List of industrial heritage sites explained

This is a list of notable Industrial heritage sites throughout the world that have been inscribed on "top tier" heritage lists, including the UNESCO World Heritage List,[1] Grade I listed buildings (England and Wales), Category A listed buildings (Scotland), Grade A listed buildings (Northern Ireland), National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Landmarks (USA), etc.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Site NameImageLocationCountryAddedNotes
Blaenavon Industrial LandscapeBlaenavonUnited Kingdom2000
Boat Lifts on the Canal du CentreHainautBelgium1998
City of PotosíPotosí DepartmentBolivia1987
Cornwall and West Devon Mining LandscapeCornwallUnited Kingdom2006
Crespi d'AddaCapriate San GervasioItaly1995
Derwent Valley MillsDerbyshireUnited Kingdom2001
Engelsberg IronworksÄngelsbergSweden1993
Fagus FactoryAlfeldGermany2011
Forth BridgeFirth of Forth, ScotlandUnited Kingdom2015
Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial LandscapeRío Negro DepartmentUruguay2015
Great Copper MountainFalunSweden2001
Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and IdrijaAlmadén and IdrijaSlovenia and Spain2012
Historic Centre of the Town of DiamantinaDiamantina, Minas GeraisBrazil1999
Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie GóryTarnowskie GóryPoland2017
Historic Town of Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its VicinityBanská ŠtiavnicaSlovakia1993
Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent MinesGuanajuato CityMexico1988
Historic Town of Ouro PretoOuro PretoBrazil1980
Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter WorksTarapacá RegionChile2005
Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)LemsterlandNetherlands1998
Ironbridge GorgeShropshireUnited Kingdom1986
Ivrea, Industrial City of the 20th CenturyIvreaItaly2018
Iwami Ginzan Silver MineŌda, ShimaneJapan2007
La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town PlanningCanton of NeuchâtelSwitzerland2009
Liverpool Maritime Mercantile CityLiverpoolUnited Kingdom2004In 2012, the site was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the proposed construction of Liverpool Waters project.
Major Mining Sites of WalloniaWalloniaBelgium2012Four sites: Grand Hornu, Bois-du-Luc, Bois du Cazier, Blegny-Mine
Mill Network at Kinderdijk-ElshoutSouth HollandNetherlands1997
Mountain Railways of IndiaDarjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Kalka–Shimla RailwayIndia1999
New LanarkSouth Lanarkshire, ScotlandUnited Kingdom2001
Nord-Pas de Calais Mining BasinNord-Pas-de-CalaisFrance2012
Ombilin Coal MineSawahluntoIndonesia2019
Ore Mountain Mining RegionNorth Bohemia and SaxonyCzech Republic and Germany2019
Pontcysyllte AqueductWrexham County Borough, WalesUnited Kingdom2009
Rhaetian RailwayAlbula Railway and Bernina RailwayItaly and Switzerland2008
Rideau CanalOntarioCanada2007
Rjukan–Notodden Industrial Heritage SiteTelemarkNorway2015
Røros Mining Town and the CircumferenceTrøndelagNorway1980
SaltaireWest YorkshireUnited Kingdom2001
Fukuoka Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamaguchi PrefectureJapan2015Thirty component sites in eight areas
Semmering RailwaySemmering PassAustria1998
Sewell Mining TownMachalíChile2006
Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with ChilehausHamburgGermany2015
Tomioka Silk MillTomioka, GunmaJapan2014
Upper Harz Water RegaleUpper HarzGermany1992Affiliated with Mines of Rammelsberg
Van Nelle FactoryRotterdamNetherlands2014
Verla Groundwood and Board MillKymenlaaksoFinland1996
Vizcaya BridgeBiscaySpain2006
Völklingen IronworksSaarlandGermany1994
Water Management System of AugsburgAugsburgGermany2019
Wieliczka Salt MineWieliczkaPoland1978
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial ComplexNorth Rhine-WestphaliaGermany2001

Grade I listed industrial buildings and structures in England and Wales, Category A in Scotland, Grade A in Northern Ireland

