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Barnsley is a large Town in South Yorkshire , England , lying on the River Dearne , approximately twenty kilometres north of Sheffield . It is between junctions 36 and 37 of the M1 Motorway (Between which a number of alleged suicides have taken place in late 2005, early 2006) and has a Railway Station served by the Hallam and Penistone Lines. It is the main town in the Metropolitan Borough Of Barnsley . It has three MP's - Eric Illsley for Barnsley Central , Michael Clapham for Barnsley West And Penistone and Jeff Ennis for Barnsley East And Mexborough . They are all members of the Labour Party . The town itself has a population of just over 72,000 and the borough of around 223,500. HISTORY The first historical reference to Barnsley occurs in 1086 in the Domesday Book , in which it is called 'Berneslai' with a total population of around 200. The exact origins of the name Barnsley is still subject to debate, but, Barnsley Council claims that its origins lie in the Saxon word Berne, for barn or storehouse, and Lay, for field. In 1249 a Royal Charter was granted to Barnsley permitting it to hold a weekly market and annual fair. Left undisturbed by the Civil Wars of the 17th century Barnsley was allowed to develop into a prosperous market town and was profiting from it’s privileged position on the route between Leeds , Wakefield , Sheffield and London . The traffic generated as a result of this location fuelled trade with hostelries and related services also prospering. A principal centre for linen weaving during the 18th and 19th century Barnsley grew into an important manufacturing town. Barnsley also has a long tradition of glass making, but is most famous for its coalfields. INDUSTRY The town is famous for in Germany, and Gorlovka in Ukraine. The coat of arms for the town includes a coal miner and a glass-blower. It is now moving towards a service economy. BUILDINGS, LANDMARKS AND INSTITUTIONS : Alhambra Centre : Barnsley College : Locke Park : Cannon Hall Museum, Park & Gardens : Wentworth Castle & Gardens : Cooper Gallery : Barnsley Town Hall : Oakwell football ground, home of Barnsley Football Club FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM BARNSLEY Famous people from Barnsley include:
CULTURE Barnsley is home to a proud tradition of Brass Band s, originally created as social clubs for the mining communities. Grimethorpe Colliery Band - located in a village 5 miles to the east of Barnsley - is perhaps the best brass band in Britain - it rose to fame in the film Brassed Off and is now the 'artist in residence' at the Royal College of Music, London. They have performed in Hyde Park during the Last Night Of The Proms . Barnsley is also the home of Barnsley College, which was at one time Europe's largest Further Education establishment, it attracts students from all around South Yorkshire and offers a range of degree / diploma courses as well as A-Levels. In 2005 more than 61% of students gained 4 or more A-Level passes. Ken Loach 's film Kes was set and filmed in Barnsley, using local actors such as Freddie Fletcher. There is a live rock music scene, which reached its height in the Britpop years, around 1997, due to its proximity to Sheffield and Manchester. Barnsley rock band Saxon were famous in the 1980s. The Lamproom Theatre has three theatrical companies, and gives performances ranging from West End musicals to Shakespeare. Its Youth Company presents up to three productions a year and recently performed a critically acclaimed production of 'Les Miserables: School Edition' in November 2005 which was greeted by standing ovations on each performance. The 'Bard of Barnsley', Ian McMillan , writes in local dialect, and was recently nominated for a chair of poetry at Oxford University . FUTURE Barnsley's past as a coal-mining centre came to an end in the era of the Thatcher Government. The Thatcher government decided that the nationally-owned pits were uncompetitive with their European Counterparts . They then proceeded to close the pits abruptly and an extended period of mass unemployment began. For a time, Barnsley was classed as the 31st most deprived area of the EU, and was voted the 'worst town in Britain' by the 1998 Guinness survey. However, Barnsley received many EU grants and although regeneration is now underway, it still falls behind the other local towns Doncaster , Wakefield , Sheffield and Leeds . The education system is a large problem. However, crime is lower in Barnsley than in almost all other "metropolitan" areas. Hi-tec business parks such as the Dearne Valley provide EU subsidies for startup firms, but are generally used by call centres setting up in the area because of low salary levels. Recreation is a major industry, with coach parties travelling from nearby towns to access Barnsley's acclaimed night-life. Sheffield's Dry Ski Slope was created by former miners investing their redundancy money. Slazenger tennis balls at Wimbledon were made in a Barnsley factory that was only recently bulldozed to make way for new housing. More controversially, Barnsley is currently asking whether to rebrand itself to shed its coal-mining past. Plans are in progress to encircle the town with a living wall; a huge abstract sculpture of shapes and fluorescence. There was a plan to create a 'halo of light' which would surround the town but the proposal was recently knocked back. Another proposal indicates that the 'Halo of Light' would be more suitable for special occasions rather than a permanent fixture. There is also a scheme to remodel much of the town's architecture on a 'Tuscan hill village' theme. The question of whether to celebrate Barnsley's coal past or to look instead to the future is epitomised by The Plinth. The Plinth was built in the centre of the town for a statue. However there has been disagreement as to what the statue should be of. Traditionalists would like to see a miner, or perhaps Arthur Scargill . Whereas Futurists would prefer to leave those images behind and choose an emblem of the future with suggestions including a symbol of the EU, or of technology. One of the more popular suggestions so far has been to erect a statue of famous Barnsley Cricket umpire Dickie Bird , who many see as a symbol of good will and fair play. Work on changing the town centre is currently underway, with the construction of new modern council offices at Westgate and the construction of a new transport interchange. In the coming years the entire town centre will be demolished and rebuilt, with the new market development at the centre's heart SPORT Barnsley F.C. Football team play in the Coca-Cola League 1, (the League One of the English League ). They play at the Oakwell stadium just outside of the town centre. The club has had a mixed recent history. In the late 1990's they had a brief spell in the premier league, but were relegated after just one season. Subsequent seasons saw them relegated once more to the third tier of English football. They are now making a promotion push to get back into the championship. They are currently managed by Andy Ritchie. NIGHTLIFE
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