Wortley Top Forge
| Date | Sunday 19th March 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:00 until 17:00 |
| Meet At | Wortley Top Forge, Forge Lane, Thurgoland S35 7DN, Wortley Top Forge is just off the A629 Sheffield to Huddersfield Road, between the villages of Wortley and Thurgoland. The name ‘Wortley’ can be a little deceptive as the forge is not on the main road that goes through Wortley village. The Forge is beside the river Don on an isolated piece of land between the river and Forge Lane, with road bridges over the river up-stream and down-stream of the main site. S35 7DN |
| Organised By | Wortley Top Forge |
| Description | Sunday 19th March 2023. The Forge will be open to visitors for the new season. All our stationary steam engines will be operating on compressed air. The waterwheels in the Forge will be run from time to time. Wortley Top Forge will be open for visitors £5 Adults, £3 concessions, £1 children (Under 16). This includes all day parking and a guided tour of the site. All our stationary engines will be running on compressed air. Visitors to the Forge are always offered a guided tour of the restored forge and of the Industrial Museum. There will be no further charge other than the normal entry fee to the grounds. In this way, visitors will see all of our working exhibits being operated. The Forge and Industrial Museum will be open with working waterwheels. The Wortley Top Forge Model Engineers will be running their trains for children of any age! For an individual or family trip around the Forge we recommend allowing at least an hour and a half although longer may be required on busy days. From 2:00pm a Model Engineering Group operate the Miniature Passenger Carrying Railway, with steam locomotives operating on most weekends. An increased charge will be made on “special ” open days. Group visits - The Forge can make special arrangements for Party visits and Special Openings. These should be arranged through Gordon Parkinson at gandcparkinson@blueyonder.co.uk. You should try to give us a little notice for such a visit as certain arrangements cannot always be made at short notice. Coffee, tea and biscuits can be provided for groups if some idea of the numbers involved can be given a week before. For Party visits that include refreshments you should allow 2 hours to cover a full tour of the Forge, associated buildings. Young Children - There is plenty of room on the site for children to run around safely and places for a picnic and then the train rides. The Forge guide can show youngsters our working waterwheels and engines. with steam locomotives operating on most weekends. Access for coaches Our new gates are 13ft wide and we have had no problems with large modern coaches bringing parties to Top Forge. Once in the parking area, there is plenty of room for coaches to turn round and wait for their passengers to return. Toilet facilities The toilets are close to the parking area , making this an ideal pick-up point for coach parties. Notes on Disabled Access Any would-be visitor who has special access requirements must remember that the Top Forge is an ancient site . The majority of the site is surfaced with grass or gravel. In wet weather the grass is generally soft and even waterlogged in places. However, in dry weather when the ground is dry, we believe that wheelchair access is possible to most areas. This may however only be with the assistance of our volunteers, as there are several slopes to be traversed on any route around the site. The main Forge building has level access everywhere except for the area around the Blower Wheel, where steep steps lead to a platform overlooking the wheel. Access to the Workshop Buildings (Blacksmiths / Foundry / Joiners’ shop) is by a route following the narrow gauge railway. Once inside the Blacksmiths, the floor is acceptably level. However, steep and narrow steps restrict access into the Foundry and Joiners shop. There is a disabled Toilet. |
| Contact | Ted Young or Gordon Parkinson |
| Phone No. | Ted Young 01226 763896 and For party bookings which require a tour of the Forge, please contact Gordon Parkinson at gandcparkinson@blueyonder.co.uk. home telephone 0114 281 7991 |
| tedyoungwtf [at] gmail.com | |
| Website | http://www.topforge.co.uk |
| Type of Event | Local History |
| Primary Focus | General Interest |
| Wheelchair/Pushchair Accessible | No |
| Suitable for Families | Yes |