Site NameImageLocationCountryListedReferenceNotes
1830 warehouse, Liverpool Road railway stationManchesterEngland19521282991
Albert Dock, Warehouses A-E and OfficeLiverpoolEngland19521205175
Abbeydale Industrial HamletSheffieldEngland19521246418 Also known as Abbeydale Works Museum.[2]
Broadford WorksAberdeenScotland1967LB43908The oldest iron-framed mill in Scotland, and the fourth oldest known to survive in the world, with 19th- and early-20th-century extensions.
Craigmore ViaductCounty ArmaghNorthern Ireland
Crofton Pumping StationGreat BedwynEngland19851034049More information[3]
Crossness Pumping StationCrossnessEngland19701064241
Forth BridgeFirth of ForthScotland1973LB40370 Nominated in May 2011 for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[4]
Forth Road BridgeFirth of ForthScotland2001LB47778
Galloway hydro-electric power schemeGallowayScotland1990LB17126
Glenfinnan ViaductGlenfinnanScotland1971LB310
Grandholm WorksAberdeenScotland1991LB18985The largest vertically integrated tweed mill in Scotland.
House MillBromley-by-BowEngland19551080970More information[5]
Kincardine BridgeFirth of ForthScotland2005LB50078
Penallta CollieryHengoedWales
Preston MillEast LothianScotland1971LB1453118th century watermill and kiln, possibly incorporating earlier structure, with later additions.
Temple WorksHolbeckEngland19511375162
Verdant WorksDundeeScotland1987LB25140 1833 flax mill with mid 19th century ancillary buildings.
Woodbridge Tide MillWoodbridge, SuffolkEngland19511300451

National Historic Sites of Canada

Site NameImageLocationCountryDesignatedNotes
Atlas No. 3 Coal Mine National Historic SiteEast Coulee, AlbertaCanada2001An exceptionally well-preserved coal-mining landscape spread across the side of a bluff.
Backhouse Grist Mill National Historic SiteNorfolk County, OntarioCanada1998One of the oldest and best preserved examples of a small-scale, water-powered mill remaining in Canada.
Beauharnois Hydroelectric Power StationBeauharnois, QuebecCanada1990Considered the most powerful generating station in Canada when completed in 1961. It is still one of the largest run-of-river plants in the world.[6]
Chambly Canal National Historic SiteChambly, QuebecCanada1929The canal constitutes part of an inland water transportation route joining Montréal and New York City. The site includes the waterway itself, nine locks, five weirs, two piers, dams, dikes and bridges, and several other elements and buildings associated with the operation of the canal.
Cobalt Mining District National Historic SiteCobalt, OntarioCanada2002A rare cultural landscape consisting of vestiges and buildings associated with the evolution of hard rock mining in Canada.
Esterhazy Flour MillEsterhazy, SaskatchewanCanada2009A rare and complete illustration of a period of flour milling technology that was crucial to the grain industry.
La Fabrique National Historic Site Quebec City, QuebecCanada2011Former Dominion Corset Manufacturing Building.
First Commercial Oil Field National Historic SiteOil Springs, OntarioCanada1925The site contains the first commercial oil well in the world, the first drilled well in Canada, the first gumbeds that were commercially used in the world, and the first gas gusher in Canada.
Forges du Saint-MauriceTrois-Rivières, QuebecCanada1920Established in 1730, Forges du Saint-Maurice was the principal industry under the French Regime. From 1973, the site has been the subject of an extensive research and interpretation program conducted by Parks Canada Agency.
Gulf of Georgia CanneryRichmond, British ColumbiaCanada1976Operated until 1979.
Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic SiteInglis, ManitobaCanada1995Erected between 1922 and 1941. A rare surviving icon of prairie towns during the “golden age of grain.”
Lachine Canal National Historic SiteIsland of Montreal, QuebecCanada1929An early 19th-century canal, 14 kilometres in length, built to circumvent five kilometres of white water on the St. Lawrence River between Lachine and the old port on Montréal Island.
Lachine Canal Manufacturing Complex National Historic SiteIsland of Montreal, QuebecCanada1997Former Redpath Sugar Refinery Property.
McLean Mill National Historic SiteVancouver Island, British ColumbiaCanada1989Former sawmill and logging operation established in 1925 by Robert Bartlett McLean.
Québec Bridge National Historic SiteQuebec City, QuebecCanada1995The longest clear-span cantilever bridge in the world.
Queenston-Chippawa Hydro-Electric Development National Historic SiteNiagara Falls, OntarioCanada1990Built between 1917 and 1925, it was the first large hydro-electric project in the world. Renamed after Adam Beck in 1950.
Shawinigan Aluminum Smelting ComplexShawinigan, QuebecCanada2002An early aluminum smelter and hydroelectric plants that supplied it with power. The oldest known, extant aluminum smelting complex in North America.
Springhill Coal Mining National Historic SiteSpringhill, Nova ScotiaCanada1997One of Canada's most commercially important coalfields. Surviving in situ surface and underground mining features are collectively more complete than any other in the province.
Toronto Power Generating StationNiagara Falls, OntarioCanada1983The first wholly Canadian-owned hydro-electric facility at Niagara Falls. The powerhouse is an early and unusual application of Beaux-Arts design to an industrial site in Canada.

