Open Day and working party – Saturday 31st October 2015

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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!

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Working Party Weekend 17th October 2015

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Autumn Archaeology

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.

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Working Party Weekend 3rd and 4th October 2015

Headgear in autumn sun

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.

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Working Party Weekend 19th-20th September 2015

Cornish Engine House and concrete headgear

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.

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Working Party weekend 5th-6th September 2015

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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.

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Working Party Weekend 22nd-23rd August 2015

Summer satisfaction: Sunshine, showers and slow but certain progress

Summer satisfaction: Sunshine, showers and slow but certain progress

Past, Present and Future

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.

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Working Party Weekend, 8th-9th August 2015

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Summertime in South Yorkshire

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day in Hemingfield, and the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were delighted to welcome a group of extra volunteers on site to get stuck in to tidying things up, but also continuing the gentle archaeology of the site – peeling back the top layer of soil and roots to reveal some of the former colliery’s features beneath.

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Working Party Weekend 25th-26th July

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Digging deeper

The Friends assembled for another working party weekend, bringing tools, talent and talk of recent research, together with a hint of excitement at the prospect of uncovering more features of the industrial archaeology of the site. Site Manager Glen, and Chair of the Friends Steve opened the gates to welcome volunteers Alan, John, Keith and Phil to the pit for what would be a fascinating day.

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Many Happy Returns! – Come and join us on our first birthday on Saturday 27th June

Photo credit: Christine Cameron

The sun always shines in Hemingfield

Saturday 27th June 2015 is a very special date – the first birthday of the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery.

To mark the day we will be opening the site as a Open Day, enabling visitors to learn more about our work and future plans for the site. The site will be open from 10am until 5pm, so come and see us at any time during the day.

  • Visit the pit yard, with its two shafts down to the Barnsley seam, and see the 1840s winding engine house.
  • Meet the Friends who helped to save the site and are working hard to secure its future.
  • Join our current volunteers and supporters in celebrating what we have learned so far, and reflecting on what the future has to hold.

Please share your memories, photographs and any questions with us.

On the day you’ll find a diverse range of experienced specialists and people passionate about the site, its history, machinery, working life and its people.

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