The Barnsley Christmas Carol by Arthur Godfrey

Last year, Barnsley Museums found a Christmas carol, published in the Barnsley Chronicle in 1933, by Arthur Godfrey a Barnsley bottle maker. The discovery was made in the Archives Discovery Centre while researching the opening of the town hall in December 1933 

  

Tegwen Roberts recorded a beautiful version for YouTube which soon went viral and was performed live by the Barnsley Youth Choir on BBC Radio4 on Christmas Eve 

  

This year, the Barnsley Carol is getting its very own music video and Barnsley Museums are encouraging the whole of  Barnsley to get involved! Fusion – Barnsley’s Cultural Educational Partnership is currently working with young people across the borough to create the new film and would love to hear your Christmas memories and poetry and see your artwork. Get in touch on email, experiencebarnsley@barnsley.gov.uk or design a snow globe or bell the next time you’re at Experience Barnsley Museum or The Cooper Gallery. 

  

 It’s still in the production stages, so we can’t tell you too much about the film yet other than it will be premiered at the Parkway in Barnsley on Tuesday 10 December as part of the final Know Your Neighbourhood film screening. At 7pm that same day it will stream on the Barnsley Museums YouTube channel. 

We’d love to know if you’re in a choir and are going to be singing it this Christmastime. There are lyric sheets and versions of the song on the Barnsley Museums website and the museums team will be creating a playlist of different interpretations of the song and sharing more information about the composer Arthur Godfrey in the run up to Christmas.