Latest News
Barnsley celebrates tourism triumph as local attractions shine in national rankings
18th August 2025
We’re delighted to celebrate the latest release of visitor data and national rankings from Visit England and the South Yorkshire STEAM report, showcasing Barnsley as a vibrant and thriving tourist destination. In Visit England’s recent published data, Cannon Hall Museum, … Continue reading
Conservation of the painting ‘Cawthorne Church from the Park’
Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust has been delighted to continue to help with the conservation of items in the museum collection, and the latest item to benefit has been a fabulous painting of ‘Cawthorne Church from the Park’ by a … Continue reading
Summer Adventures with Barnsley Museums
There is still plenty of fun to be had this summer with Barnsley Museums, with activities running right through the holidays for families to enjoy. The Great Museum Quest continues until 31 August, inviting children to pick up a free … Continue reading
The Next Big Thing Group
The Next Big Thing are a Barnsley Museums youth group, which welcomes participants with lived experience of mental health, LGBTQ plus young people, young carers and other young people with barriers to education and engagement with the arts and culture. … Continue reading
Call out for Disabled, Neurodivergent and/or D/deaf Co Producers at Barnsley Museums
Hello, I am Saba, a Curating Visibility fellow based at Barnsley Museums. I am here to interpret the collections from the lens of disability and neurodiversity, using my lived experience and research interests. Do you love history and want to find out … Continue reading
Barnsley Archives’ Conservation Programme – Gawber School Log Book
Barnsley Archives and Local Studies have an ongoing conservation programme to ensure that the 4000 collections in our custody can still be safely used by researchers many years, decades and centuries from now. The programme is a crucial part of … Continue reading
Cooper Gallery artwork on loan to the National Gallery in London
The Shepherdess, a c1849 drawing by Jean-Francois Millet, has recently made its way on loan from the Cooper Gallery to the National Gallery in London to feature in their exhibition Millet: Life on the Land. Millet is one of the … Continue reading
Poet In Lockdown with Ian McMillan – Revisited
Can you believe that it’s been five years since we were singing happy birthday while washing our hands, baking banana bread and watching Tiger King? Five years since the Covid19 pandemic resulted in multiple national lockdowns. One of our popular … Continue reading
Blue Plaque unveiling at Darfield Museum and Heritage Open Days
Heritage Open Days are a great way to access venues that may not normally be open to the public, get behind the scenes or gain free entry to sites that normally charge a fee. Started in 1994 with 701 participating … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust (BMHT) meets the Wee Beasties of Barnsley
Recently Fusion was delighted to welcome Gillian from BMHT, along with colleagues from Arts Council England and the Audience Agency, to a beastly celebration at Wombwell Park St Primary School to meet the Wee Beasties of Wombwell. The beasties are … Continue reading
New exhibition at the Cooper Gallery showcases artworks by world renowned artists from JMW Turner to Bloomsbury’s Vanessa Bell
17th July 2025
The Cooper Gallery is delighted to announce an upcoming free exhibition, Barnsley’s Radical Collector: The Sadler Gift from Turner to Bloomsbury, which will be held from Saturday 19 July 2025, until Saturday 3 January 2026. Barnsley’s Radical Collector: The Sadler … Continue reading
Brand new visitor centre unveiled at Elsecar
Thursday 10 July 2025 saw the exciting opening of a brand-new Visitor Centre at Elsecar Heritage Centre. The new Visitor Centre is designed to help visitors uncover 250 years of Elsecar’s fascinating history and the compelling stories of the … Continue reading
Exciting New Volunteering Opportunities at Cannon Hall Museum
Interested in volunteering at a Georgian country house museum surrounded by 70 acres of historic parkland? Cannon Hall Museum is looking for Visitor Welcome volunteers to help greet visitors, chat to them and answer any questions and gather their feedback. … Continue reading
Two Barnsley Museums sites shortlisted for national Family Friendly Museum Award
We are delighted to announce that Barnsley Museums has been shortlisted twice for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025! This includes shortlisting for: · Worsbrough Mill Museum and Country Park for Best Accessible Museum · Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums Summer Holiday Workshops 2025
This summer, from 22 July to 1 September 2025, Barnsley Museums is full of fun activities for families. Across five museum sites, you’ll find exciting trails, creative workshops, and sensory sessions perfect for kids of all ages. At Worsbrough Mill, … Continue reading
New Community Art Display in Experience Barnsley
Experience Barnsley are delighted to showcase artworks created by Patricia Wroe and Peter Hardy on a new community focused gallery wall in the museum. The team at Deangate Care Home in Mapplewell contacted the museum after discovering the artistic talents … Continue reading
Barnsley Archives’ Conservation programme – The History of Wombwell
Barnsley Archives and Local Studies have an ongoing conservation programme to ensure that the 4000 collections in our custody can still be safely used by researchers many years, decades and centuries from now. The programme is a crucial part of … Continue reading
The Grasslands Project at Wentworth Castle Gardens
The Grasslands Project was inspired by THE HERDS (www.theherds.org), a groundbreaking public art and climate initiative brought to life by the team behind Little Amal. Lifesize puppets of animals journeyed through cities on a 20,000km journey from the Congo Basin … Continue reading
Barnsley Libraries and Museums celebrated as places of sanctuary
Barnsley Libraries and Barnsley Museums have recently been recognised as places of sanctuary and were presented with the Libraries of Sanctuary and Museum of Sanctuary awards. These awards are a fantastic achievement for their teams and recognise the support offered … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums Celebrates Record-Breaking Milestone of Two Million Visitors
17th June 2025
Barnsley Museums is thrilled to announce a historic achievement, welcoming two million visitors in 2024-25. This is the first time, in the council’s records, that the Museums service has reached this number in a year. It beats last year’s 1.9 … Continue reading
Records of the West Riding of Yorkshire Miners’ Permanent Relief Fund Accessible for the First Time
What do Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, French President Emile Loubet and Swedish screen legend Greta Garbo all have in common? The answer is that they all get a mention in the brand-new catalogue of the historic records … Continue reading
Dearne Youth Legacy Project
Dearne e-gaming tournament Fusion is leading the Dearne Youth Legacy Project, building on the success of Heart of the Wood and Storying Goldthorpe (https://www.barnsley-museums.com/projects/storying-barnsley/heart-of-the-wood). The project is using research and testing through pilot engagement activity to develop and consolidate thinking … Continue reading
Know Your Neighbourhood Project 2025 – Activities and Events
Looking to get creative? Every Wednesday in June, from 10am until 12pm, in the Sadler Room at the Cooper Gallery, you can make your own masterpiece with artists Sally Philburn and Julia Woodhall. Create different types of artwork in a … Continue reading
Little John’s Longbow at Cannon Hall
One of the most popular items on display at Cannon Hall Museum is ‘Little John’s’ bow. According to Spencer Stanhope family tradition, this longbow belonged to Little John, the legendary tall man from Robin Hood’s band of ‘merry men’ in … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums Exhibitions Online
If you’re interested in the latest exhibitions but cannot get to see them in person, did you know that you can now view them online? Christy Keeney: Formed and Reformed at Cannon Hall and Barnsley in Sight: Leeds Fine Artists … Continue reading
