http://discoverdearne.org.uk/sites/hemingfield-colliery/
We’re featured amongst the sites working with the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership on their excellent new website.
Read about their plans for the area over the next few years, and keep up with the amazing range of events and activities they are arranging and supporting to reconnect people with their local environment, built heritage and green spaces.
Autumn comes to Wath Road
After a week of miserably wet weather, Saturday arrived with bright sunshine and spookily unseasonal warmth, as Site Director Glen unlocked the pit gates ready for our last Open day in October. Just after ten o’clock a keen group of volunteers arrived on site ready for what would be a busy day of clearing the west end of the colliery, an area hidden by silver birch trees which sprang up over the last 20 years as the pit site was neglected and became overgrown. We certainly like a challenge!
The weekend saw a smaller working party than usual convene at Hemingfield Colliery, as Site Director Glen met with volunteers Nigel and Chris on an overcast Saturday morning. The team itself was far from overcast, however, and a bright and jolly mood pervaded as the work began.
Headgear in autumn sun
Autumn had arrived at Hemingfield Colliery and the rustling silver birch leaves were glistening golden-ochre as regular Friends and volunteers Alan, John, Phil, Chris, Nigel, Amanda and Site Director Glen met at the start of another working weekend.
Cornish Engine House (c.1843) and concrete headgear (c.1934), viewed from Pit Row on Wath Road
This weekend was a quieter one on site; a time for reflection and planning. On Saturday site manager Glen and volunteer Chris met and discussed further insights from the wonderful Beedan Collection. The Friends are arranging the papers and hope to share highlights from the material over the coming months. On Sunday the Friends Directors discussed current plans and worked on proposals to secure an economically viable future for the site.
This weekend the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were delighted to attend this year’s Elsecar by the Sea activities – a weekend to celebrate all things Elsecar.
Lighting up the past – Bright sunshine on the pumping engine house.
As reported elsewhere, the weekend of the 5th-6th September 2015 was the occasion of ‘Elsecar by the Sea’ – a celebration of all things Elsecar and a chance for the Friends to get out and about and meet local people and visitors to raise awareness of the site; however the work on site must go on, and a working party gathered on Saturday to continue the clearance activity.
Summer satisfaction: Sunshine, showers and slow but certain progress
The Friends and volunteers arrived on site for a hot, humid and historic weekend of digging – literally and figuratively – into the past of Hemingfield Colliery. It made for a wonderful couple of working party sessions.
Thanks go to the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership the following logo is available to users free for non-commercial use in materials relating to the disaster.
December 2016 will mark 150 years since the Oaks Disaster in which over 360 miners died.
Friends of Hemingfield Colliery 