Full details are in the Steam Plough Times issue 228 – March 2025.
Membership – You need to be a member to vote at the AGM. Renew your membership here or join the club here.
Times – Tours from 10.00am and the AGM starts at 2.00pm
Travel –
Claymills Pumping Engines Trust
Meadow Lane
Stretton
Burton upon Trent
Staffordshire
England
DE13 0DA
By Road
• From the A38, take the north Burton (CLAY MILLS) exit and follow the A5121 towards Burton.
When approaching from the south, take care – the exit slip has a sharp 180° bend.
Meadow Lane is approximately ½ mile from the junction.
Look for the brown signs at the A38 junction and again at Meadow Lane.
• From Burton town centre, follow signs for Derby (A38).
After passing Arnold Clark’s motorstore, watch out for the brown sign at Meadow Lane.
• For SatNav, use postcode “DE13 0DA” to get to Meadow Lane.
• For What3words, the location of our main gate is rating.audio.brass.
By Train
• The nearest station is Burton upon Trent.
By Bus
• The X38 (Burton to Derby) direct service passes the end of Meadow Lane in both directions every 15mins. The nearest stops are the Beech Hotel and the A38 junction. Both are approximately 15mins walk to the pumping station.
Sales – Various items from the club stocks will be available.
Website – www.claymills.org.uk
The Members Area of the website has been updated with Minutes from the Committee meetings Feb 2024-Feb 2025. Fully paid up Members can now view them. Join the Steam Plough Club online […]
The latest addition to our sale items is the “Working Instructions for Fowler Turning Cultivators, Standard and Heavy types, and, Spring Tyne and Medium Cultivators”. The instructions include travelling […]
The Steam Plough Club has launched a brand new clothing range that is available to order from Mid Wales Sign & Print.The range has an embroidered logo on the left […]
The Steam Plough Club has launched a brand new clothing range that is available to order from Mid Wales Sign & Print.
The range has an embroidered logo on the left with a Ploughing Engine and Steam Plough Club text.
The full range is available for adults and a small range for children.
Adults:
Polo Shirts
Hoodie
Quarter Zip Sweater
Full Zip Fleece
Contrast Gilet
Regatta Dover Jacket
Children:
Junior Contrast Hoodie
Junior Jacket
Junior T-Shirt
Order now from https://mw-signandprint.co.uk/steam-plough-club/
Steam Plough Club Winter Visit and Lunch 2024
The Steam Plough Club has organised a Winter Visit and Lunch on Saturday 23rd of November 2024.
Visit Address: Curls Farm, Bromley Road, BS39 4DP
The visit will be hosted by Alan Sparkes at his premises, Alan has kindly agreed to host the visitors from 10.30 at his yard in Stanton Drew, Somerset. The full address will be confirmed closer to the date.
Lunch Address:
The Druids Arms, Stanton Drew, BS39 4EJ.
A for a pre-booked lunch has been organised for 14.30.
We are pleased to announce a Hands-On event for 2024 over the weekend of the 14th-15th September 2024 near Uppingham in Rutland by kind permission of Joe and Mary Nourish. Participants will be given expert tuition on the handling of steam ploughing engines and the implements. Camping and caravan space is available on site, lunch packs and soft drinks are provided, and an evening dinner will be arranged for the Saturday night.
The weekend will conclude at 5pm on the Sunday. There will be two sets of BB1 tackle working a plough and cultivator with space for eight participants.
The cost for the event is £200 with all fees going to the cost of coal and transport for the engines. For new participants, the cost includes an instructional DVD – “An Introduction to Two Engine Cable Cultivation” that provides detailed information in preparation for the weekend. Places can be secured for a deposit of £75 which will be returned in full should the event have to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The event is open to all experience levels, the only requirement is that all participants must be current members of the Steam Plough Club for insurance purposes, the cost is £30.
