Springtime?
Ominous clouds hung over the valley as the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery arrived to open up the gates at the start of another Open Day.
Undaunted by the heavy rain of the day before, Site Manager Glen was joined by regular volunteers Alan, Nigel and John, followed by Chris as work got underway on the working party activities.
The Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were happy to see that the external scaffolding had gone from around the Victorian winding engine house. This could only mean one thing: the main phase of the roof restoration was over – the reroofing, new rafters, wall plates, fascias, battens, insulation and slating was in place, with flashings, and guttering looking clean and new as Friends Chair Steve and Site Manager Glen opened up the gates.
As the Friends and volunteers returned to site at the end of January, they discussed their plans, passions and other pass times. With Friends Director and Site Manager Glen on hand, Friends Chair Steve, Director Ian and Friends’ Director of Volunteering Christine, this weekend was a great time to celebrate the many volunteer voices at Hemingfield; sharing personal passions, insights and enthusiasms. Volunteers John, Iain, Glenda, Keith, Chris and Phil were on hand during the day to lend a hand, and share the research and discoveries they had made.
2017 has arrived. We made it. Happy New Year to all of the Friends, volunteers, supporters and local partners who helped to make a real difference to saving and protecting our heritage last year: May 2017 be full of fun, new friendships and further progress. There’s much to do!
The Friends of Hemingfield Colliery began the year by setting out the programme of events for the whole year ahead, so there’s plenty of opportunities for people to visit and see what’s happening. We’re always pleased to see and hear from above interesting in the site, the local area, its people, environment and history.
Whether through a family connection, mining memories, or curiosity, there’s much to discover at Hemingfield and throughout the surrounding area, from Elsecar up to Wentworth; from Barnsley to Rotherham we are fortunate to live in a semi-rural district with strong industrial and transport links to the big regional cities. It provides a beautiful balance, and the Friends would be delighted to hear from anyone, as well as sharing our knowledge of the site, it helps us to understand the development and impact of the colliery over time.
So, as 2016 retreats into memory, cards and decorations come down, and cruelly-uprooted evergreen guests are ousted for another year, it’s time for the new year to get underway: life in Hemingfield very much goes on.
December was deceptively mild as the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery and regular volunteers arrived for the final open day and working party weekend of 2016.
Site Manager Glen and Friends Chair Steve were joined by John, Nigel, Alan and Chris as the crew continued work on site, clearing rubble, logging felled timber and generally keeping things tidy. Equally everyone was keen to see the latest progress on the removal and restoration of the winding engine house roof.
After a cloudy and unpromising start to the weekend, the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were treated to a glorious autumnal day, with blue skies and sunshine smiling on the pit yard. Site Manager Glen and Friends Chair Steve opened the gates to catch up on the progress in the restoration of the roof of the winding engine house, and welcome regular volunteers, Nigel, Alan, John, Keith and Chris to another day’s working party activities.
Works in Progress
Saturday was a busy day at Hemingfield, ushering in the first working party in November. Following a week filled with US election drama and the sombre reflections of remembrance day, Site Manager Glen opened the pit gates, joined by Directors Ian and Christine. Chairman Steve and regular volunteers John and Chris were also on hand as the Friends welcomed a number of new visitors to the site, all eager to see the progress in the winding engine house roof, and to discuss some exciting opportunities throughout the valley.
On Friday 4th November the University of Sheffield School of Architecture (SSoA) welcomed students, clients, partners and the public to the Vestry Hall (Israac Centre) on Cemetery Road Sheffield for the public presentations of the 2016 Live Projects www.liveprojects.org.
Live Projects are 6 week projects where Masters Architecture students from the SSoA work with local community, voluntary and arts-based groups on real-world client briefs producing high quality innovative design and build, feasibility, strategy, public engagement and other outputs to support and advance the work of their clients. The project groups work to agreed briefs on a tight schedule. The ideas, designs, documents, models and final presentations are always creative and engaging. The Friends of Hemingfield Colliery themselves benefited from a Live Project in 2014 and so are delighted to see the outcomes of the EHR Live work.
Grey cloud and autumn mist lingered over the Knoll Beck in the valley to Elsecar as the Friends and volunteers arrived at Hemingfield Colliery for another open day.
Preparation was the name of the game this weekend for the last working party before the Friends hand their 1846 winding engine house over to the care of building contractors who will be re-roofing the whole building, ensuring it will be protected well into the twenty-first century.
Late September Sunset at Hemingfield (Photo credit: Glen Sheppard)
October is here already, believe it or not. Summer nostalgia lingered on, a little, as the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery returned to the site, hoping to crack on with one more working party weekend before the impending gloom of autumn and creeping frosty airs of winter. In the event, the sun shone down on the pit, birdsong filled the air and the conversation flowed, as the Friends and regular volunteers arrived ready for another busy day.
Friends of Hemingfield Colliery 