Kelham Island Museum facts for kids
The Kelham Island Museum is a cool place in Sheffield, England, where you can learn all about the city's amazing industrial past. It's right next to the River Don and first opened its doors in 1982.
Contents
The Museum's Location
The area where the museum stands is actually a man-made island! It was created way back in the 1100s. People dug a special channel, called a mill race, to move water from the River Don. This water then powered a corn mill.
Later, in 1637, the island was named after Kellam Homer. He was the town's armourer and had a grinding workshop nearby. For a long time, the land was mostly fields.
From Foundry to Power Station
In 1829, a big iron foundry owned by John Crowley was built here. It made metal products until the 1890s. The site was hit by a huge flood in 1864 when the Dale Dyke Dam broke. This damaged many workshops.
After the foundry closed, a power station was built in 1899. This station made electricity for Sheffield's new trams. The power station worked until the 1930s. After that, the building was used for storage and workshops. Today, these old buildings are where the museum is located.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has awesome exhibits about science and Sheffield's industries. You can see recreated workshops of "little mesters". These were skilled craftspeople who often worked from small workshops at home.
Giant Machines and Historic Cars
One of the most impressive things is England's largest surviving Bessemer converter. This huge machine was used to make steel. It even won an award in 2004 for its engineering history! The museum also has regular demonstrations of the 1905 River Don Engine. This massive steam engine had 12,000 horsepower! It used to power a local factory that made armour plates. The engine is special because it could change direction super fast. This was important for rolling heavy steel efficiently.
You can also see the first Sheffield-Simplex car ever made. It's one of only three still known to exist! In 1913, The Times newspaper called it "one of the best and most remarkable vehicles available."
Special Exhibits and Workshops
The museum also displays the Benjamin Huntsman Clock. This was the first object ever made using Crucible Cast Steel. You can find it in the Enid Hattersley Gallery. The museum also has a huge collection of old photographs. These are often used in local history books.
Since 2009, the museum has been home to the workshop of Stan Shaw. He was a famous "little mester" who made knives. Stan worked there and showed people how he made knives until he passed away in 2021. The museum is run by the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. It's also an important stop on The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Dealing with Floods
The museum faced a big challenge during the Sheffield flood in July 2007. Water more than a metre deep flooded the site. This caused about £1.5 million in damage! Paintings by William Cowen and Henry Perlee Parker were among the items damaged.
The museum had to close for 18 months. It finally reopened in September 2008. The museum even received a national award for how well it recovered from the flood. Now, the site is much safer. New flood defenses were finished in December 2011 to protect it from future floods.
See also
- Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet - An old factory complex with historic buildings.
- Ken Hawley
- Shepherd Wheel
