Featured

A blue plaque for a dambuster

Barnsley Civic Trust are proud to announce that a blue plaque was unveiled in honour of Sgt. David Taylor Horsfall on at Shaw Lane Sports Club on Saturday 16 May, with over 40 people attending.  David Horsfall was a flight engineer with the legendary 617 Squadron; he was among the 53 men who lost their lives during Operation Chastise on 16-17 May 1943

This event coincides with the 83rd anniversary of this most audacious of all bombing raids, codenamed Operation Chastise. We were joined by Andrew Radforth, former RAF squadron leader and an official guide at both Lincoln’s International Bomber Command Centre and the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington. He gave a fascinating presentation about 617 Squadron’s famous bouncing-bomb raid – and David Horsfalls’ role within it – and dispelled some of the myths surrounding the mission. His images showed the difficulties the bomber crews faced and the impact they made.

Dan Jarvis, Barnsley North MP and Home Office Minister of State (security) also spoke about the importance of remembrance. 

The plaque was then unveiled by Barnsley’s Mayor, David James Leech. He gave a short but significant speech about the importance of the event.

At a later time, the plaque will be located at Sgt. Horsfall’s former home – 24 Commercial Street Barnsley. 

A Barnsley boy in the Yorkshire Dales

On Thursday evening 30 April in the Council Chamber in Barnsley Town Hall, following a short AGM at 6.00pm,  David Butterworth, the recently retired CEO of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, will give an illustrated presentation entitled ‘A Barnsley Boy in the Dales’. His talk begins at 6.30pm. 

The talk will tell a series of stories and anecdotes about how a young boy who grew up in Grimethorpe /Cudworth, ended up becoming Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and his ensuing ‘adventures’.

David served as Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority since 2000, leading the organisation through modernisation, major landscape-scale programmes, and the 2016 boundary extension to include parts of Cumbria.

This free talk is in partnership with Barnsley Archives and Local Studies, admission is free and there’s no need to book in advance. It is open to all, not just BCT Members. Entrance to the Town Hall is through the Barnsley Experience. The access has ramps and there is a lift within the building. Donations are welcome.
We hope that BCT Members will be able to attend the short AGM at 6.00pm prior to the talk at 6.30pm.

Yorkshire Heritage Forum 2026 in Barnsley: Wednesday 25 March 2026

After the success of the Yorkshire Heritage Summit in different places in the county, The Yorkshire Society is bringing its event to Barnsley.

It will be held at The Civic in Eldon Street on Wednesday 25th March 2026. There’s a bookable event in the morning and an open exhibition in the afternoon.

Yorkshire Heritage Symposium is in the morning, running between 10am – 12 noon, in the Old Art School on the top floor of The Civic. The theme is Our Yorkshire Heritage, Our Yorkshire Future, with presentations by:

Barnsley Heritage Action Zones
Tegwen Roberts – now Heritage Development Manager for Wakefield Council, Tegwen ran both the Elsecar Heritage Action Zone and the Eldon Street Heritage Action Zone in Barnsley.

How Yorkshire’s History and Cultural Heritage has made us who we are?
Professor Richard Morris – Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, University of Huddersfield

How Yorkshire’s Natural Heritage has made us who we are?
 Rachael Bice – CEO Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

The open Yorkshire Heritage Exhibition is in the afternoon, between 1pm-4pm It is free to attend and open to the general public, as well as symposium attendees. There will be lots of stalls with regional and local societies and organisations.

There will also be some guided walks around Barnsley town looking at its heritage and new developments.

Tickets for the morning symposium are just £7.50 and are available to purchase at: www.theyorkshiresociety.org/event/yorkshire-heritage-summit-2026

The afternoon exhibition and guided walks are free.

 

Oaks Disaster 1866: a presentation by Paul Darlow & Paul Hardman



The Oaks Disaster in Barnsley in 1866 saw the deaths of 361 men and boys a few days before Christmas that year

160 years later, it is still the biggest mining disaster in England.

The Annual Bramah Lecture in 2026 is an illustrated presentation by Paul Darlow, author of the book on the disaster, and Paul Hardman. Both were involved in the Oaks Disaster Memorial Appeal.

The event is on Monday 16th March, at 6.30pm, in the Council Chamber in Barnsley Town Hall —Entrance via the Experience Barnsley doorway. Just ring the bell! Open to everyone. It’s free; donations are, of course, appreciated.

The Bramah Lecture is presented in a partnership of South Yorkshire Industrial History Society and Barnsley Civic Trust, supported by Barnsley Council and in particular Barnsley Archives and Local Studies.

