400 years of flour at Worsbrough Mill
One of Barnsley’s best loved heritage sites is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. King Charles I was on the throne when Worsbrough Mill’s waterwheel first started turning to produce freshly-ground flour. Bread was a staple then as it is today, and the traditional method of milling hasn’t changed much...
Perennial promise at Barnsley Main pit
A team of green-fingered volunteers – with a little help from Mother Nature – has regenerated the landscape at Barnsley Main Colliery.
The Linen of Barnsley & Rotherham
By historian Joshua Daniels It’s well-known that the coal, iron, steel and glass industries dominated the economies of Rotherham and Barnsley. There was, however, another very prominent industry: linen. Whilst textiles are more associated with what is now West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire was also a leading contributor to the industry....
The Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery Explosion – 140 Years Later
By Joshua Daniels Just after midnight on 18th October 1883, Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery suffered a disaster that saw the death of 20 men and boys. Based in the Smithies area of Barnsley, close to the border between Monk Bretton and Carlton, Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery had been operating for around five...
Ee By Magnum: Uncovering Tom Selleck’s Barnsley connection
He’s just as famous for his thick moustache as he is for his starring roles. But a previously unknown fact about Hollywood actor Tom Selleck is that his ancestry can be traced back to right here in Barnsley. A team of local investigators have given Selleck’s Magnum P.I. character a...
The magic of Maurice Dobson Museum
Museums are more than just gigantic display cabinets where forgotten objects go to be gawped at. The humble museum has the power to reflect and shape our society, providing priceless lessons about the past. Darfield’s Maurice Dobson Museum and Heritage Centre is the epitome of that, giving visitors a lesson...
Saving the Mill of the Black Monks
We look back at the history of one of Barnsley’s oldest in-use buildings, the Mill of the Black Monks and the future plans of its owner Malcolm Lister.