National Historic Sites and National Historical Parks (USA)

Note: most sites listed below are also National Historic Landmarks.

Site NameImageLocationCountryEstablishedNotes
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic SiteBlair County and Cambria County, PennsylvaniaUnited States1964The Allegheny Portage Railroad was 36 miles in length connecting the Hollidaysburg Canal Basin with the basin at Johnstown.[7]
Boston Naval ShipyardUnited States1974Part of Boston National Historical Park. Site played an important role in building, and maintaining, the United States Navy fleet.[8]
Hopewell Furnace National Historic SiteUnited States1938Park showcases an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation.[9]
Lowell National Historical ParkUnited States1978Park tells the story of Lowell's role in the Industrial Revolution and America in the 19th-20th century.[10]
Paterson Great Falls National Historical ParkUnited States2011Great Falls was harnessed to power new industries and played a key role in shaping the American Industrial Revolution and building the U.S. economy.[11]
Saugus Iron Works National Historic SiteUnited States1968A reconstructed early integrated iron works, including a blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, shear, slitter and a quarter-ton drop hammer.[12]
Springfield Armory National Historic SiteUnited States1978NHS includes the original 1840s arsenal houses the world's largest collection of historic American military firearms.[13]
Staple Bend TunnelUnited States2001Operated as a separate area of Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site since 2001.[14]
Steamtown National Historic SiteUnited States1986Steamtown NHS occupies about 40 acres of the Scranton railroad yard of the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.[15]

National Historic Landmarks (USA)

Site NameImageLocationCountryAddedNotes
Bingham Canyon MineSalt Lake County, UtahUnited States1966
Boston Manufacturing CompanyWaltham, MassachusettsUnited States1977
Carrie Blast Furnaces 6 and 7Rankin, PennsylvaniaUnited States2006
Clark Thread Company Historic DistrictEast Newark, New JerseyUnited States1978
Ford River Rouge ComplexDearborn, MichiganUnited States1978
Harmony MillsCohoes, New YorkUnited States1999
Harrisville Historic DistrictHarrisville, New HampshireUnited States1977
Highland Park Ford PlantHighland Park, MichiganUnited States1978
Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron MineHibbing, MinnesotaUnited States1966
Lowell Locks and Canals Historic DistrictLowell, MassachusettsUnited States1977
Mountain Iron MineMountain Iron, MinnesotaUnited States1968
Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain ElevatorSt. Louis Park, MinnesotaUnited States1981
Phoenix Shot TowerBaltimore, MarylandUnited States1971
Pillsbury A-MillMinneapolis, MinnesotaUnited States1966
Quincy Mining Company Historic DistrictHoughton County, MichiganUnited States1989
St. Croix Boom SiteStillwater, MinnesotaUnited States1966
Slater Mill Historic SitePawtucket, Rhode IslandUnited States1966
Sloss FurnacesBirmingham, AlabamaUnited States1981
Soudan Iron MineTower, MinnesotaUnited States1966
Speedwell IronworksMorris County, New JerseyUnited States1974
SpindletopBeaumont, TexasUnited States1966
Washburn A Mill ComplexMinneapolis, MinnesotaUnited States1983
Watervliet ArsenalWatervliet, New YorkUnited States1966

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ World Heritage List
  2. Web site: Plan Your Visit | Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust .
  3. Web site: Crofton Beam Engines Starting Page . 2011-06-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110806084534/http://www.croftonbeamengines.org/intro.html . 2011-08-06 .
  4. Web site: Historic Environment Scotland .
  5. Web site: Home . housemill.org.uk.
  6. http://www.hydroquebec.com/learning/histoire/pop_centrale_beauharnois.html
  7. Web site: History & Culture - Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).
  8. Web site: Boston's Naval History - Boston National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service).
  9. Web site: Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).
  10. Web site: History & Culture - Lowell National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service).
  11. Web site: Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service).
  12. Web site: Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).
  13. Web site: History & Culture - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).
  14. Web site: Staple Bend Tunnel - Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).
  15. Web site: History & Culture - Steamtown National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).