Great Engine

Enjoy a fascinating tour with our expert guides!

Discover how the Earls Fitzwilliam created a model village with bustling workshops, mighty ironworks and deep dark collieries. Find out what it was like to work here and what happened when Royalty and aristocrats came to visit.

Find out how ‘The Earl’s Great Engine’ was rescued and restored. Just a few years ago, it was almost a secret, its incredible significance only known by a few, and the colliery hidden by trees and undergrowth. Now it stands proudly, as one of the world’s most important monuments to the Industrial Revolution.

You’ll then be shown around the remains of mighty ironworks, the New Yard workshops built to support Elsecar industry, and Earl Fitzwilliam’s private railway station. Stand and imagine a time when our railway and canal were busy with coal and iron, and look at the cottage rows where our colliers, ironmakers and their families lived for generations.

Tours start at the Visitor Centre at 2pm, every Saturday and Sunday. They are socially distanced, with a maximum 15 people per group, cost £5 per person, currently payable by cash or card, and last around 60 minutes.

Tours should be booked and paid for in advance, by popping into the Visitor Centre or calling 01226 740203.