Category: Barnsley Civic Trust

Monk Bretton: its History and Influence. Monk Bretton Priory is one of the most important heritage sites in Barnsley Fred Thompson gave an illustrated presentation on its history on 1st May in Barnsley Town Hall.

The priory was very influential in the early days of Barnsley and Fred covered this —and more— in his talk. He illustrated the life of the monks and highlighted monastic influence on the town, particularly in establishing Barnsley Market.

We are hoping to follow this up with a guided tour of the Priory later in the year. Watch out for the date!

1 Saturday 16 November at 11.30am at The Old Bank (opposite the Town Hall). Join us for the unveiling of 5 Blue Plaques in Barnsley Town Centre.
The plaques, developed in partnership between Barnsley Civic Trust, the Eldon Street High Street Heritage Action Zone, Barnsley Museums and Historic England, commemorate notable 19th Century figures and the buildings they were associated with, in and around Eldon Street:
1 Thomas Lister, Postmaster, Poet and Naturalist – The Old Bank, Church Street
2 John Whitworth, Architect, Surveyor, Town Planner – 14 Regent Street
3 Ann Porter, Business woman and Barnsley entrepreneur – 58 Eldon Street
4 Matthew and Eliza Wardhaugh, creators of Barnsley’s first wooden theatre, – Parkway Cinema, Eldon Street.
5 Catherine Mawer, Master Stonemason, and Benjamin Payler, Sculptor,– Queens Hotel, Regent Street.

2 On Thursday 21st November at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber , Town Hall. A presentation by Rob Younger, proprietor of the Parkway Cinema, a site which has been in entertainment use for approximately 150 years.

The illustrated presentation is entitled ‘A lifetime in cinema; from Barnsley to Malta and back! incorporating the story of the Parkway cinema and its site’

3 Thursday 23rd January at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber , Town Hall. An illustrated talk entitled: ‘Lancaster and Sons: A Barnsley Dynasty‘ is to be given by James Stevenson, Barnsley Archives’ Project Archivist, which tells the story of one of Barnsley’s most interesting and influential families, the Lancasters, who rose to become prominent auctioneers, valuers and estate agents for more than four generations. This talk was first hosted by Barnsley Archives in September but is to be rerun as an evening event due to popular demand. This fascinating story is not to be missed.

4 Thursday 20th February at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber , Town Hall. A presentation on the Hidden Art of Barnsley. The talk will be given by Hugh Polehapton and colleagues from Barnsley ‘Art on Your Doorstep’ and will be about the history of ‘Women artists in Barnsley, their inspiration and influences’.

5 Monday 17th March at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall. The Annual Joseph Bramah Lecture will be held in partnership with the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society (SYIHS) and will be an illustrated talk by Peter Roberts on The Life and Legacy of Joseph Locke the celebrated pioneer of civil and railway engineering, ranked alongside Robert Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The talk will include references to Locke Park.

6 BCT is in the process of arranging a presentation on The history of Monk Bretton Priory, to be given by Fred Thompson and also a guided tour of the priory and its site. The presentation will be in the Town Centre and arrangements will be confirmed.

7 BCT is also arranging an illustrated talk on the Barnsley Oaks Colliery disaster of 1866 which took the lives of 366 men and boys By Paul Darlow, the Author of ‘Black Snow’. This presentation will also be in the Town Centre and arrangements will be confirmed.

Watch out online for more information online or ask to be on our mailing list, or even become a member of Barnsley Civic Trust

Heritage Open Days take place in 2024 between the 6th and 15th of September. Barnsley Civic Trust will advertise these on social media.
See also: heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on/search-2024-events.html or
barnsley-museums.com/community/heritage-open-days-in-barnsley-2024

Thursday 10th October: 6pm-6.20pm. Barnsley Civic Trust AGM.
Thursday 10th October: 6.30pm ‘Fascinating Stories of Eldon Street’, a talk by Dr Tegwen Roberts, based on research during the recently completed Eldon Street High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ).

Look out for five new Blue Plaques funded by the Heritage Action Zone coming to Regent Street and Eldon Street and an event associated with them.

Wednesday 23rd October: Blue Plaque commemorating Barnsley’s welcome to 200 Hungarian refugees following the crushed Hungarian revolution. The Hungarian Consul General Dr L Risko-Nagy will unveil the blue plaque. There will be a series of talks including by Dr Andrew Zsigmond, one of the refugees.

Thursday 14th November: ‘A Lifetime in Cinema, from Barnsley to Malta and back’, a talk by Rob Younger of the Parkway Cinema. His talk will include the story of the Parkway Cinema and the history of its site which has been occupied by cinemas, theatres and other entertainment usage for over 150 years.

Barnsley Civic Trust is in the process of arranging other talks and events including a presentation on the history of Monk Bretton Priory, by Fred Thompson, and a separate guided tour of the priory and its site. Watch out for more news.

Barnsley Civic Trust is also willing to conduct tours of the historic sites and buildings in Barnsley town centre for groups of around 15-20 people.

And a date for your 2025 diary
Monday 17 March 2025: Bramah lecture – The Life and Legacy of Joseph Locke. Peter Roberts will give a talk on the life of the celebrated pioneer of Victorian civil and railway engineering brought up in Barnsley and on his impact on the world and on Barnsley. The history of Locke Park will feature in the talk.
Held in association with the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society.

Barnsley Civic Trust Events are arranged and presented in partnership with the Barnsley Archives and Local Studies team of Barnsley MBC. They are open to everyone to attend, free of charge but donations welcome.

Look for more information and updates on these events on our website and social media.