Elsecar is proud to have the oldest steam engine in the world that is still in its original location - the Newcomen Beam Engine. Built in 1795, it was designed to extract water from Elsecar New Colliery, to allow exploration of the deeper coal seams. Apparently Henry Ford, the car maker, twice tried to persuade Earl Fitzwilliam to let him buy it and ship it to America, but was refused. It ran until 1923, when it was replaced by electric pumps. It was restored back to working order in 2014 by Barnsley Museums, who offer tours and the opportunity to see it in action on selected dates.
On the lane leading to the beam engine, a metal sculpture of a horse reminds how important 'horse power' was in Victorian times: for transport, for pulling carts, for hauling loads down the coal mines. (One of my great grandfathers, who married Annie, daughter of my great great grandfather Benjamin James (see Wednesday's post), made a good business for himself in Sheffield, supplying hay and straw for working horses.)
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