Colliery site gets new lease of life as visitor centre
The transformation of a former Barnsley mine into a museum and visitor centre is taking shape with a new roof installation.
Sheffield’s heritage roofing experts Martin-Brooks has rebuilt the dilapidated roof on the winding engine house at Hemingfield Colliery, as part of a major refurbishment project to convert the site.
Hemingfield Colliery is located on the southern fringe of Barnsley, near to Elsecar and is an important landmark in the area’s mining history.
It was developed by the Earl of Fitzwilliam in the 1840s and is being redeveloped, thanks to fundraising and support from Friends of Hemingfield Colliery, The Association of Industrial Architects, The Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership and Subterranean Britannica.
Dale Wright, Martin-Brooks’ contracts director, said: “We met a number of challenges on this project, not least a resident owl who needed to be temporarily rehomed, following work by Friends of Hemingfield Colliery and Middleton Ecological Services to minimise disturbance.
“Water ingress and poor drainage had weakened woodwork and caused the engine house roof to slump, but after stripping away years of neglect, we have now achieved a finish that will enhance and protect the building for the community to enjoy. We also built a custom new home for the owl in the roof void – a first for us at Martin-Brooks.”