If you or someone would be interested in taking part, please apply as soon as possible to George Hawkswell, 189 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8QX, email: ghawkswell@hotmail.co.uk, tel: 07512181212.
George Hawkswell,
17 April 2024
The AGM minutes from 2023 have been published in the Members Area .
After the AGM, member Simon Caudwell has kindly offered members the chance to look around his collection of steam ploughing tackle. Simon has the Fowler T1, a recently rebuilt Fowler living van, a cultivator, folding harrows and a water cart plus various old tractors and cars and an extensive workshop.
He is at Higher Ayshford Farm, Brimstone Lane, Westleigh, Tiverton EX16 7EW which is about 8 miles from the AGM venue. Simon will be at the AGM so anyone unsure of how to find him can get directions then!
The Members Area of the website has been updated with Minutes from the Committee meetings Feb 2024-Feb 2025. Fully paid up Members can now view them. Join the Steam Plough Club online […]
12th April 2025 Full details are in the Steam Plough Times issue 228 – March 2025. Membership – You need to be a member to vote at the AGM. Renew your […]
The latest addition to our sale items is the “Working Instructions for Fowler Turning Cultivators, Standard and Heavy types, and, Spring Tyne and Medium Cultivators”. The instructions include travelling […]
A morning visit has been arranged on Sunday 21st April from 10:00am to Leaky Finders Ltd of Exeter – locomotive boiler repairers and manufacturers. Their main work is on the boilers of main line railway locomotives but they do also work on traction engines.
Address: The Antique Village, Exeter, EX5 4PW
Website: www.leakyfindersltd.co.uk
Leaky Finders would like a donation to one of their locos they are working on maybe
GWR Pannier 9629 which they recently bought.
Leaky Finders Ltd of Exeter visit Sunday 21st April 2024
The Members Area of the website has been updated with Minutes from the Committee meetings Feb 2024-Feb 2025. Fully paid up Members can now view them. Join the Steam Plough Club online […]
12th April 2025 Full details are in the Steam Plough Times issue 228 – March 2025. Membership – You need to be a member to vote at the AGM. Renew your […]
The latest addition to our sale items is the “Working Instructions for Fowler Turning Cultivators, Standard and Heavy types, and, Spring Tyne and Medium Cultivators”. The instructions include travelling […]
The AGM starts at 2.00pm
The morning visit and AGM are being held at Coldharbour Mill situated in Uffculme, Devon. This is one of the oldest woollen mills in the UK having been in continuous production since 1797. It has working and static exhibits and an 18th century water wheel – the biggest breast-shot waterwheel still in action in the UK.
Travel – EX15 3EE. Car park on site. Sean Symons is arranging transport from Tiverton Parkway station. Please contact Sean if you would like this. Alternatively Stagecoach Bus 373 (destination Cullompton) leave from the stop outside the station building at 09:07 10:09 11:08. Journey time approximately 10 minutes. The bus timetable ia below.
Site tour – Coldharbour Mill will run conducted tours at c.12:00 and 13:00 – up to 15 people per tour. Machinery will be operating but the Mill will not be in steam. Entry to the Mill will be free.
Refreshments – There is a café on site and there is a pub opposite the Mill. The Mill will be providing tea and coffee after the AGM.
Displays – There will be a display of club archive photos. Subject to weather Sean will bring items for display in the yard. Modellers are also invited to bring items – please contact Sean if interested.
Sales – Various items from the club stocks will be available.
Website – www.coldharbourmill.org.uk
Padbrook Park Hotel
Padbrook Park
Cullompton
Devon
EX15 1RU
Website: www.padbrookpark.co.uk
Tel: 01884 836100
Travelodge Tiverton
Sampford Peverell Service Area
Tiverton
Sampford Peverell
Devon
EX16 7HD
Website: www.travelodge.co.uk
Tel: 0871 984 6057
Waterloo Cross by Marston’s Inns
Uffculme
Cullompton
Devon
EX15 3ES
Tel: 01884 840328
Website: www.marstonsinns.co.uk/inns/waterloo-cross-hotel-cullompton
Stagecoach Bus 373 (destination Cullompton) leave from the stop outside the station building at 09:08 10:08 11:08 . Journey time approximately 10 minutes. When the bus enters Uffculme village it turns left and you want the first stop after the bus has turned. Get off the bus and cross the road and walk down Russet Close. You will see Coldharbour Mill which is a few minutes walk.
