One of the most celebrated writers of the 20th century, George Orwell stayed in Barnsley in 1936. He wanted to see for himself the living conditions of working class people for his book ‘The Road To Wigan Pier’. He stayed at a house in Agnes Terrace, still there today.
A Blue Plaque commemorating George Orwell’s stay in Barnsley will be unveiled on Friday 26 April. There’s a talk at 1pm in the Miners’ Hall, Victoria Road, next door to the NUM building.
Edana Guest will give the talk about George Orwell’s time in Barnsley, his experiences and what he found out. Edana has written an article about George Orwell’s stay in Barnsley in the excellent ‘Memories of Barnsley’.
Her talk will be kindly hosted by the NUM in the magnificent Miners’ Hall in Victoria Road, Barnsley, next door to the NUM Offices. Come for 1pm.
The unveiling of the Blue Plaque will then take place at around 2.30pm in Day Street at the end of Agnes Terrace., just up from Agnes Road. We’ll leave the Miners’ Hall at about 2pm to get there.
This event is being held in partnership with Barnsley Archives & Local Studies. We are pleased that members of the Orwell Society including Richard Blair, George Orwell’s son and Patron of the Society, and the Chair of the Orwell Society, Quentin Kopp, will be present.
Open to everyone: you do not need to be a Member of Barnsley Civic Trust to attend. Booking for this event is not necessary.
Our thanks to Adana Guest for all she has done to arrange this event.