Wombwell is a town just south of Barnsley, and like Swinton and Mexborough is one of those former colliery towns that has suffered post-industrial decline and which anyone from outside the area is likely to pass by, if they’ve ever even heard of it. According to the website CrimeRate, it had the dubious honour of being South Yorkshire’s “second most dangerous medium-sized town”, although this should be taken with a pinch of salt, given that the first is apparently Bentley, which we have already survived and which is not, technically, a town at all. In any event, following this walk in broad delight showcases Wombwell at its best: it has plenty of history, having been a settlement at Wombwell since at least 1086, when it was recorded in the Domesday Book, and was primarily a farming village until the nineteenth century, when the three collieries Lundhill, Wombwell Main and Darfield Main opened. Its darkest period came in February 1857, when an explosion in the Lundhill Colliery killed one hundred and eighty-nine men and boys, making it one of the biggest industrial disasters in British history. The name Wombwell incidentally may be derived from “Womba’s well”, although quite who Womba was is a mystery the solution to which has been lost in the mists of time.
Wombwell Railway Station originally opened in 1897, was renamed Wombwell West in 1950 and reverted to its original name in 1969. Like many South Yorkshire stations, its original buildings have all sadly been demolished, making it yet another of the twin platform basic affairs we have already seen on several previous occasions. From the station, follow Hough Lane towards Wombwell town centre, and just before Hough Lane Church appears on the left, turn right along Wood Street to enter Wombwell Park. This is a pleasant open space well-tended by a local “Friends” group, with a playground at one end and increasingly-mature trees at the other, which we will see as we walk across the full length of the park to emerge via the Wentworth View entrance. We then walk straight ahead along this road until it ends, then turn right and follow a footpath downhill past a golf course on the right, before turning left and to a metalled track between trees to Lundhill Road. Further along the road to the right is the Tavern restaurant, formerly the Lundhill Tavern.
The Elsecar Branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal.
Cross straight over Lundhill Road and follow a footpath to a bridge over the Elsecar Branch of the Dearne and Dove Canal, not much further down the cut from where we first joined it on the Elsecar walk. As noted on that walk, the branch is in water for most of its length thanks to partial restoration, and is both a pleasant place for a walk and rich in wildlife. The bridge is called Intake Bridge and is an original bridge from when the canal was constructed, albeit with a modern platform on the original stone buttresses. Cross it and then turn left to gain the towpath, and follow this for about half a mile until the watered section ends just before Brampton Road Bridge. Then, continue along the line of the canal, following a path under the bridge, across a meadow, and through a band of trees to Wath Road. Cross this, bear left, and then continue on the other side along a path between industrial units to Meadowgate, before turning left and following another path between units to reach the Trans Pennine Trail. As it crosses Northern England from coast to coast, a significant proportion of the Trans Pennine Trail follows disused railway lines, and thus is the case at Wombwell: we are now on the bed of the former Doncaster to Barnsley line of the defunct South Yorkshire Railway. Turn left and follow this for about three quarters of a mile, passing under a bridge about halfway along the route. On the right of the trail, the pond of Parkhill Brickworks Local Nature Reserve can soon be seen through the hedgerow, and can be visited via a slight detour along the next path on the right. As the name suggests, this occupies the site of the former Parkhill Brickworks, which operate from the nineteenth century to the nineteen sixties. On reaching the next bridge over the trail, turn right in front of it and pass through a gate to reach Parkhill Road. Close to this site was Wombwell Central Railway Station, which opened on the Doncaster to Barnsley line in 1851 and closed completely in 1964; no trace of the station remains.
Walk straight ahead to the junction of Parkhill Road and Station Road, cross over to the entrance to the Wombwell Town Football Club ground, then turn left and follow the road over the Trans-Pennine Trail. On the other side of the bridge, the former Railway Inn can be seen on the right. At the roundabout, cross Mitchells Way, then bear left and follow Mayflower Way to Park Street, where to the left, the Playhouse Theatre can be seen. Turn right and follow Park Street, which soon becomes High Street, passing the Grade II-listed Church of St. Mary’s Church and Wombwell War Memorial on the left, followed by the Old Town Hall on the right. The sturdy-looking church, with its distinctive squat tower, was built in stages between 1896 and 1914. Take a detour to the right down Station Road to see Wombwell Library and Wombwell Working Men’s Club, the latter of which has numerous memorial stones built into its street-facing wall.
Proceed along High Street, passing the Prince of Wales pub on the left and the Horseshoe free house on the right, then turn left along Melville Street and follow this to Summer Lane. Turn right, passing Wombwell Methodist Church, then right along Cemetery Road. Turn left and enter the cemetery, passing the two cemetery chapels, which unlike the ones we saw at Bolton Upon Dearne, Thurnscoe and Chapeltown are listed buildings and clearly deserving of that status. They have been restored by the Friends of Wombwell Cemetery group; South Chapel lost its roof in a fire before the Friends group was formed and has been turned into an open-air peace garden. Continue along the path through the cemetery, turning left to exit on Summer Lane.
Wombwell Lower Dam.
Turn right and follow the road until it ends at Windmill Road; another pub, the Barley Sheaf, is on the right. Continue straight ahead along Pit Lane, passing under a railway bridge, until it ends at Dovecliffe Road. Turn right, and the just before the road bends right, turn left and follow a public footpath into Wombwell Wood. This extensive broadleaved ancient woodland is arguably the highlight of the walk, and was present at the time of the Domesday Book. It is deceptively large, criss-crossed with paths and surprisingly easy to get lost in! Follow the path through the wood until it reaches grassland on the opposite side, and then turn left back into the trees and follow paths to the two Wombwell dams, former pit reservoirs that are now used as a fishery. Follow a path anti-clockwise around the smaller top lake, then continue beside the bottom lake, and on reaching the dam wall, bear right and follow a path through the woods to eventually emerge on Dovecliffe Road. Follow this to its junction with Hough Lane, then turn left to return to Wombwell Railway Station.
Having completed our circuit of Wombwell we now head north-west along the line to our next stop, the large South Yorkshire town of Barnsley.
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