2025 is here. There’s no denying. But the weather outside has been less-than-delightful, so we’re starting off by looking back – A more detailed catch-up from Autumn of 2024, with late touches of Winter frost which somewhat delayed the start of 2025.

But first, a great big thank you!

To all our volunteers, visitors, supporters and friends. Without your support the Friends would not be able to keep doing their great work in maintaining and sharing the colliery site and its stories with the wider public.

The final quarter-ish

From December back to September, step back in time with us as we recount the highlights of late 2024…

November 2024 ended rather like January 2025 would begin – with sudden snow and a cold snap.

Just as a roaring fire set the scene for the White House meeting of then President-elect Trump with outgoing President Biden, so Pump House Cottage welcomed volunteers old and new to gather around and share plans for the future.

Still, the Friends were not downcast, far from it. Early in the month, Monday 4th November, regular volunteer Paul welcomed visitors from Elsecar – the Heritage Centre Monday volunteers crew who are a credit to Elsecar and the local community for the hours they put it to protect our heritage and local environment.

October outings

Autumn seemed delayed in 2024. Wetter and warmer weather earlier in the year taking its toll, and it was already late October before we saw significant leaf fall.

Without rain, the leaves laid crisp and golden-brown on the ground outside the gates.

A night to remember: Building bridges – Milton Ironworks

Over the past year Barnsley Museums had been working on a special community and volunteering project Building Bridges and Forging Ahead, enabled by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Led by Gemma Clarke, the project engaged local schools, volunteers, voluntary groups and members of the local community in a series of history and creative heritage activities. 

Based around the story of Elsecar’s iron making history at Milton Ironworks, and particularly the casting and temporary erection of 2 iron chain suspension bridges designed by Marc Isambard Brunel, the renowned French engineer and father to the famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

On 30th October the Friends joined the Project celebration event down at Elsecar Heritage Centre when filmmaker Wayne Sables assisted by Steve Pool protected a film about the project’s work as part of a spectacular projection mapping of animations onto the listed workshop buildings of Powerhouse Square.

The Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were pleased to join in several of the activities on the project, including oral history training, gathering history for Elsecar’s People’s Archive, and also contributing research for the story of how the 1823 chain bridges were made and their fate when they were shipped out to La Réunion (formerly Ile de Bourbon).

Heritage Open Days, September 2024

September 2024 was a big month for the Friends, with Heritage Open Days which are always busy, welcoming new visitors on site during the heritage  festival between 7th and 15th September.

Two weekends, Saturday and Sunday – bad weather and good and a surprising number or visitors.

This year the group also doubled-up: on Sunday 8th September some volunteers remained on site whilst others went out ‘on tour’ to Brampton Bierlow’s Local History Day at the civil parish hall at Cortonwood.

Regular volunteers Janet and Jeff help set up our stall in the hall, and welcomed visitors. We were delighted to meet old friends and make new connections on the day – including other local heritage groups and also made contact with local people who kindly offered to share their knowledge and collections with the Friends.

In fact the discoveries and new connections made on that day will lead to some interesting new (and yet old) content in 2025 – so stay tuned!

Activities and keeping active

Throughout 2024 gardening, site maintenance, repair work, as well as awareness and fund-raising activities have remained our focus.

Countless volunteer hours (well countable – we record them all!) go into keeping things ticking along.

It isn’t glamorous or easy, but we’re fortunate to have benefitted from the time, effort and care of some wonderful people.

Back to the future

And back up to date. Work continues on restoration and upgrading of facilities in and around Elsecar Heritage Centre.

Scaffolding was set up in 2024 and work continues repointing listed heritage buildings (13, 19 and 21) and preparing them for new uses, as well as bringing some previously unused spaces into use for events and bookings.

Nothing seems to stay the same for long. Over at Fitzwilliam Lodge, in Elsecar the former Miners lodging house, now apartments was also covered in scaffolding for stone repairs and maintenance.

Coals to Elsecar

Meanwhile, down at the bottom of Reform Row, by the bridge over the Dearne and Dove Canal which came to carry Elsecar coal away in the late 18th Century, we might just be waiting to encounter some 21st Century coal, as Yorkshire Water excavate a giant hole for a new combined sewer overflow.