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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.