Wortley Top Forge
| Date | Sunday 14th April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | 10:00 until 16:00 |
| Meet At | Wortley Top Forge, Satnav S35 7DN, Forge Lane, Thurgoland S35 7DN Wortley Top Forge, Forge Lane, Thurgoland, S35 7DN O.S.G.B. Grid reference: SK 294 999 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. |
| Organised By | Wortley Top Forge |
| Description | All our stationary engines will be running on compressed air. 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. Opening times and Entry Fees Top Forge is open to the public on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from mid March until the Early November. .Admission to the site is £5.00 for Adults, £3.00 for Concessions (O.A.P.s) and £1 for Children (Under 16). This includes all day parking and a guided tour of the site. 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 rgordonparkinson@gmail.com. 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. The charge per person will be £6.00 from March 2023. 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. www.tripswithatot.com includes the Forge in its suggestions. 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. |
| Phone No. | No information available |
| tedyoungwtf [at] gmail.com For party bookings which require a tour of the Forge, please contact Gordon Parkinson at rgordonparkinson [at] gmail.com Home telephone number: 0114 281 7991 | |
| Website | http://www.topforge.co.uk |
| Type of Event | Local History |
| Primary Focus | General Interest |
| Wheelchair/Pushchair Accessible | No |
| Suitable for Families | No |