Worsbrough Mill
Encyclopedia
Worsbrough Mill, also known as Worsbrough Corn Mill and Worsbrough Mill Farm is a complex of buildings including a Seventeenth Century water powered mill
and a Nineteenth Century steam-powered mill in Worsbrough
, Barnsley
, England
. It is open to the public and takes its water from the River Dove
, but is hydraulically separate from Worsbrough Reservoir.
It is in Worsbrough Country Park, about 2 miles south of Barnsley
on the A61
, close to the M1 motorway
. Note that "Worsbrough" refers to an area that includes today's Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Dale, and Worsbrough Common.
A Worsbrough Mill was recorded in the Domesday Book
of 1086 and the first Curator, [Rob Shorland-Ball – 1975 to 1979] researched the history and states that a "tenuous but continuous documentary record can be traced from then to 1625 which is the likely date for the building of the existing Old Mill. Whether the pre-1625 mill(s) were on the same site is not known. However, a mill was a very important part of the feudal pattern of life and settlement and thus tended to remain on the same site if that site was a satisfactory one".
The oldest building (the Old Mill) is a two-storey watermill
with massive lintels over the doors; it is operational and mills a small amount of grain. There is some doubt over the date of construction; there are no dates on or in the buildings (with one exception) but 1625 has been stated (by Shorland-Ball) to be "acceptably representative".
The New Mill was originally steam-driven and contained a Watt-type beam engine
which was scrapped in 1922. Duriung the restoration of the Mill buildings in the 1960s and early 1970s a 1911 model Hornsby hot bulb oil engine originally from Sykehouse Windmill was installed by Geoff Hatfield (Millwright). The engine still functions, but is not linked to a the millstones in the New Mill. The building is known to have been completed 1843 but was not present on a detailed map of 1840.
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
and a Nineteenth Century steam-powered mill in Worsbrough
Worsbrough
Worsbrough is an area about two miles south of Barnsley in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England.-Geography:Worsbrough includes Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Common, Worsbrough Dale, Worsbrough Village and Ward Green. The River Dove flows east-west through Worsbrough and...
, Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is open to the public and takes its water from the River Dove
River Dove, Barnsley
The River Dove is a river that extends through the Low Valley in Barnsley, England. The river contains shallow water levels.-Route:The River Dove starts at the outfall of Worsbrough Reservoir, which was built for the opening of the Dearne and Dove Canal in 1804. It supplied the Worsbrough Arm of...
, but is hydraulically separate from Worsbrough Reservoir.
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
on the A61
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
, close to the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. Note that "Worsbrough" refers to an area that includes today's Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Dale, and Worsbrough Common.
A Worsbrough Mill was recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 and the first Curator, [Rob Shorland-Ball – 1975 to 1979] researched the history and states that a "tenuous but continuous documentary record can be traced from then to 1625 which is the likely date for the building of the existing Old Mill. Whether the pre-1625 mill(s) were on the same site is not known. However, a mill was a very important part of the feudal pattern of life and settlement and thus tended to remain on the same site if that site was a satisfactory one".
The oldest building (the Old Mill) is a two-storey watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
with massive lintels over the doors; it is operational and mills a small amount of grain. There is some doubt over the date of construction; there are no dates on or in the buildings (with one exception) but 1625 has been stated (by Shorland-Ball) to be "acceptably representative".
The New Mill was originally steam-driven and contained a Watt-type beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
which was scrapped in 1922. Duriung the restoration of the Mill buildings in the 1960s and early 1970s a 1911 model Hornsby hot bulb oil engine originally from Sykehouse Windmill was installed by Geoff Hatfield (Millwright). The engine still functions, but is not linked to a the millstones in the New Mill. The building is known to have been completed 1843 but was not present on a detailed map of 1840.
External links
- http://www.barnsley.gov.uk/worsbrough-mill-museum-and-country-park - Worsbrough Mill official site
- http://home2.btconnect.com/barrymor/worsborough_mill.html - Photo of the mill