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by
BBC South Yorkshire
contributor Rory Dollard |
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The
Elsecar Heritage Centre is free to visit and buzzing with activity.
It
manages to strike a balance between tourist attraction and focal
point for local businesses.
While
there are the usual tea rooms and gift shops that one expects from
any cultural honeypot, there are many features that make the EHC
unique.
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| For
collectors of all kinds of antiques |
Such
attractions include the Living History Centre (an annex that can
be visited for a very modest price) and the Victorian Classroom.
The
latter of these is a recreation of a bygone age of teaching and
is open for business on selected days. While this was closed on
my visit, a well placed peep though the window revealed it to be
an intriguing prospect… let's just hope they don't take the reconstruction
all the way to the cane.
Add
to this a restored steam engine lying proudly in the courtyard and
a shiny new children's playground and one already has an interesting
local centre.
But
this is only half the story.
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| Nearly
120 antique and craft traders operate from Elsecar |
The
true revelation about the EHC is that it is simultaneously a family
visitor attraction and a working hub of industry.
Workshops
cover the complex and at any one time it is possible to see a range
of carpenters, craftsmen and traders grafting to create and sell
products on site.
In
a single trip to Elsecar Heritage Centre, one could (wallet permitting)
come back with a rocking horse, a bonsai tree, an antique clock,
a barometer and a classical painting.
So,
as well as serving as a venue for families and school groups, the
centre also provides a network of antique and craft traders (nearly
120 dealers operate with Elsecar as their base) that would put a
traditional Dickensian city centre to shame.
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| On
a bargain hunt? Elsecar could be the tonic! |
As
if this were not enough, there are many seasonal extras.
Look
out for auctions (bargain hunters be on their toes), natural health
shows and large craft shows.
Buyers,
sellers, window shoppers and those who have just a fleeting interest
in the crafts, either past or present, should make a trip to the
EHC top of their to-do list.
-
Rory Dollard
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