Latest News
Barnsley’s Ancient Stone Head – An update
30th August 2021
You might remember reading about an ancient stone head in the Barnsley collections with very little accompanying provenance in an earlier newsletter. We are pleased to say that, after a public vote, the mysterious stone head is no longer nameless … Continue reading
25 things to do in Barnsley this summer
9th August 2021
We have compiled a list of 25 things to do in Barnsley this summer, ranging from activities to places of interest, all right on your doorstep, in Barnsley. Can you find our magical wishing tree at Cannon Hall? Head to … Continue reading
Fake Or Fortune comes to the Cooper Gallery
5th August 2021
Did you catch the recent TV programme, Fake or Fortune on BBC1 recently which featured the Cooper Gallery? The presenters viewed sketches purchased by Samuel Joshua Cooper and to view Mr Cooper’s notebook as part of an investigation into a … Continue reading
Prestigious Award Finalist 2021
4th August 2021
Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre is a finalist for the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021! With a total prize fund of £160,000, Art Fund Museum of the Year is the world’s biggest museum prize. It champions museums … Continue reading
Cooper Prize – People’s Choice Award Winner Announced
13th July 2021
The Cooper Gallery has announced five most popular art works of the Cooper Prize, ‘Peoples’ Choice’ award, as chosen by the public. The Cooper Prize exhibition launched in March 2021 when the Gallery was closed due to Covid restrictions, … Continue reading
Funding Secured to Create Elmer the Elephant Trail across Barnsley
9th July 2021
Elmer the elephant is packing his trunk and will be travelling around Barnsley, spreading joy as he goes, thanks to funding from the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant. Barnsley Museums have secured £95,000 which will be used to work … Continue reading
Help Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust Raise Funds through Easy Fundraising
7th July 2021
We’ve registered Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust with Easyfundraising, which means over 5,200 shops and sites will now donate to us for FREE every time you use Easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums Win Prestigious Digital Award
6th July 2021
Barnsley Museums have been voted highly commended in the Museums and Heritage Awards 2021 in the category, Best Use of Digital. The Museums were delighted to be recognised for their outstanding digital output which they shared with audiences throughout the … Continue reading
Adopt a Harvest Mouse– Worsbrough Mill
5th July 2021
Worsbrough Mill and Country Park has been recently recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in recognition of its importance as a wet woodlands habitat. We are very proud to have helped secure funding from the National Lottery Heritage … Continue reading
Hogarth to Hitchens – Great British Artists in the Cannon Hall Collection
1st July 2021
Following our successful exhibition of paintings by Dutch artists, this exhibition brings together works by British artists from the collections at Cannon Hall Museum. Themes of portraiture and landscape pictures by local and national artists ranging from the eighteenth to … Continue reading
Adopt a Harvest Mouse
28th June 2021
Worsbrough Mill and Country Park is home to the tiny harvest mouse, a priority conservation species. In recent years, an area of reedbeds has been sensitively restored to create a better habitat for this diminutive mammal – weighing only as … Continue reading
Jan van Huysum Visits 15th-19th June
15th June 2021
We have some very special news… Image: Jan van Huysum ‘Flowers in a Terracotta Vase’ (1736-7), The National Gallery London Barnsley Markets will host the National Galleries latest touring exhibition – Jan van Huysum Visits -which will see Van Huysum’s … Continue reading
Worsbrough Survey
1st June 2021
Worsbrough Mill and Country Park needs your help! They want to know what you think about the Mill and Country Park, so they can make exciting plans for the future. Fill in the survey to share your thoughts. https://surveys.barnsley.gov.uk/s/F286J6/
Artists Combine To Celebrate Historic Partnership
Three art installations are coming together at Elsecar in Barnsley to mark the culmination of ambitious three-year art and heritage programme. The Great Place Wentworth & Elsecar programme delivered a range of activities, projects and festivals inspired by Wentworth Woodhouse … Continue reading
Invasive Species: Shaping the Landscape
29th May 2021
Invasive Species: Shaping the Landscape is an exhibition of contemporary sculpture by members of the Yorkshire Sculptors Group. The artists explore ideas around nature, humanity and control.To maintain the delicate balance between order and disorder which is characteristic of garden design, the artworks highlight … Continue reading
Don’t miss Barnsley’s Fantastical Beasts Trail
28th May 2021
Follow the trail through Barnsley Town Centre between May 29th and June 13th to discover eight giant willow beasts inspired by local legends. The free trail starts at Barnsley Town Hall and if you visit the Metrodome, you will find … Continue reading
Elsecar Heritage Centre – Guided History Tours
26th May 2021
An extraordinary story about the small Yorkshire village that became an international centre of industry. Ironworks, collieries, aristocrats, royalty and generations of villagers with achievements to be proud of all contribute to the fascinating story of Elsecar. Elsecar guided tours … Continue reading
Hear My Voice competition sees local poets published
24th May 2021
Forty local poets have had their work published as part of the Hear My Voice 2020 competition and will be featured alongside a new poem by Barnsley’s Poet Laureate, Eloise Unerman and seven sonnets by Ian McMIllan in a moving … Continue reading
Cannon Hall North Range Glass
13th May 2021
Cannon Hall is a superb example of a Georgian Estate and the North Range Glass is one of the oldest glass houses in the walled garden. There have been multiple stages of construction, starting in the 1790’s, with alterations in … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums to re-open 17th May
11th May 2021
Barnsley Museums are looking forward to opening their doors to you all once again next week – it’s been far too long. Experience Barnsley and The Cooper Gallery will open on Monday 17th May, and Cannon Hall Museum will throw … Continue reading
Museums and Heritage 2021 Awards Shortlist
10th May 2021
It’s fabulous to hear that Barnsley Museums have been shortlisted for the Museums and Heritage Awards 2021 in the ‘Best Use of Digital’ category for their response to the Covid pandemic. The other nominees are the British Museum, London Transport … Continue reading
Newcomen Beam Engine – Elsecar Heritage Centre
7th May 2021
The Newcomen Beam Engine is one of South Yorkshire’s finest surviving legacies of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1795 the Engine was designed to extract water from Elsecar New Colliery to allow the exploration of deeper coal seams. The Beam … Continue reading
The Stone Head Mystery
5th May 2021
The Collections Team are currently investigating a mystery stone head in the collections at Experience Barnsley. This was found on the grounds of Holyrood Catholic Church, Barnsley. The team are checking against an archive made in the 1960s by Sidney … Continue reading
Wild at Worsbrough
3rd May 2021
Wild at Worsbrough is an exciting programme of events that will run from May to September and showcase all that Worsbrough Mill and Country Park has to offer. Discover everything from our vast array of wildlife, plants and biodiversity, opportunities … Continue reading
The Collections Trust Award
12th April 2021
The Collections Trust Award highlights the often-unsung achievements of those who manage the collections that lie at the heart of all museums. This year’s Collections Trust conference will take place online on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 October 2021. This … Continue reading
