More about Worsbrough Mill Museum

About Worsbough Mill Museum

Cereal grains are relied on to this day for the basic part of our daily diet, but it cannot be digested unless the outer covering is broken. This is why milling began. Milling is one of the oldest industries. Local farms have brought grain to the mill for grinding for hundreds of years and it became an essential part of the village.

The first record of a mill at Worsbrough, was in the Domesday book of 1086. The exact location of the mill on the River Dove is unknown. This early mill was a soke mill in the manor of Worsbrough. Milling soke was a right of the lord of the manor, giving him sole power to build a corn mill, which all his tenants had to use.
The miller ground all the corn on the manor and was paid via a toll, which was one sixteenth part of the volume of the grain brought to the mill.

The oldest part of the mill that is still here, dates from about 1625 and forms the 2 storey stone building known as the Old Mill, which houses the waterwheel. Before the Mill House was built in the mid 18th century the miller and his family would have lived in the Mill itself. There is a large fire place on the ground and first floor. The lintel over the fire place on the first floor is inscribed with several dates and initials of the millers.

In the early 19th century the small village of Worsbrough developed into a large industrial village. Supplies of coal and ironstone were found locally, and the Worsbrough branch of the Dearne and Dove canal came up to the village. A reservoir was built next to the mill to provide water for the canal system. As a result the population grew.

The Old Mill was probably modernised in the early 1820's to improve its output and in the 1840's the New Mill was built next door. The machinery in the New Mill was powered by a steam engine, and a third floor were the grain could be stored in bulk, was added.

The Miller was now a Corn and Flour Merchant, buying and selling Wheat and Flour, he no longer relyed on the toll-milling system.

Trade for the miller at Worsbrough began to drop of towards the end of the 19th century as cheap imported wheat came in from abroad, straight to the Roller Mills at the ports. By the early 20th century Worsbrough's New Mill became disused and the steam engine scrapped. The Old Water Mill continued to grind corn and oats for the local farmers to feed their animals well into the 1960's.

The Mill Today

 In 1972, West Riding County Council began to restore Worsbrough Mill as a working Museum. The steam engine in the New Mill had been scraped in 1922, therefore a rare 1911 Hornsby hot-bulb oil engine, formerly from Sykehouse Windmill was rebuilt in the engine room.
A re-organisation in local government in 1974 meant South Yorkshire County Council took over the project. The Museum opened to the public in April 1976, situated within the Worsbrough Country Park.
It is now owned and run by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Water Powered Old Mill is still able to grind wheat in the traditional way. Milling Days are usually on the last Sunday in the Month or Bank Holiday Monday.

Charges and fees

Entrance to the Mill Museum is free. A donation box is located within the Mill Shop. (Charges apply for event and guided tours)

Parking charges apply - Cars, Mini Buses and Light Vans - £1.00 for 1 hour, £2.00 all day. Coaches - £5 per day.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Where does the wheat come from?
A. We try to use British Wheat sourced from local farms. At present we are supplied by a farm in Wentworth.