The Museum became part of the River Don last Monday as the River rose and engulfed the Island. The surge destroyed retaining walls at the end of the Island and along part of the courtyard of the Museum. The tarmac of the Coach park at the end of the Island was lifted and deposited again in pieces, giving a strange wave effect across it, which dramatically illustrates the power of the flood.

The flood water filled the Museum to a depth of a metre and in lifting oil out of the engines in the Gallery covered everything, so oil is now running down the walls and off everything left in the gallery.

 The Main Gallery is a write off (opened November 2003)

 The Conservation Workshops and Open Store are a write off (opened November 2005). The workshops had all new machines in many areas

 The Melting Shop children’s area is a write off (opened in 1997)  The SCOPE interactive Science Zone is a write off (opened in March 2006)

 The Children’s Discovery Garden at the end of the Island was washed away completely and the Douglas Centre filled with mud (opened 2001)

 The Sedgeleys Large Object Store is filled with mud with damage to many items stored there (completed 2005)

 The Crucible Shop is full of mud and new display stands destroyed (restoration completed January 2006)

 The River Don Engine itself was submerged and so needs considerable work before it can be run again, as do all the working exhibits There is a huge task to be done in getting the Museum back to where it was after 13 years of project by project fundraising totalling £3million.

There is insurance through the Council and much will be covered, but it took over a decade to build and half an hour to destroy. The resources available will depend on the negotiation with the loss adjuster and this will affect the speed of recovery. The Museum intends to be open for school visits by mid September as these can take place largely in upstairs spaces and do not depend on panels of information or cases of objects.

The Galleries will be empty but aim to be safe and clean. The Trust saved the Museum from closure in 1994, rebuilding and renewing everything. Now we start again.

John Hamshere Executive Director Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust 2nd July 2007