Unfriendly weather, but not entirely dull. No sign of summer sun. June was the summer-free month, uninterrupted by good weather. Volunteers were on site sporadically throughout, on the 1st, 8th, 22nd and 29th June. Inbetween them came rain and cloud. Frequently. Unreasonably unseasonal weather kept us away, and yet it proved to be a very memorable month as you will read.

Landmarks

At the end of May members of the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery attended the inauguration of new landmark sculpture at Elsecar. Entitled ‘Industrious Revolutions (Horse Power)’ a corteen steel horse, laser cut with images of industry echoing the stories of Elsecar’s industrial past.

The artist Patrick Murphy included some verse with the sculpture which visitors can read and enjoy whilst examining the details up close.

The horse connects modern-day visitors with the TransPennine Trail, a bridleway and cyclepath, but also marks a new meeting point for active travellers – however saddled or shoed – to follow the line of the Elsecar branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal – the thread in time which brought trade and transport to Elsecar in 1798, and enabled the growth of coal and iron works over the following century, transforming the area’s fortunes.

Toil, no trouble

June began picking up from where ‘no mow’ May left off, although rain definitely stopped playing, so the no mow May was looking like a ‘no prune’ June for a good while.

The steady but sustained effort of repointing the inside of the modern boundary wall also continued.

And the constant and superb gardening continued at Pump House Cottage garden, bringing us stunning colour on otherwise rather dull days in June.

Cause for celebration

One good thing June brought with it, though, was the beginning of celebrations.

The Friends celebrate a notional birthday in June, remembering the June 2014 date that they first secured possession of the site and got started on reclaiming and restoring it from an overgrown, vandalised and damaged mess.

The Friends opened the gates and enjoyed a little bit of decent weather on a relaxed and enjoyable day, joining in with friends down at Elsecar Heritage Centre.

In 2024 we celebrate 10 years of activity on site, and we will be sharing a selection of new content dedicated to that decade of activity.

In the weeks and months ahead, as well as reflecting on the changes and progress seen over that time, we will be adding more content to our website and sharing more activities, including special events and open days.

First and foremost though, we must acknowledge the critical work of the Friends. The chair and directors who raised the monies and took on the huge challenge of a derelict and damaged site, lost in undergrowth.

Next, we celebrate the contributions of all of our volunteers, past and present. Whether for an hour or two, a full day, or maybe even a whole decade, without your support the site would not have survived and grown, literally, with the purchase of Pump House Cottage in 2019 – effectively reunifying the former colliery complex of pumping and winding engine buildings once more.

We will be celebrating these efforts in future posts and throughout this year’s open days.

Family connections – the Ostcliffes

To kick start a decade of contributions, but also celebrate the history and heritage of the site, we’re delighted to welcome a fabulous new contribution to the stories of Hemingfield, from local historian and author Jane Ainsworth, who writes about her family connection to the pit and the stories of the working lives of generations past.

Jane describes her great-great-grandfather’s connection to Hemingfield Colliery, and the wider family connections in and around Elsecar down to the present day.

Read about the Ostcliffe connection

We thank Jane and her family for their contribution to our work, and supporting the Friends into the next decade of conservation and research.