Artwork Archives - Barnsley Civic Trust

The Hidden Art of Barnsley

During a period extending over the late 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, a series of wonderful artists emerged in Barnsley.

Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep, a project running from 2012-2014, explored and showcased this rich and very often forgotten aspect of Barnsley’s heritage.

The results: a book – available for reference in Barnsley Library, a website, and an exhibition at the Cooper Gallery.

Barnsley Civic Trust is delighted to host an illustrated talk and presentation on ‘The Hidden Art of Barnsley: Monday 2nd March at 7.00pm.
The Lightbox – Barnsley’s Central Library.

Art on Your Doorstep team members – Sally Hayles, Hugh Polehampton, Maureen Wilkinson and Fred Thompson – will provide a visual tour of the 2014 exhibition and discuss the publication and its research.

A unique event – not to be missed. Open to all.

Talk on getting good design in our town

Tom Lonsdale gave an interesting and informative talk on Design in Regeneration and the work of the Barnsley Design Panel; members of Barnsley Civic Trust were joined by others interested in the topic at a recent meeting. Tom, the chair of the Design Panel, covered a wide range of aspects of design and some of the major schemes in the town centre.

This talk is one of a series of talks promoted by Barnsley Civic Trust

Comments on bridge replacing jumble lane railway crossing

A decision on the planning application for the new ‘iconic’ foot bridge to replace the town centre railway crossing was made on Wednesday 24 October.

Jumble Lane crossing is due to be closed by Network Rail in March 2019 with a temporary bridge in place.

At a recent meeting of Barnsley Civic Trust, Sarah McHale from Barnsley Council told us that the new permanent bridge is designed by Renato Benedetti (Benadetti Architects) who also designed the new bridge in Castleford. The structure cost is estimated at £5m with £2m from Network Rail and £3m from BMBC.

The bridge will be ‘stunningly’ lit at night and the bridge deck is a 1.8 meter deep steel channel wide enough to cope with large flows on match days.

It has to be high enough for electrification and wide enough for platform extension in case these are planned in the future.

The main points raised at the Barnsley Civic Trust meeting were the nature of the deck and not being able to see out of it, the nature of fencing to the railway (Network Rail insisting on palisade), and the look of the canopy to the ‘funicular’ lift at either side of the bridge for people with disabilities and pushchairs etc.

The meeting, however, liked the bridge and thought that it has come a long way from its first incarnation.

Barnsley Civic Trust conveyed these views to the council and in addition we commented that it appears from the positioning of the ‘funicular lift’ on the opposite sides of the bridge at both ends that people in wheel chairs and cyclist will have to cross from one side of the bridge to the other, cutting across the route that everyone else will take. This can’t be right, can it?

‘Light Lines’ Somme artwork to be on permanent display

Light Lines in its original location Image courtesy Barnsley council

Great news that Light Lines – the artwork that commemorates the 300 Barnsley soldiers who fell on the first day of The Battle of The Somme – will have a permanent home in Churchfields Peace Gardens opposite St Mary’s Church.

When it was at the front of the Town Hall, Light Lines received a national Civic Trust Award.

Barnsley Civic Trust planning group has supported the planning application for the artwork’s new location.

We sought confirmation that this was the best site – since in front of the Town Hall might have been an option. We also weren’t sure that having white shiny gravel under the slabs was the best choice bearing in mind the millstone grit of the wall and buildings.

It will be great to have the fantastic artwork on show for the foreseeable future.