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Barnsley is a 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 HISTORY The first historical reference to occurs in 1086 in the Domesday Book , in which it is called 'Berneslai' with a total population of around 200.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. Also there is rumour about the founder's being of Danish-Viking origin, and that the founders bloodline is now in Canada with the last name Barnes. In 1249, a Royal Charter was granted to Barnsley permitting it to hold a weekly market and annual fair. Left undisturbed since the 17th century, Barnsley developed into a stop-off point 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. George Orwell briefly mentions the town in '' The Road To Wigan Pier ''. Orwell spent a number of days in the town living in the houses of the working-class miners while researching for the book. He wrote very critically of the council's expenditure on the construction of Barnsley Town Hall and claimed that the money should have been spent on improving the housing and living conditions of the local miners. INDUSTRY The town is famous for Coal Mining , although most of the pits were actually in the surrounding villages, rather than in the town itself. The proportion employed in mining varied hugely, even before recent times {Link without Title} . The "Barnsley Main" colliery was in the town, but was fairly small; it closed in 1991. All of the mines in the borough are now closed; Goldthorpe was the last to close in 1994. Wire-, linen- and glass-making were also major industries, but only glass-making remains, with two large companies still operating. The coat of arms for the town includes a coal miner and a glass-blower. It is now moving towards a service economy. The Western half of the Borough stretches from the M1 to the edge of the Peak District and is essentially rural in character. This Western part includes the Market Town of Penistone and some notable and remarkable places of interest, these include: Wentworth Castle and Gardens (Grade 1 listed gardens) {Link without Title} , Cannon Hall Park and Museum {Link without Title} , Cawthorne Jubilee Museum {Link without Title} , Wortley Hall and Gardens {Link without Title} , Wortley Top Forge (16th century Forge) {Link without Title} . In 2002, Barnsley Council and partners launched a major consultation exercise called "Rethinking Barnsley". This led to a regeneration programme centred on Barnsley Town Centre called "Remaking Barnsley" Developments include a new transport interchange, a new cultural centre in the old Civic Hall, a Digital Media Centre (opened August 2007- first business in WEBMART North)[http://www.barnsleydmc.co.uk/ , and new offices and apartments throughout the Town Centre. At the same time, housebuilding has taken off and major new housing areas have been developed. Business Parks on the M1 at Junctions 37 and 36, and in the Dearne Valley[http://www.park-springs.co.uk/index.php , have also expanded the job opportunities locally. Unemployment is now below the national average but a large number of local people are on incapacity benefit. The economic development of Barnsley is led by the Barnsley Development Agency [http://www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk]. Barnsley Business Innovation Centre (BBIC) on Huddersfield Road provides a home to many new businesses and is one the most success business innovation centres in Europe {Link without Title} . Significant industrial employers include the Ardagh Glass Group, Fosters Bakery and others. TOWN CENTRE The main part of Barnsley town centre was constructed during the 1960s and like other town centres now looks dated. The area around Cheapside and May Day Green, known as the metropolitan centre which is home to the markets as well as many high street retailers such as WH Smith , HMV , Carphone Warehouse , Vodafone , Boots , and The Body Shop , is due to be demolished in early 2008 to make way for a new retail and leisure development. The Alhambra centre, which was opened in 1991 houses retailers such as Next , Woolworths , Primark and TK Maxx . Other prominent areas are Queen Street where Marks And Spencer and stores such as Topshop , Wallis and Dorothy Perkins are located, Market Street, Eldon Street and The Arcade, which houses most of the independent and designer retailers in Barnsley. Barnsley also has a large concentration of pubs and bars in the town centre. The former Odeon cinema has recently been reopened as Parkway Cinema. Just outside the town centre are a number of large retail units, retail parks and supermarkets, which include Asda , Morrisons , PC World , Currys , MFI , Halfords , and B&Q . DEVELOPMENT Barnsley town centre is undergoing a period of massive change. Projects include: The new Barnsley Interchange . The digital media centre. Gateway Plaza at Town End. The Markets complex which will house Barnsley Markets and be the centre of the towns retailing. It will be anchored by Debenhams . TRANSPORT The main focus of transport in Barnsley is the new Barnsley Interchange which opened to the public on Sunday 20th May 2007. The design has been entered for national and international awards. Passengers will enjoy a more comfortable environment with real time bus