Award-winning Barnsley Archives

Barnsley Archives has been named the ‘Record Keeping Service of The Year’ at the Archives & Records Association national conference on 1 September 2022. It is well deserved!

Barnsley Civic Trust had a timely illustrated presentation by Paul Stebbing, Archives and Local Studies Manager, at our meeting on Thursday 13th October.

We found out about the award-winning Barnsley Archives, what they have achieved over the years, and about their exciting plans for the future.

The Archive Service has launched a new 360° interactive tour which allows you to virtually walk around their Barnsley Town Hall search room: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=ju4s96wzNT5

List it or Lose it?

Barnsley’s has great historic buildings and places but many have been lost to development. Do you know of important and cherished buildings and places in Barnsley that are not protected? There’s now an opportunity to protect those that survive by putting them on the Local Heritage List.

For more information see our page on local listing: https://barnsleycivictrust.org.uk/listing

Local Listing heritage project

Do you know of important and cherished buildings, monuments and structures in Barnsley that are not protected?

‘Local Listing’ can help give them some protection against demolition, removal or harmful modification. [Only those of national significance can have statutory listed building status.]

There’s a talk on 1st December to tell us about how we can protect Barnsley’s heritage through ‘Local Listing’.

It’s by Sarah Cattell from South Yorkshire Archaeological Service; Sarah is leading the South Yorkshire Heritage Listing Project.

The project is anxious to use the local knowledge of societies like the BCT to identify the buildings and built structures that we think ought to be listed.

All are welcome whether or not you are BCT members. The talk is at 7.00pm on Wednesday 1st December at the Masonic Hall in Cockerham Lane, off Huddersfield Road, Barnsley S75 1AT.

Eldon Street HAZ presentation

Our first presentation in 2021 was a presentation by Tegwen Roberts on the Eldon Street Heritage Action Zone project. This is hoped to have a major impact on Eldon Street and its surroundings including The Civic. Well worth hearing more about! Especially for those of us interested in Barnsley’s heritage and the renewal of our high streets.

Elsecar Heritage Action Zone and Local List

Elsecar. The three year Elsecar Heritage Action Zone has ended with a number of successes. It was a three-year programme (2017-2020) resourced and supported by Historic England working with Barnsley Council and the local community.

Barnsley Civic Trust welcomes the adoption by Barnsley Council of both a Supplementary Planning Document of Best Practice – Design and Maintenance for Elsecar Conservation Area and a Local List of Buildings in Elsecar.

A Local List is useful way of ensuring planning proposals respect the special local interest of buildings, structures or sites on the local list and ensures this is taken into account during the planning process.Buildings, structures or sites are selected for inclusion on the local list based on their relative age, degree of survival, rarity, architectural and historical importance, social and community value and group and townscape merit. It’s good that the Local List approach is intended to be extended across Barnsley.

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.

St Mary’s Church Friends Group

A new Friends group is being set up for St Mary’s in Barnsley town centre. It’s for people interested in the history of St Mary’s, a grade II* listed church in the centre of Barnsley, and in caring for and promoting its heritage.

The first meeting of the Friends of Barnsley St Mary group is on Friday 17 January 2020 from noon until one o’clock