying newsprint and sewage effluent by canal, rescuing an ancient Severn trow

Trow

A trow was a type of cargo boat found in the past on the rivers Severn and Wye in Great Britain and used to transport goods. The mast could be taken down so that the trow could go under bridges, such as the bridge at Worcester and the many bridges up and downstream. The mast was stepped in a three...

 sailing barge and then sailing it after restoration, the abandoned Wren's Nest

Wren's Nest

The Wren's Nest is a National Nature Reserve located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bats...

 limestone mines, a tanker carrying diesel on the River Humber and Aire and Calder navigation

Aire and Calder Navigation

The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. The first improvements to the rivers above Knottingley were completed in 1704 when the Aire was made navigable to Leeds and the Calder to...

, compartment boats taking coal to Ferrybridge power station

Ferrybridge power station

The Ferrybridge power stations refers to a series of three coal-fired power stations situated on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. The first station on the site, Ferrybridge A power station, was constructed in the mid-1920s, and was closed as the second station, Ferrybridge B power...

, an oak bark tanning

Tanning

Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

 works, large dragline excavators mining open pit coal, Annesley

Annesley

Annesley is a village and civil parish in the District of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England, located between Hucknall and Kirkby-in-Ashfield. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,096. Nearby to the west is Annesley Woodhouse...

-Bentinck colliery, mines around Linares, Spain

Linares, Spain

Linares is a city located in the Andalusian province of Jaén, Spain. It is considered the second most important city in that province and had a population of 62,347 in the most recent census. The altitude is 419 meters and the total area of the municipality is 195.15 km2...

, and ancient mines in the Harz

Harz

The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...

 mountains of Germany.

I.A.Recordings also maintain a widely-used collection of over 600 links http://www.iarecordings.org/otheria.html to other Industrial Archaeology-related websites and host the Industrial Archaeology and History Web Ring http://www.iarecordings.org/ring.html.

See also

• Association for Industrial Archaeology
  Association for Industrial Archaeology
  The Association for Industrial Archaeology, or AIA, is a body promoting the research, recording, preservation and presentation of the Industrial Heritage of the United Kingdom...
  
  
• National Association of Mining History Organisations
  National Association of Mining History Organisations
  The National Association of Mining History Organisations, or NAMHO, was formed in 1979 to promote the interests of mining historians and those organisations which seek to preserve the relics of the mining past of the United Kingdom...
  
  
• Council for British Archaeology
  Council for British Archaeology
  Established in 1944, the is an educational charity working throughout the UK to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations...
  
  
• British Film Institute
  British Film Institute
  The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
  
  

Further reading

• Ballantyne, James (ed.): "Researchers Guide to British film & television collections", page 142. British Universities Film & Video Council 1993. ISBN 0-901299-64-2

External links

• I.A.Recordings
• Association for Industrial Archaeology
• National Association of Mining History Organisations
• Council for British Archaeology
• Channel 4 Archaeology
• British Film Institute
• BBC Shropshire - a web page describing I.A.Recordings activities