The Archives and Collections Committee of the Historical Metallurgy Society was set up in 2008 to facilitate the management of its various archives and collections. There is a Memorandum of Agreement between the HMS and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) where the archives and collections are housed. Follow the links below for further information.
The HMS archive includes both the records of the Society itself as well as other historical documents.
The Tylecote papers comprise a substantial body of notes and other written material amassed by Ronnie Tylecote. The papers have recently been catalogued and a list of the papers is available to download here.
Ronnie Tylecote's collection of metallographic mounts is subject to a Memorandum of Agreement between HMS and the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) at Oxford University who are housing and managing it for HMS. Dr Aurélie Cuenod at the RLAHA has produced an online catalogue, complete with scans of Tylecote's original notebooks. The catalogue is available HERE
The HMS Library consists of books, pamphlets and leaflets that have been donated to the Society.
The National Slag Collection, which is the property of the IGMT, was formed from several collections (including those of founding members of the HMS); it is stored at Ironbridge. The assessment criteria for receiving new acquisitions into the NSC can be found HERE.
HMS and IGMT are currently involved with the 'Who Cares?" project to explore the role of enthusiasm, creativity and affection in the stewardship of less well-known collections, in this case the Slag Collection. The project asks how care of objects has varied over time, and in relation to different time periods.It also considers what this experience means for how we care for collections in the future. Most significantly, from the professional curator to the serious hobbyist, to the nation as a whole, it will consider who cares about collections and why
Members of the Committee
Vanessa Cheel (Chairman), Eddie Birch (Secretary), Spencer Smith (Liaison with IGMT), Louise Bacon, Rachel Cubitt, Mike Dobby, Brian Gilmour, Andrew Naylor and Peter Northover.
Corresponding Members: Justine Bayley, Ellle Blakelock, Aurélie Cuenod, David Dungworth, Peter King, and Sue Mossman. Members ex officio: Paul Rondelez, Jonathan Prus.