Heritage Centre announces programme of events as refurb ends
YEARS of upgrade work are coming to an end at Elsecar Heritage Centre - with a new programme of events stretching to the end of their announced.
The work has been made possible through a £3m grant from Art Council England’s Cultural Development Fund.
That has allowed for a refurbishment of the Ironworks building, which is used for events, alongside other improvements - including upgrade work to the complex’s drainage system.
The work has caused frustration among some tenants because of the disruption to visitors, a situation compounded that the work took longer than expected due to the archaeological significance of much of what was found as engineers excavated the site.
However, that programme is now coming to a close and the centre has put together a programme of events stretching to the end of the year.
More will be added as arrangements are confirmed with a promise to make the centre a key visitor destination.
Major dates on the calendar now include the weekend of August 8 and 9, when a craft market will take place and the weekend starting Friday September 25, when a digital art installation will be present - part of the Abandon Normal Devices festival.
Antiques fairs will be back, with dates already confirmed for October 11 and November 8.
A Mind, Body and Spirit event will be help on the weekend of November 21 and 22, with more than 60 psychic readers, therapists and retailers, as well as talks and workshops.
On Friday December 18 Brown Bear Comedy Club will host an event - with the heritage centre expecting comedy shows to become a regular part of their programme of events.
Work is going on to extend the attractions at the centre, which should see a food and drink market with live music and ‘pop-up experiences’ in addition to food.
That could become a challenge to supper-club events which have become a fixture elsewhere in the village.
Other attractions still on the drawing board include raft workshops and early evening live music events, which the centre say are “designed to offer a complete night out without the late end time”, opening up the prospect for visitors to use bus and rail services to get to and from the centre.