Elsecar Heritage Centre: Earl Fitzwilliam's private railway station and two old mills to be upgraded at Yorkshire museum

Barnsley’s historic Elsecar Heritage Centre was awarded almost £4m to transform it into an “internationally recognised visitor destination” from the Arts Council’s Cultural Development Fund.

Now, plans have been lodged with Barnsley Council to upgrade three grade II-listed buildings at the site. They are the former rolling mill in buildings 20 and 21, and the former Earl Fitzwilliam’s private railway station in building 13.

Building 13, which is currently a children’s nursery, will be repaired internally and externally and the first floor will become ‘creative workspaces’.

Building 13 was constructed as part of the workshop complex, built in the 1850s.

Planning documents state: “The building is in need of both repairs to the external and internal fabric of the building.

“The ground floor will be retained in it’s current use as a nursery with internal repairs undertaken.

“The works include refurbishment of the building, repairs to the building fabric,new lifts to increase accessibility, renewal of the building services and replacement of flat roof areas.”

The Ironworks – buildings 20 and 21 – are made up of an events hall and stores.

Building 20, which is used as stores, will be refurbished and transformed into secondary events space, with repairs to the building fabric, new access doors and lobbies, insulation of the roof and new building services.

The planning report adds that a new public realm will include seating, planters and new surfaces across the heritage centre.

The building was coverted into an events space in the 90s, after being purchased by the council in 1988.

The rolling mill, which was constructed in 1850, was one of the first new developments at Elsecar Ironworks carried out by William and George Dawes who had taken over the works under lease from Earl Fitzwilliam in 1849.

The ironworks and workshops at the industrial village were owned by the Fitzwilliam family, whose seat was at Wentworth Woodhouse. Since their closure, they have become a living history museum and retail centre. The complex had its own branch line from the main railway between Mexborough and Barnsley serving the Earl’s collieries, with a station named Rockingham after the family title.