Elsecar
Elsecar Heritage Centre
Canal at Elsecar
Old Corn Mill
Elsecar Reserveir
The village of Elsecar is situated between Rotherham and Barnsley in South Yorkshire, and it is part of the Metropolitan borough of Barnesley. It was names in Saxon times for Else or Elsi, the name of the Saxon lord who owned land in the area together with carr meaning marsh. The middle 'e' is pronounced.
Up to the 18th Century Elsecar was largely a rural community, although coal had been mined there in small quantities since the 14th century. The first colliery, Elsecar Old, opened in 1750. The first proper mine shaft was sunk in 1795 at Elsecar New Colliery. By the end of the century several pits were opened. The last colliery to open was Elsecar Main in 1908 which closed in 1983. There was much development in the village to provided housing and other facilities for men coming to work in the coal mining and iron works. Elsecar Workshops were sold off by British Coal in 1984 which ended the village's ties to the coal industry. The village suffered from similar economic problems to all the mining villages in the region. There are still outstanding applications for mining parts of the village but these are unlikely to be acted upon.
At the end of the 18th century there were two independent iron forges but these also came under the ownership of the Fitzwilliam family after their respective companies collapsed. There was also a tar distillery which opened in 1814; however this only lasted four years. Two smaller family run forges were also established in the mid 19th century and they survived well into the 20th century. The two main forges were closed by the end of the century.
The Elsecar branch of Dearne and Dove Canal starts just below what is now the Elsecar Heritage Centre. The canal was opened in part in 1799 and was in full use by 1804. Elsecar Reservoir was one of the header lakes for the canal. Despite the reservoirs the Dearne and Dove Canal suffered from water shortages. Water was pumped to the Barnsley Canal in 1804 and the Dearne and Dove was closed itself in the summers of 1805 and 1806 due to drought. Coal, iron products and flour were transported from Elsecar. In 1928 the Elsecar branch was closed.
Elsecar is situated on what was the Hallam and Penistone Railway and there was a branch running right up into what is now the Heritage Centre.
Elsecar a pleasant village with a number of Victorian buildings to look at including Holy Trinity Church built about 1843, the adjoining school built 1852, the Miners' Lodging Houses built in 1853 to house single men employed in the pits, and stone-built terraces like Reform Row. Earl Fitzwilliam's Flour Mill is still standing but is now a workshop and shop. It is a Conservation Area and many of the buildings are listed as of Special Architectural or Historical importance. There is a really nice public park, Elsecar Reservoir (private fishing) with excellent walking along the Timberland Trail and parts of the Trans-Pennine Trail.
Elsecar Heritage Centre is an antique, history and crafts centre based in a listed former mining and industrial community. The branch line of the railway is now privately owned and provides storage and repair facilities for engines, carriages and other machinery and also regular trips on the steam train.