October brought clouds and rain. It kept volunteer activity on site at bay, at times, but the hardy crew still managed to get some valuable maintenance work done, and even enjoyed an outing at the end of this most changeable of months.
On Friday evening, the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery were privileged to be present at the unveiling of the restored Newcomen beam engine at Elsecar. The engine – a Scheduled Ancient Monument, No. SY1146, since June 1972 – is the only atmospheric engine in the world still in situ; still working in its original building and over the original mine shaft. Built in 1795 as the Dearne and Dove canal drew nearer, and the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam’s Elsecar collieries and industrial enterprises were being expanded, the engine has pumped billions of gallons of mine water during its working life – a run which officially ended in 1923 when electric pumps were installed by the the South Yorkshire Pumping Association – the same body that maintained the pumping stations at Hemingfield and over at Westfield in Rawmarsh.
On Saturday 25th a team of students from the Sheffield School of Architecture hosted a community engagement event at Elsecar Heritage Centre.
Presenting an impressive array of interactive mapping, scale models, colourful history boards and striking sketch proposals, the Live Project team were active throughout the day from 11am to 4pm to explain and discuss their work so far, and to invite feedback from members of the local community and visitors alike as to the future development of the Hemingfield Colliery site. Outdoors and, when the weather turned, inside the centre, the group guided visitors around a series of displays, including:-
Friends of Hemingfield Colliery 