Yorkshire industrial heritage route unveiled

Kelham Island Museum (left), Elsecar Heritage Centre (top right) and Wakefield's National Coal Mining Museum from part of a new trail celebrating Europe' industrial heritage

An industrial heritage trail linking five sites across South and West Yorkshire has been unveiled.

The Makers, Miners and Money route includes Sheffield's Kelham Island Museum, the Elsecar Heritage Centre, in Barnsley, and the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield.

The three sites have been named as "anchor points" or "sites of exceptional historical importance".

Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth Castle Gardens are also included.

The unveiling of the new European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), one of 15 across the continent, will be marked by a 1913 Simplex car travelling from Kelham Island to Elsecar.

According to the ERIH website, anchor points are "sites of exceptional historical importance in terms of industrial heritage which also offer a high quality visitor experience".

Dr John Tanner, from Barnsley Council, said: "Iron, coal and steel industries thrived from the 1600s to the 20th Century and employed many thousands of men, women and children.

"Our ancestors helped fuel the expansion of the British Empire and the development of the modern world and this new heritage route is an excellent opportunity to remind ourselves just how pivotal their discoveries were."