Elsecar Heritage Centre's Newcomen-type Beam Engine is to be restored and turned into a new tourist destination for South Yorkshire with the help of Lottery support.

Barnsley Museum and Heritage Service has secured a first round pass worth £40,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards the scheme. The award means that planning for the restoration can now commence, while an application for a full grant worth more than £400,000 is also to be drawn up.

If successful, the HLF grant will help improve visitor interpretation of the engine and wider village and provide education opportunities for local school children. Fiona Spiers, head of the HLF for Yorkshire and Humber, said: "We're extremely pleased to give initial support to the Newcomen Engine at Elsecar project, which aims to protect a vital part of our industrial heritage for future generations."

The Beam Engine is believed to be the last remaining example in situ anywhere in the world, but was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register in July 2010.