Elsecar Ironworks
Encyclopedia
The Elsecar Ironworks opened in 1795 in the village of Elsecar
near Barnsley
, South Yorkshire
. The company was bankrupted in 1827 and taken over by the Wentworth estate who owned the land it stood on. The buildings are now part of the Elsecar Heritage Centre
.
. There had been localised coal and iron mining on the edges of the village since the 14th century.
The Ironworks opened in 1795 on a site near the head of the Elsecar Branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal
. The canal, opened to service the coal mines
, was extended a short distance to a new basin nearer the ironworks. The works made pig iron
from locally mined ores as well as a range of cast iron products, mostly for the construction trades.
A little further away, atop the hill to the west, was built the Milton Ironworks
, working in the same market place as its rival. This was also connected to the canal basin, but this time by a tramway, believed to be at a gauge less than Standard Gauge
, the rails being set on stone blocks.
Elsecar Ironworks went into bankruptcy in 1827, and as it was situated on lands leased from the Wentworth estate it was these who took them over.
From its opening in February 1850 the works and collieries were connected to the Elsecar Branch of the South Yorkshire Railway
giving easy access to the wharves on the River Trent
at Keadby
. In due time this enabled the companies to obtain ironstone from the Scunthorpe
fields, which were rediscovered in 1859.
. The Elsecar Steam Railway
operates from a station within the centre along part of the South Yorkshire Railway's Elsecar branch, towards Cortonwood.
Some of the buildings, which were the National Coal Board
workshops still stand and contain ironwork made in Elsecar.
Elsecar
Elsecar is a village forming part of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Like many villages in the area, it was for many years a coal mining village until the widespread pit closures during the 1980s. Elsecar is next to the villages of Hoyland and Jump.Elsecar is...
near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
. The company was bankrupted in 1827 and taken over by the Wentworth estate who owned the land it stood on. The buildings are now part of the Elsecar Heritage Centre
Elsecar Heritage Centre
Elsecar Heritage Centre is a Living History centre in Elsecar, South Yorkshire. It also comprises various shops, galleries, art studios and an exhibition hall. It runs craft workshops, special events, and a monthly antiques fair. The buildings were originally used for various industries including...
.
History
Elsecar has been a mainly agricultural village situated on the Wentworth estate of Earl FitzwilliamEarl FitzWilliam
Earl Fitzwilliam was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family. This family claim descent from William the Conqueror. The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in South Yorkshire, largely through strategic alliances through...
. There had been localised coal and iron mining on the edges of the village since the 14th century.
The Ironworks opened in 1795 on a site near the head of the Elsecar Branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal
Dearne and Dove Canal
The Dearne and Dove Canal ran for almost ten miles through South Yorkshire, England from Swinton to Barnsley through nineteen locks, rising 127 yards. The canal also had two short branches, the Worsbrough branch and the Elsecar branch, both about two miles long with reservoirs at the head of each....
. The canal, opened to service the coal mines
Elsecar Collieries
The Elsecar Collieries were a series of coal mines sunk in and around Elsecar, a small village to the south of Barnsley in what is now South Yorkshire, but was traditionally in the West Riding of Yorkshire....
, was extended a short distance to a new basin nearer the ironworks. The works made pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
from locally mined ores as well as a range of cast iron products, mostly for the construction trades.
A little further away, atop the hill to the west, was built the Milton Ironworks
Milton Ironworks
Elsecar, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England was, until the 18th century, a mainly agricultural village on the estate of Earl Fitzwilliam. Coal and Iron had been worked from small pits around the village since the late 14th century, particularly in Tankersley Park.- History :The Milton...
, working in the same market place as its rival. This was also connected to the canal basin, but this time by a tramway, believed to be at a gauge less than Standard Gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, the rails being set on stone blocks.
Elsecar Ironworks went into bankruptcy in 1827, and as it was situated on lands leased from the Wentworth estate it was these who took them over.
From its opening in February 1850 the works and collieries were connected to the Elsecar Branch of the South Yorkshire Railway
South Yorkshire Railway
The South Yorkshire Railway was a railway company which was based in the south of the former West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its first section of line opened on 10 November 1849 between Swinton Junction and Doncaster...
giving easy access to the wharves on the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
at Keadby
Keadby
Keadby is a small village lying just off the A18, west of Scunthorpe, in North Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the West bank of the River Trent. It is pronounced "Kidby"....
. In due time this enabled the companies to obtain ironstone from the Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
fields, which were rediscovered in 1859.
Today
The site of the ironworks is today part of the Elsecar Heritage CentreElsecar Heritage Centre
Elsecar Heritage Centre is a Living History centre in Elsecar, South Yorkshire. It also comprises various shops, galleries, art studios and an exhibition hall. It runs craft workshops, special events, and a monthly antiques fair. The buildings were originally used for various industries including...
. The Elsecar Steam Railway
Elsecar Steam 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...
operates from a station within the centre along part of the South Yorkshire Railway's Elsecar branch, towards Cortonwood.
Some of the buildings, which were the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
workshops still stand and contain ironwork made in Elsecar.