Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre
BEST FOR
Ages 3+
ENTRY
from £8
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Chesterfield
What it’s like
A working roundhouse where you get up close to real engines, watch a turntable in action, and dodge into the café when it rains.
This is a proper railway shed, not a model one. The turntable and signal box demonstrations are the bit that sticks, watching a full-size engine get spun round on the spot is a strange thing to see for the first time, whatever your age. On special event days there are train rides too, which is when it's worth timing a visit if your kids are the sort who want to actually go somewhere on a train rather than just look at one.
It suits kids from about three up, young enough to be wowed by the size of the engines but not so young they need soft play distractions. The museum and exhibitions fill in the rest of a visit at a gentler pace, good for when little legs need a sit down between the outdoor bits.
It's only open weekends, 10 till 4, with last entry at 3, so a lazy Tuesday visit isn't an option here. £8 for a child, £12 for an adult, or £36 for a family of five, and it drops a pound over summer if you're going between late June and August. That's a fair whack for what's essentially sheds and engines, but the free on-site parking softens the blow a bit.
The café does breakfasts from about £4 and mains up to a tenner, proper food rather than a vending machine, so you can make a morning of it without needing to bring your own sandwiches. Dogs are welcome if they behave themselves, and there's a bus every half hour on weekdays if you're coming without a car.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Ages 3 and up, especially on train ride event days
- Last entry
- 3:00pm
- Parking
- Free on-site parking available
- Food
- Café with freshly prepared food, light bites and homemade treats
- Wheelchairs
- Fully accessible toilets for visitors with mobility needs available
- Dogs
- Well-behaved dogs welcome, including guide and assistance dogs
- Getting there by bus or train
- Buses run every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday, hourly Sundays
- Weekends only, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3pm, so no midweek visits
- Train rides only happen on special event days, not every weekend
- Summer pricing (27 June to 23 August) knocks a pound off child and family tickets
- Chesterfield train station is three miles off if you're arriving by rail
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£8 for a child, £12 for an adult, £36 for a family of two adults and up to three kids. It's a pound cheaper for children between late June and August.
What are the opening hours?
Weekends only, 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3pm. It's closed Monday to Friday.
Is it suitable for toddlers?
The listed minimum age is three. Younger than that and the turntable demonstrations might go over their heads a bit.
Do we need to book ahead?
There's nothing to say you need to book, so turning up on the day should work.
Is there parking on site?
Free on-site parking, which takes the sting out of the ticket price a little.
What food is available?
A café doing breakfasts around £4 to £6 and mains £5 to £10, plus lighter snacks and homemade treats.
Can we bring the dog?
Well-behaved dogs are welcome, including guide and assistance dogs, as long as you keep them under control and clean up after them.
Are there train rides?
Train rides happen on special event days rather than every weekend, so it's the thing to plan a visit around if that's what your kids are after.
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