Worsbrough Mill facts for kids
Worsbrough Mill is a fascinating place in Barnsley, England. It's a group of old buildings that used to grind grain into flour. This special site includes a watermill from the 1600s and a steam-powered mill from the 1800s. Today, Worsbrough Mill is open for everyone to visit and learn about its history. It gets its water from the River Dove.
The name "Worsbrough" refers to the wider area, including places like Worsbrough Bridge and Worsbrough Dale.
Contents
Explore Worsbrough Country Park
Worsbrough Mill is located inside the beautiful Worsbrough Country Park. This park is very large, covering about 240 acres! It's just a short distance south of Barnsley.
The park also features the 60-acre Worsbrough Reservoir. This reservoir was built a long time ago, in 1804, to help open the Dearne and Dove Canal. You can find many paths for walking and cycling that wind through the park and around the reservoir. If you enjoy fishing, you can do that in the upper pond and the canal basin.
A Look at Worsbrough Mill's History
People have known about a mill in Worsbrough for a very long time. The first record of a mill here was in the Domesday Book of 1086. This means a mill has likely been on or near this spot for over 900 years!
Experts believe the oldest part of the mill you see today, called the Old Mill, was built around 1625. Mills were super important in the past. They helped communities by grinding grain for food, so they often stayed in the same good location for centuries.
Discover the Mill Buildings
The oldest building at Worsbrough is known as the Old Mill. It's a two-story watermill that still works! It can grind a small amount of grain, just like it did hundreds of years ago. Even though there are no exact dates carved into the building, experts agree it was likely built around 1625.
The New Mill building was finished in 1843. This mill was originally powered by steam, using a large beam engine. That old engine was removed in 1922. Later, when the mill was being fixed up in the 1960s and 1970s, a different engine was put in. This engine is a 1911 Hornsby hot bulb oil engine. It still runs today, but it's not connected to the millstones in the New Mill.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in South Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Worsbrough