Return buses leave from the opposite side of the road (destination Tiverton) at 16:15 17:15. The buses do a double run into the village on each journey so do not be troubled by seeing your bus pass by a few months earlier going the opposite way!
Steam Plough Club Annual General Meeting 2024
The Members Area of the website has been updated with Minutes from the Committee meetings Feb 2024-Feb 2025. Fully paid up Members can now view them. Join the Steam Plough Club online […]
12th April 2025 Full details are in the Steam Plough Times issue 228 – March 2025. Membership – You need to be a member to vote at the AGM. Renew your […]
The latest addition to our sale items is the “Working Instructions for Fowler Turning Cultivators, Standard and Heavy types, and, Spring Tyne and Medium Cultivators”. The instructions include travelling […]
The following news regarding was released by MERL on 21st November 2023:-
As we launch a new range of bespoke products inspired by the engineering drawings held in the MERL archives, Principal Archivist, Caroline Gould, looks at what makes this one of our most consulted collections and we share an insight from an enthusiast into how the collection has helped with their personal project.
Over the last few months, colleagues working in archives, retail and marketing have been delving into the archives of the MERL and Special Collections to look for striking images to create new product ranges for the MERL gift shop. With the breadth of beautiful artwork and ephemera in the collections ranging from Suttons Seeds to the De La Rue archive, we are spoilt for choice, and have a list of potential collections to feature that would fill a department store! So the inspiration for our new range comes from what is maybe an unlikely source: we are about to launch a new range of shop products featuring, wait for it… agricultural manufacturers engineering drawings of steam engines, road rollers and road locomotives!
Perhaps it is not such a surprising choice, however, when you consider that over 100,000 engineering drawings are held in The MERL archives and that they are amongst the most popular series of records requested by researchers. The records relate to companies such as Charles Burrell and Sons Limited, John Fowler and Co. (Leeds) Ltd, Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Ltd, Marshall, Sons and Co. Ltd and Wallis and Steevens Ltd. Model makers and steam engine enthusiasts contact us as they work on restoration projects, refurbishing their engines using the engineering drawings for their original purpose.
Many enthusiasts also use the production records of the archives to find out the history of their steam engine: Who was the first owner? Where was it shipped to? When was the engine built? The firms exported products all over the world, Europe, America, India, China, Chile, Australia and New, Zealand. So we receive requests from all of the world.
We are always delighted to see the results of projects which have used our collections. For example, model maker George King has used the archives to create a range of models including a Fowler Superba Plough engine.
For more images of this model www.georgekingwoodturner.co.uk/plough-engine-project-1
The Blueprints Range is available in the MERL Gift Shop and to order from our new online shop.
We are always trying to improve access to archives held at The MERL. Currently we are working on two projects relating to the agricultural manufacturing archives. Our Paper Conservator, Victoria Stevens, is undertaking a conservation survey to assess the John Fowler and Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies archive for items that require conservation care. Sharon Maxwell, Archivist and Emma Hunt, Archives Assistant are working with Beaulieu Motor Museum to digitise the 16mm reel to reel product publicity films for Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies. The films will then be catalogued and be available in the Reading Room.
We are grateful for the support and expertise we have received from The Road Locomotive Society, Steam Plough Club and the National Traction Engine Trust who have supported us creating access to these incredible archives for many years.
More information about the archives held at The MERL can be found on our website:
If you have an enquiry or wish to consult the archive, please email merl@reading.ac.uk to book an appointment in the Reading Room
