|
Barnsley is a large town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main town in the borough of Barnsley.
History
The name Barnsley originates from the Anglo-Saxon description 'Beorn's lay' (where a 'lay' is a
clearing). The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1089.
Industry
The town lies on the River Dearne, approximately twenty kilometres north
of Sheffield. The town is famous for coal
mining, but all the mines have now closed. Barnsley is twinned with Schwabisch Gmund in Germany, and
Gorlovka in Ukraine. The coat of arms for
the town includes a coal miner and a glass-blower.
Buildings, Landmarks and Institutions
- Alhambra Centre
- Barnsley College
- Locke Park
Culture
Famous people from Barnsley include Obadiah Walker, Joseph Locke, Joanne
Harris, Joe Brammer, Michael Parkinson, Geoffrey Boycott, Brian Glover, Darren Gough, Harold Bird,
Mick McCarthy, Arthur Scargill, Kate Rusby, Jenny Murray, and Sam Nixon.
Barnsley is home to a proud tradition of Brass Bands, originally created as
social clubs for the mining communities. Grimethorpe Colliery Band is perhaps the best band in Britain - it rose to fame in the
film Brassed Off and is now the
'artist in residence' at the Royal College of Music, London.
There is a live rock music scene, which reached its height in the Britpop years,
around 1997, due to its proximity to Sheffield and Manchester.
The Lamproom Theatre has its own theatrical company, and gives performances ranging from West End musicals to Shakespeare.
Future
Barnsley's past as a coal-mining centre came to an end with the Thatcher
Government. The pits had been operating at a loss and the previous Labour government had not done anything about the problem.
Thatcher closed the pits and a period of unemployment began while the workforce looked for ways to retrain and become competitive
in the marketplace. For a time, Barnsley was classed as the 31st most deprived area of the EU, and was voted the 'worst town in
Britain' by the 1998 Guinness survey. However, Barnsley received many EU grants and regeneration is now underway. Hi-tec business
parks such as the Dearne Valley provide EU subsidies for startup firms;
call centers have also become big business due to the friendly Barnsley accent. Recreation is a major industry, with coach
parties travelling from nearby tows to access Barnsley's acclaimed nightlife. Sheffield's dry ski slope was created by former miners investing their redundancy money. Slazenger tennis balls [used at
Wimbledon] were made in a Barnsley factory that was only recently bulldozed to make way for new housing.
More controversially, Barnsley is currently asking whether to rebrand itself to shed its coal-mining past. Plans are in
progress to encircle the town with a 'ring of light'; a huge abstract sculpture of shapes and flourescence. There is also a
scheme to remodel much of the town's architecture on a 'Tuscan hill village' theme.
The question of whether to celebrate Barnsley's coal past or to look instead to the future is epitomised by The Plinth. The
Plinth was built in the centre of the town for a statue. However there has been disagreement as to what the statue should be of.
Traditionalists would like to see a miner, or perhaps Arthur
Scargill. Futurists would prefer to leave those images behind and choose an emblem of the EU, or of technology. The best
suggestion so far seems to be a statue of famous Barnsley umpire Dickie Bird,
a symbol of good will and fair play.
Sport
Barnsley F.C. football team play in the Second Division of the English league.
Nightlife
- Clubs:
- Club Hedonism
- Heaven and Hell (formerly Regents Park)
External links
|