As of August, the summer of 2026 has been a punishing stretch of hot dry weather. Little rain. Ground parched. Yellowed grass and wilting plants. A rapid recap of how we got here and the Friends’ progress on and off site may not be amiss…
Activity on site has been slow but steady since May as the Friends continue to work on planning and fundraising and grant bid priorities, Chair Steve Grudgings and director Glen have been focusing on this work.
The Friends continue to work with Historic England on permissions for various essential repairs, all of which takes time in the background.
The group are also looking at future plans within the organisation to support a range of on site, online and in print activities to provide a broader programme of engagement, volunteer opportunities and the ever-essential raising of funds.
This is particularly true as we approach the Heritage Open Days festival 11th-20th September 2026. On the 22nd May volunteers Jeff and Chris attended a planning session at Elsecar Heritage Centre, collaborating with Barnsley Museums, RSPB Old Moor, Wombwell Heritage Group and others, to deliver a bigger and better programme of exhibition displays and talks.
Meanwhile, the steady pattern of tending to the grounds and keeping the site safe and tidy continues unabated.
Out and about
It’s not entirely shovels, spades and strimmers though; the friends also like to get out and about and share their research into our shared heritage.
In June the regular volunteers Janet, Jeff, Paul, Andy, Andy (again!) and Chris downed tools at midday and went for an afternoon exploration around Elsecar. They visited the Anglican church graveyard, and civil cemetery, and studied the graves of former employees of Earl Fitzwilliam’s Elsecar Collieries, including our own Hemingfield (Low Elsecar) pit.
The visible surviving gravestones cover miners from the 1850s to the 1950s. Some of this work will feed into future publications by the Friends, as well as supporting the Heritage Open Days programme.
Returning to the pit down the Dearne and Dove Canal, a number of features were pointed out, putting into context the working life of the pit.
In the following weeks of June, the Friends also joined a new walking tour being piloted by Elsecar Heritage Centre. Regular volunteers Jeff and Chris were pleased to meet visitors at the Hemingfield Colliery Basin to share the story of Hemingfield and the development of canal and railway connections from the Nineteenth into the early Twentieth centuries.
A little celebration
The Friends of Hemingfield Colliery traditionally celebrate our anniversary in June, marking the years since taking on the site in 2014. This year was a little quieter, but no less special as we returned to site to welcome the return of a volunteer and supporter who has recently moved to live and work in Germany. A family and friend-ly gathering made for a very pleasant day and lovely surroundings, a ‘pit picnic’ if you will.
Too hot to handle
As we entered June, the south of England had already seen the first declared heatwave of 2026, on 22nd May. The second would break on 19th June.
The third on 4th July, with Yorkshire and the Humber receiving an amber alert on the 9th July.
The fourth came on 28th July, with Yellow alerts for Yorkshire and the Humber. August saw a fifth wave with a further yellow alert for Yorkshire.
A Rail welcome to Elsecar
In July 2026 a new piece of public art was installed at Elsecar Station. The new totem sculpture, laser cut in weathered Corten steel, is the work of artist Patrick Murphy, who also designed the Industrious Revoltions horse sculpture at the head of the TransPennine Trail at Elsecar inaugurated in 2024.
The new work was created through a partnership between the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Barnsley Council, and Northern Trains, and was based on feedback from members of the local community, and school pupils from Elsecar Holy Trinity Primary School.
The feedback sessions were lunched at Milton Hall on 18th June last year, and attended by members of FoHC.
The new artwork was officially inaugurated at 2pm on Wednesday 29th July 2026, in a short presentation attended by local councillors past and present, staff from Elsecar Heritage Centre, their volunteers, and others, together with the artist Patrick Murphy. The project has been delivered with support from Northern Trains and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Community Rail Officer.