Graham Ibbeson & Ronnie Steele

We would like to welcome you to an illustrated presentation by the renowned Barnsley based Sculptor Graham Ibbeson and Barnsley Chronicle columnist and local author Ronnie Steele. It’s on Thursday 29th January in the Council Chamber in Barnsley Town Hall at 6.30pm.

Graham Ibbeson’s sculpture of Kes in Cheapside, Barnsley

Graham will be talking about his career as an artist and Ronnie will read stories from his latest book: ‘A Tribute to Ken Loach and Kes’.

The two will also describe their close association with Graham’s latest sculpture, ‘The Spirit of Defiance’, and the forthcoming TV documentary that will accompany it.

Everyone is welcome to this open talk hosted by Barnsley Civic Trust, supported by Barnsley Archives and Local Studies. Donations welcome.

Mines Rescue

The first Mines Rescue station in the country was established in Birdwell! Want to know more?

There’s a talk from Phil Clifford, an expert on the subject, on Thursday 4th December in the Council Chamber at Barnsley Town Hall, beginning at 6.30pm.

Phil Clifford will give an illustrated presentation detailing the early years in the development of the Mines Rescue Service in the UK and explain how the first ever mines rescue station came to be built in Birdwell: the Tankersley Mines Rescue Station.

His talk will explain how the service developed, influenced by local Yorkshire entrepreneurial mining officials, a disaster near Birmingham attended by a handful of local colliers, an oil well fire in Mexico, and then the Great War and its aftermath.

Free to all, no need to book in advance.
In partnership with Barnsley Archives and Local Studies.

Protect Barnsley’s heritage .

– local listing can help.

On Thursday 13th November in the Council Chamber in Barnsley Town Hall at 6.30pm, there will be an illustrated talk by James Thomson on how we can protect the cherished buildings and structures in our borough.

Barnsley has so much amazing heritage and we want to ensure it gets the protection it deserves. Local heritage listing is not new, but this presentation will tell us how to get more of our heritage protected; our borough still has many unrecognised heritage assets.

We want local people to have the chance to make it a truly local list: building that are important to people who live with and experience them every day. We will see great examples of what has already been recognised but to make it more comprehensive, we need you!

This is your opportunity to stand up for the heritage assets in our area. We need people from across Barnsley to get involved and tell us about the historic buildings, landscapes, monuments, places etc. that make our area special – and aren’t already protected.

It might be somewhere you already know a lot about or it might be somewhere you’ve just noticed. Either way, it’s a chance to learn something of its history and to protect our heritage.

It’s quite easy to take part in the Local Heritage Listing Project, by learning how to nominate and what to look out for in potential candidates. You can get involved with the identification process on your own or with local groups in your area.

James works with South Yorkshire Archaeology which leads the Local Heritage Listing Project. His special presentation will explain in more detail what the Local Heritage Listing project is all about and how you can take part.

So come along on Thursday 13th November, at 6.30pm in Barnsley Town Hall.

A blue plaque for Maurice & Fred

Darfield Area Amenity Society, with the help of Barnsley Civic Trust, have produced a blue plaque to commemorate Maurice Dobson and Fred Halliday. It will be unveiled on Friday August 29th at the museum Maurice left to Darfield. Barnsley Civic Trust members are invited.


At the next Civic Trust event, on Thursday September 18th, Kenneth Brookes will give a talk about Maurice and Fred –and the story of the Maurice Dobson Museum and Heritage Centre.

The talk is at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber at Barnsley Town Hall. All welcome.

1819 Yorkshire Miners’ Strike talk

On Thursday 5th June in the NUM Miners Hall in Barnsley, Dr Joe Stanley gave a presentation entitled ‘Five Shillings Per Day’: The 1819 Yorkshire Miners’ Strike and its significance to the formation of Mining Unions.

The talk took place in the year of the 150th anniversary of the NUM Offices building designed by Barnsley architects Wade and Turner. The Miners’ Hall is next door in Victoria Road; the splendid banners were a great backdrop.

The talk is now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcg9e-0XAQw

Barnsley-Hull Railway talk

Hull and Barnsley platform at Cudworth Station, c.1952 Barnsley Archives

On Thursday 22nd of May in the Town Hall Council Chamber, at 6.30pm, Peter Cox gave an illustrated presentation on The Hull and Barnsley Railway formed in 1880 and one of the last large scale railway companies.

Our sister society, Howden Civic Society, have a page on their website on the Hull and Barnsley Railway. Well worth a look! https://howdencivicsociety.co.uk/hull-and-barnsley-railway/