CGI image of Barnsley Council's plans for a new heritage railway destination

The plans feature a new heritage railway, including a reconstructed 1849 Fitzwilliam locomotive, powered by sustainable fuels

Photo: Barnsley Council

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Plans for £25m heritage railway project revealed

Plans to transform a former Yorkshire ironworks have been unveiled by Barnsley Council as it explores funding for the £25m project.

Mary Stone
2 min read

Proposals to transform the former site of the Elsecar Ironworks in Yorkshire into “a heritage railway destination” have been unveiled.

The location sits east of the Elsecar Heritage Centre, which is being refurbished with funding already secured through the Cultural Development Fund administered by Arts Council England.

Funding options for the £25m needed for the Ironworks development are still being explored.

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Plans for the site, a scheduled ancient monument, have been developed over the last two years alongside Historic England as a legacy project from the Elsecar Heritage Action Zone partnership, which ran from 2017-2020.

It will include the creation of a new heritage railway destination, an outdoor events and performance area backdropped by the ironworks furnaces and restored blast wall and engineering workshops.

Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: “We’re determined to transform this remarkable historic site, previously the home of Elsecar Heritage Railway, into something which is unique, sustainable, and will thrive long into the future.

“The redevelopment of the Ironworks site and heritage railway will not happen straight away.

“We need to secure funding, and it will take time to deliver, but this vision is the starting point for something very special for Elsecar.”