HOW water has been harnessed for industrial energy provides the theme for the spring conference of the Cumbria Industrial History Society.

The talks day is called The Power of Water and is being held on Saturday, April 22, at the Shap Wells Hotel, near Kendal.

Cumbria Industrial History Society chairman Geoff Brambles will be looking at the long and important links between water and the development of Kendal in a talk called “How water shaped a town”.

Any driver on the market town's one way system will quickly recognise how bridges dominate routes through the town.

In the 19th century water was the key to another form of Kendal transport as it had factories and warehouses around a canal head which provided a direct link to Carnforth, Lancaster and Glasson Dock.

Water provided power - or a raw ingredient - for all manner of industrial processes in the town.

Graham Brooks takes the theme of water in the mines of the Lake District and the Pennines.

His talk is called “Water Power in Metal Mining.”

In many cases water was a nuisance for miners as it had to be pumped out of underground workings in vast quantities.

However, it did have other uses for processes such as ore separation and in hushing - where water was used to blast away a hillside to expose mineral veins in the fells.

Among the water-based mine engineering to be looked at in the talk is the waterwheel at the Coniston copper mines.

In a change to the original prgramme, Charles Rowntree, from Kirkby, will be taking a look at “Some Aspects of Mill Enginering”

Mr Rowntree spent 10 years as a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy and has worked on the restoration of an historic water mill.

Prof George Aggidis takes the theme “Hydro goes marine” for his talk.

He is the professor of energy engineering and director of Lancaster University’s Renewable Energy Group.

His engineering career started with Mather & Platt in Manchester and he was later a director at hydropower firm Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon.

His work at Lancaster University is on wave energy, tidal power and hydro power.

Places at the spring meeting cost £24, including lunch, and need to be booked by April 7.

You can find more details at www.cumbria-industries.org.uk, phone 01524 762312 or send an email to cihscon@btinternet.com