A Donation of Archival Material, April 2025
On 15th April 2015, the committee members were advised of a communication that the secretary, Margaret Prior, had received regarding a collection of items relating to The Doncaster Scientific Society, formerly the property of one of its members, the late Ben Burrell, who had died in 1984, but now formed part of his late daughter’s estate. 1
The sender of the email was Dr. R. J. McKim who was archivist for the British Astronomical Society. Richard offered to share more details of the items in this collection that related to our society, if anyone would care to get in touch. This was exciting news, especially at this time when we were concentrating on cataloguing our archives stored in the Museum.
I responded, on behalf of the society, and several emails later had volunteered to go and collect the items which were then held at Richard’s home near Corby, in Cambridgeshire.
So, on Saturday 19th April I met Richard
Notes.
- “In 2008. Miriam Burrell – one of Ben Burrell’s daughters – presented his collection of archive material to the B.A.A. This included several letters from some other members of the Circle, plus four MS notebooks of copied circulated material, plus a set of all his personal circulars. The receipt of Burrell’s records made it possible to compile this paper.” This extract taken from “Barkers Circle: a 1930s BAA lunar observing group” by Richard McKim
https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/2013JBAA..123…20M
18 April 2025
On a morning walk around Thwaite wood, Dinnington, whilst scanning the horizon with binoculars, I noticed something was missing.
The view afforded from this area, which is on the 91-contour line, includes the two power stations on the horizon of West Burton, with its two chimney stacks and Cottam, with a single chimney stack.
It took several moments before I realised what was amiss; Cottam’s chimney was not there.
I had worked, briefly, on Cottam when it was being constructed back in the 1960’s and again later when it was up and running, probably in the late 70’s or early 80’s, so the view was familiar to me.
The sight of clouds of white steam being emitted from the cooling towers on a calm windless day, had also been one well worth photographing for its artistic value, from Treswell wood against a bright blue sky,
I had to quickly check on my phone, that. yes indeed, the chimney had been demolished.
I’m sure there will be mixed feelings as this landmark of chimney stack and cooling towers slowly disappears from the skyline. It will be interesting to learn what is destined to take its place. More industrial buildings or a return to agricultural as befits the area that still retains an old windmill.