Caring for our borough and shaping its future
Interested in development in Barnsley Town Centre both now and in the future? Barnsley Civic Trust has a talk on the development of Barnsley Town Centre by Kathy McArdle. Kathy is the Service Director covering regeneration and development in Barnsley Council. The talk is open to everyone
Thursday 30 November starting at 6.30pm in Barnsley Town Hall.
All welcome.
Ernest Harold Jones —Artist, Excavator, Archaeologist, Egyptologist — was born in Barnsley. A Blue Plaque for him was unveiled on Thursday 14 September — celebrating his life and connection to Barnsley.
Ernest Harold Jones. Image: National Library of Wales.
1.30 – 2.30pm — Barnsley Town Hall
Illustrated talk by Lady Carnarvon, with an introduction and welcome by Professor Joann Fletcher and Sir Stephen Houghton.
3.00-3.15pm — Sackville Street
Unveiling of Blue Plaque to Ernest Harold Jones by the Mayor of Barnsley.
Born in Barnsley in 1877 – his father was the headmaster of Barnsley School of Art – Harold Jones died in Luxor in Egypt in 1911. The Jones family lived in Sackville Street in Barnsley until his father moved to become head of the Carmarthen School of Art.
Harold Jones became a well-regarded artist; his work inspired by what he’d heard of Egypt and the pre-Raphaelite artists who painted Egyptian themes.
He moved to Egypt for health reasons, employed as an archaeological artist and then excavator. He unearthed rings and small objects bearing the name —not known at that time— Tutankhamun, and sparked interest in finding his tomb.
Unfortunately, he died in 1911, before the tomb of Tutankhamun was finally discovered. His funeral was held in Luxor, organised by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter who went on to discover Tut’s tomb in 1922.
We celebrated Joseph Bramah at Wentworth Castle Gardens on Tuesday 12th September, during Heritage Open Days.
Joseph Bramah (1748 to 1814), from Stainborough, was one of Britain’s most important inventors and the father of hydraulic power. Amongst many other things, he invented a lock that could not be picked, a beer pump, a flushing toilet, hydraulic presses and devices for pulling up trees.
Barnsley Museums have the original 1791 continuous fire pump made by Joseph Bramah for Wentworth Castle, the first of its kind. It can be seen at Experience Barnsley at Barnsley Town Hall.
Barnsley Civic Trust and
National Trust Wentworth Castle Gardens.
Heritage Open Day: Free Entrance to Wentworth Castle Gardens
#BarnsleyHeritageMonth
The Barnsley Civic trust programme of talks includes:
Thursday 19 October ‘Mining under Barnsley’. Paul Darlow will give a talk on the fascinating history of the mining of coal under Barnsley Town Centre and the surrounding area. Venue: Miners Hall.
Thursday 16 November: History of the Barnsley Trinity Players, a presentation on the history of the theatre group by Phil Johnson.
Thursday 30 November: Development of Barnsley Town Centre, a presentation on recent and forthcoming developments by Kathy McArdle, Service Director Culture and Regeneration, Barnsley Council.
Other talks include: Blue Plaques for Brian Glover and Barry Hines by Ronnie Steele on 25 January; Barnsley Canal by Stephen Woodcock on 29 February and Barnsley News in the 1800s by Josh Daniels on 21 March 2024
Talks are open to members and non-members
Watch this space for details of other talks and activities.
Barnsley Civic Trust welcomed Victorian Society members for a tour, guided by Allen Parks, of some of the Victorian and Edwardian buildings in Barnsley town centre and nearby conservation areas.
We explored the iconic NUM Miners Hall with Paul Darlow and this time called in at the home of Barnsley Civic Trust Chairman John Love for tea with Victorian cakes produced in Barnsley!
Huddersfield Civic Society members chose a wet day to visit Barnsley! Allen Parkes from Barnsley Civic Trust took them on an informative tour, aided by a red and white ‘Remaking Barnsley’ umbrella. Fortunately Paul Darlow took everyone into a dry NUM Miners Hall for a fascinating show of banners and stories. A wet Saturday 22 July.
Another blue plaque for Barnsley …
Organised by the Royal Society of Biology and the British Society for Immunology with the National Trust Wentworth Castle Gardens, the unveiling of the blue plaque for Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu took place on Saturday 15 July at Wentworth Castle Gardens.
Dr Lynda Partridge, Royal Society of Biology, unveiling the plaque to Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu. Allen Parks, Barnsley Civic Trust, said a few words to mark the occasion.
Town Tours
We have two tours of Barnsley Town Centre coming up for visiting groups, looking at significant buildings, both historic and new:
Saturday 22 July: Huddersfield Civic Trust visit for tour of Barnsley Town Centre
Sunday 20 August 20: Yorkshire Victorian Society tour of Victorian buildings.
We also intend to repeat the tours for Barnsley Civic Trust members and Barnsley residents.
Blue Plaques
Two Barnsley Civic Trust Blue Plaques are being unveiled in the next few months.
Tuesday 12 September: Blue Plaque for Joseph Bramah, Engineer and Inventor, at Wentworth Castle, in association with the National Trust Wentworth Castle Gardens. This is one of the national Heritage Open Days and access to Wentworth Castle Gardens will be free of charge.
Thursday 14 September: Blue Plaque for Ernest Harold Jones, Artist and Egyptologist, with a talk by Joann Fletcher.
Saturday 15 July: There is also the unveiling of another Blue Plaque at Wentworth Castle to commemorate the achievements of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a Royal Society of Biology and National Trust event with talks.
Barnsley Civic Trust would be interested to hear of nominations for Blue Plaques especially where funding can be provided by a sponsor.
Further Talks
Thursday 19 October at the Miners Hall (NUM Offices). Paul Darlow will give a talk on the fascinating history of the mining of coal under Barnsley Town Centre and the surrounding area.
Thursday 16 November: History of the Barnsley Trinity Players, a presentation on the history of the theatre group by Phil Johnson.
Talks are open to members and non-members
Watch this space for details of other talks and activities.
Barnsley Civic Trust’s 2023 AGM is on Thursday 8th June, at 7.00pm at the Masonic Hall in Cockerham Lane, Barnsley S75 1AT.
A talk on 50 Buildings of Barnsley, by Keiron Dunn, follows. Keiron is a former planner in Barnsley and intends to share his views on Barnsley’s buildings and the changes that have taken place over the years. Come along, join the discussion and give your views!
If you love Barnsley, how it looks, its heritage and its buildings, then please attend and try to encourage others who might share these views.
— Views arising from the preparation of the book.
Many of us have views on notable buildings in Barnsley, new or old.
Here’s a chance to hear from Keiron Dunn, author of ‘50 Buildings in Barnsley’, a book in the “50 Buildings of” series.
Keiron is a former planner in Barnsley and intends to share his views on Barnsley’s buildings and the changes that have taken place over the years.
What do we think about:
—The merits of knocking things down, or retaining our heritage?
—Why some people love a new building and others hate it?
—The town centre after all the pain?
Keiron has another book in preparation and he would be interested in reflecting our ideas on Barnsley’s buildings.
Come along to participate in the discussion or to hear the views expressed. All welcome.
A short Barnsley Civic Trust annual general meeting will take place before the talk
