It is situated in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, on a loop of the River Don near the village of Wortley.

[4] However, the current layout of the building dates from the 1850s when the forge was turned over to the production of shafts and axles mainly for use on railway wagons.

Some of the earliest metallurgical experiments in the world were conducted at the site by the engineer and metallurgist Thomas Andrews.

Railway axles of the highest quality were manufactured at the site in the nineteenth century and exported all over the world.

Its buildings are used to house a variety of industrial machinery, including a Marshall twin-cylinder steam engine.