First Red Wheel Plaque unveiled by the Transport Trust
[photo: Reg Banks]
On 3rd April 2009 the Transport Trust launched a nationwide programme to mark sites of historical interest with Red Wheel plaques. A major new initiative to commemorate Britain’s rich and globally important legacy in the development of transport, the Red Wheel programme will mark hundreds of sites of special historic interest with a distinctive Red Wheel plaque and will be administered by The Transport Trust, the hub of the transport preservation and restoration movement in Great Britain.
The picture shows Denis Dunstone (right) unveiling the first award at Barrow Hill Roundhouse with Mervyn Allcock, instigator of the preservation and refurbishment of the shed, a unique remaining example of 19th century railway architecture.
The former steam roundhouse located at Barrow Hill, near Chesterfield, had a working life of 121 years. It was Grade II listed in 1991, the same year it finally closed. Inside the roundhouse, as well as the turntable serving 24 engine roads, there is what is believed to be the only remaining set of timber locomotive lifting sheer legs - outlawed for heavy lifting in 1964.
Following many moths of work by dedicated volunteers it opened its doors to the public in 1998. It is now home to one of the largest collections representing the era of diesel and electric traction as well as the days of steam.
To place each Red Wheel plaque in historical and geographical context, each carries a link to a dedicated website - www.transportheritage.com - which sets out the history and importance of locations and individuals. Just as transport linked towns and villages to generate economic prosperity, the internet will link each Red Wheel plaque to educate, inform and enthuse the nation.
The scheme is structured by counties, each managed by a Red Wheel County Co-ordinator, with sites identified by learned societies, historians and enthusiast groups. There is much work to be undertaken – a relatively small number of locations are currently within the public gaze, yet there are many of great, perhaps greater, historical importance that should be awarded recognition. The sites will include locations such as Roman roads, coaching inns, canal aqueducts, or aerodrome buildings yet, equally, there are locations that need to be marked for the benefit of future generations where physical evidence no longer survives.
The Red Wheel Scheme has been launched in time to play its part in the 2012 London Olympics, a global event which will focus not only on sporting excellence, but also on the recording and promotion of our national cultural heritage. The Red Wheel programme will leave an enduring legacy, highlighting the importance of science and engineering to our past history, and to the nation’s future.