information, retail opportunities and direct links to the rail station. Stagecoach In Yorkshire run most bus services within Barnsley, operating to and from the new Barnsley Interchange . Stagecoach acquired the company from Yorkshire Traction in 2005, and has come under fire for operating the service poorly. This is set to change as Stagecoach In Yorkshire has overhauled bus services from 20th May 2007 in a bid to improve performance. Barnsley is currently the only town with a direct link to Robin Hood Airport outside of Doncaster . Train services are provided by Northern Rail . Services from between Sheffield and Leeds via Wakefield twice an hour, with one operating a 'fast' service to Leeds , and another service is operated to Huddersfield with a frequency of one per hour. There are three services to Sheffield each hour. Midland Mainline currently operates one train per day to London which is operated by a high speed train. EDUCATION Barnsley has long suffered from less than average educational standards when compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, but recent improvements in examination results have brought levels in line with the national average. Barnsley College is one the largest further and higher education establishments in Europe and is situated on a number of sites throughout the town centre, chiefly Old Mill Lane Site, Eastgate House, The Sci Tech Centre, Honeywell Site and the Construction centre. The University Of Huddersfield has recently opened a campus in the town on Church Street besides Barnsley Town Hall . This is known as the University Centre Barnsley. DISTRICTS AND SUBURBS OF BARNSLEY Ardsley , Athersley , Birdwell , Brierley , Carlton , Cawthorne , Cudworth , Darfield , Darton , Dodworth , Elsecar , Gawber , Grimethorpe , Hemingfield , Honeywell , Higham , High Hoyland , Hoyland , Hoyland Common , Jump , Kendray , Lundwood , Mapplewell , Monk Bretton , New Lodge , Penistone , Pogmoor , Royston , Shafton , Silkstone , Smithies , Staincross , Stairfoot , Thurgoland , Wilthorpe, Wombwell , Worsbrough Bridge , Worsbrough Common , Worsbrough Dale , Worsbrough Village BUILDINGS, LANDMARKS AND INSTITUTIONS
The first the bank opened 24 August , 1977 .http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/news/2002/08/20/bottle.shtml Staincross 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. The band has performed in Hyde Park during the Last Night Of The Proms . The 'Bard of Barnsley' Ian McMillan writes in local dialect, was recently nominated for a chair of poetry at Oxford University , and often appears on Radio 4 . The Barnsley accent is starting to wear off amongst the younger generation, but it has generally been better maintained than other Yorkshire accents. One feature that has now disappeared practically everywhere except Barnsley is the use of ''ev'' for ''have'' and ''ent'' for ''have not''. 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. Two of the Arctic Monkeys studied music at Barnsley College . Barnsley Council operates three museums, Cannon Hall , the Cooper Gallery and Worsbrough Mill . There are plans for a fourth museum located within the town hall. The project to create this is known as Experience Barnsley . Other museums in Barnsley include the volunteer-run Darfield Museum and the Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum . Other heritage sites include Wortley Top Forge , Wortley Hall , Wentworth Castle and Monk Bretton Priory . The Lamproom Theatre has four theatrical companies, and gives performances ranging from West End musicals to William Shakespeare. Its Youth Theatre 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 once celebrated Victorian theatre the 'Civic' has lapsed from its previous role as the cultural centre of the town and is now being developed into gallery space. Barnsley has two twin towns: SPORT Barnsley's resident Football team, Barnsley F.C. play in the Championship of the English League . Their home ground is known as the Oakwell Stadium , which is situated in Oakwell, Barnsley just outside of the town centre. The club has had a mixed recent history. In the late 1990s they had a brief spell in the Premier League , but were relegated after just one season. Subsequent seasons saw them relegated to the third tier of English football. After 4 seasons, Barnsley finally regained their place in the Championship after beating Swansea City 4-3 on penalties in the play off final in Cardiff . {Link without Title} Barnsley will once again compete in The Championship in the 2007-2008 football season after surviving the relegation fight during the 2006-2007 season. Speedway racing was staged a track near Barnsley known as Barnsley Lundwood. The track entered a team in the Northern Leagues of 1929 and 1930. POLITICS The municipal council elect the mayor every year. In the day of the election, a parade takes place in front of the Town Hall. The parade is in honour of the new mayor. IN POPULAR CULTURE The town is mentioned in the sketch ''Working Class Playwright'' by Monty Python , in which the working-class playwright, played by Graham Chapman , berates his coal-miner son: "... you had to go poncing off to Barnsley...". REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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