Hemingfield

Settlement in Yorkshire

England

Hemingfield

Elephant at the Heritage Centre A woven elephant at Elsecar Heritage Centre. — Elephant at the Heritage Centre Credit: Dave Pickersgill

Hemingfield is a small village located in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England. Situated approximately 5 miles northeast of Barnsley town center, this rural settlement is nestled amidst the picturesque countryside of the Yorkshire coalfields.

The village is known for its rich industrial heritage, particularly its coal mining history. Hemingfield Colliery, a former coal mine, played a significant role in the local economy during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the colliery serves as a museum, offering visitors a glimpse into the region's mining past.

Characterized by its quaint stone-built houses and traditional Yorkshire charm, Hemingfield retains a peaceful and close-knit community atmosphere. The village is surrounded by rolling hills and lush green fields, providing ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, and cycling.

Despite its rural setting, Hemingfield benefits from its close proximity to Barnsley, where residents can access a wider range of amenities including shops, schools, and healthcare facilities. The village is well-connected to the rest of Yorkshire by road, with the A6135 passing through, and by rail, with nearby Elsecar railway station providing regular services to Barnsley, Sheffield, and Leeds.

In summary, Hemingfield offers a tranquil and picturesque setting, steeped in industrial heritage. With its charming village atmosphere and easy access to nearby amenities, it provides residents and visitors alike with a delightful blend of rural living and modern convenience.

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Hemingfield Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 53.506034/-1.411939 or Grid Reference SE3901. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Elephant at the Heritage Centre

A woven elephant at Elsecar Heritage Centre.

Dave Pickersgill

Elephant at the Heritage Centre

Elsecar village was developed by The 4th Earl of Fitzwilliam during the late eighteenth century into a thriving industrial village where men, women and children made iron and mined coal. The Elsecar workshops were built in 1850 to facilitate a more effective management of the various industrial enterprises around the Fitzwilliam estate. The coal board took over the workshops in 1947 following the nationalisation of the pits. As the collieries began to close in the latter part of the twentieth century, the demand for the workshop facilities began to decline, eventually leading to their closure. In 1986 the Department of the Environment listed most of the buildings to be of special architectural or historic interest. Barnsley Council purchased the workshops along with the Newcomen Beam Engine in 1988 and started a programme of conservation and restoration leading to the creation of the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Entry to the site is free (Link

Elsecar Heritage Centre website). Most of its buildings are Grade II listed. The Elsecar Steam Railway Link

is located behind the Centre and was built to serve the Earl Fitzwilliam’s collieries and ironworks. The railway now operates on a one-mile section of the branch, using historic steam and diesel locomotives.

Dave Pickersgill

Newcomen Engine House

Housing a Newcomen type steam engine for pumping water from what was Elsecar New Colliery in 1795

Kevin Waterhouse

Mural at Elsecar Heritage Centre

Dave Pickersgill

Rockingham (South Yorkshire) railway station, Elsecar Heritage Railway

Opened in 1996 on what became the 1 mile long Elsecar Heritage Railway, this station closed at the end of 2020 when the lease was handed back to the local council. View north east from near the former buffers, the heritage railway is located on a former freight-only branch of the South Yorkshire Railway, later part of the Great Central Railway, which closed in 1984. In 2023 the track had been lifted to allow archaeological digs.

Nigel Thompson

Dearne Valley Parkway, Hoyland

Mike Pennington

Wood Walk, Wombwell

Woodland on either side of the road behind the houses.

Richard Webb

Elsecar Reservoir, near Barnsley

David Rogers

Footpath towards Simon Wood, Elsecar

David Rogers

Mardy Monster, Birkenhead and Gervase

at the Elsecar Heritage Railway.

David Rogers

Newcomen beam engine and engine house, Elsecar

Doors open and working [hydraulically since its restoration, not by steam]. When this was erected in 1795 [not 1787 as in the date stone] more efficient steam pumping engines were available, which were also more expensive to buy or rent. But when you're right on top of a coal mine, a cheap fuel-hungry atmospheric engine makes perfect sense.

Christine Johnstone

Newcomen engine house, Elsecar, from the north

Seen from a train alongside.

Christine Johnstone

Elsecar Heritage site

In the background is the newly restored Newcomen Engine the only one in the world still on its original site dated 1747.

Steve Fareham

Saddlery and saw mill, Powerhouse Square, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar

Grade II Listed mid 19th century workshop for the Fitzwilliam estate. The ironworks were operated by William Darwin and Co from 1795 until 1828 when Earl Fitzwilliam takes over and runs them until 1849 when they were leased to George and William Dawes up to closure in 1884. The upper floor was used by them as a saddlery and pattern store and the lower floor was used as a steam powered saw mill. The Coal Board purchased the premises upon nationalisation in 1947 and closed them in 1983. In 1988 Barnsley Council bought and renovated the buildings as a living history centre.

Jo and Steve Turner

Ironworks workshop, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar

Grade II Listed mid 19th aisled workshop altered in the 20th century probably by G and W Dawes under lease from the Fitzwilliam estate. The ironworks were operated by William Darwin and Co from 1795 until 1828 when Earl Fitzwilliam takes over and runs them until 1849 when they were leased to George and William Dawes up to closure in 1884. Latterly it was used as a locomotive boiler repair shop and then a machine shop by the NCB. The Coal Board purchased the premises upon nationalisation in 1947 and closed them in 1983. In 1988 Barnsley Council bought and renovated the buildings as a living history centre.

Jo and Steve Turner

Elsecar Heritage Railway

The Elsecar Heritage Railway is located on the southern part of the former South Yorkshire Railway freight-only branch which ran from Elsecar Junction on its Mexborough to Barnsley Line. This image is taken from the footbridge above the track.

Dave Pickersgill