Worsbrough Mill Museum

About the museum

A mill at Worsbrough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, but its exact site is unknown. The oldest surviving part, the two-storey Old Mill with its waterwheel, dates from about 1625. In the early 1820s the Old Mill was modernised, and in the 1840s the New Mill was built next to it, powered by a steam engine and with a third floor for storing grain.

As cheap imported wheat arrived in the late 19th century, the corn trade declined. The New Mill fell out of use early in the 20th century and its steam engine was scrapped in 1922, while the Old Mill went on grinding corn and oats for local farmers into the 1960s.

In 1972 West Riding County Council began to restore the mill as a working museum, and a rare 1911 Hornsby hot-bulb oil engine was rebuilt in the engine room. The museum opened to the public in 1976 and is now run by Barnsley Council as part of Barnsley Museums. The mill stands in Worsbrough Mill Country Park, a 240-acre nature reserve around a reservoir.

Highlights

• Waterwheel in the 17th-century Old Mill
• Restored 1911 Hornsby hot-bulb oil engine
• Inscribed lintel with the dates and initials of the millers
• Country park with reservoir, walks and multi-sensory trail
• Millers Tea Room and shop

Founded

1976

Operated by

Barnsley Museums (Barnsley Council)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free entry, no ticket booking needed. Parking charges apply: £1 for one hour, £2 for two hours, £3 for the whole day; coaches £5 for the day.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Parts of the country park are step-free, but some areas are steep and the reservoir paths are narrow. The mill has two floors joined by a steep, narrow staircase, and some routes around it have single steps or narrow ramps. There is an accessible toilet opposite the café but no Changing Places toilet on site. Accessible parking spaces are next to the play park and near the mill. Assistance dogs are welcome in the park, café, shop and visitor centre but not inside the mill. Sensory backpacks can be borrowed free from the shop desk.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Playground / play area

There is a children's play area with swings, slides and climbing frames, and visitors may bring their own picnic. A multi-sensory trail runs through the country park.

Getting there & parking

Worsbrough Bridge, Barnsley.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Millers Tea Room serves hot and cold food and drinks indoors and on a terrace; it is open daily from about 9:30am, and closing time varies. The shop sells gifts with an environmental theme.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit