Latest News
Half Term Activities at Barnsley Museums
24th October 2024
This half term, Barnsley Museums invites families to immerse themselves in a variety of engaging activities, including the adventurous “Forbidden Forest Trail” and the creative “Creepy and Curious Crafts”. With relaxed openings designed to accommodate visitors of all ages, everyone … Continue reading
Quest For The Eldon Beast Choose Your Own Adventure YouTube Game
The Eldon Beast has gone missing and without it, Eldon Street will descend into chaos. It was last seen heading to the Goblin Underworld. Can you track it down by solving riddles and making the right decisions? You need to … Continue reading
Easyfundraising Christmas Shopping
We didn’t want to mention it too early, but we know some of you organised folk will already be thinking about Christmas shopping. When you do, please remember to use easyfundraising every time you shop online. Over 7,000 brands will … Continue reading
Elsecar Building Bridges Project – Celebration Event
Barnsley Museums would love to invite everyone to the Elsecar Building Bridges end of project celebration, launching the digital bridge projection onto one of the buildings at Elsecar Heritage Centre. Over the course of the project, they have been researching … Continue reading
The Cooper Gallery wins national family friendly award
The Cooper Gallery is thrilled to announce that it has won the Best Accessible Museum Award in the Kids in Museums’ Family Friendly Museum Awards 2024. Organised by Kids In Museums, the national award recognises one museum, gallery, historic home, … Continue reading
Conserved paintings on display at Cannon Hall Museum
Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust are always glad to help with conservation of items from the Barnsley Museums collection, and the latest items are three paintings from the Cannon Hall collection which have been cleaned and conserved by Critchlow and … Continue reading
Trouble at T’Mill – Worsbrough Needs Your Help
24th September 2024
In 2025, Worsbrough Mill is celebrating 400 illustrious years of milling using water power from the River Dove. This 240-acre country park and reservoir is a slice of paradise for nature lovers, with birdwatchers, anglers and over 250,000 fresh air … Continue reading
Sykes Family Papers
A mid-nineteenth century albumen photograph of local Wesleyan Methodist preacher Timothy Sykes (1785-1864) is the gem of a small box of documents recently donated to Barnsley Archives and Local Studies. It’s always rare to find photographs of named individuals from … Continue reading
Roof repairs begin on Cannon Hall Museum
Essential work began in August to preserve the historic building and secure the future of its collections. Cannon Hall Museum, a Grade II*-listed Georgian Country House in Barnsley, has received a grant of £898,405 from the Museum Estate and Development … Continue reading
September celebrates four-year project at Wentworth Castle Garden – The Union Jack Gardens
What has become known as the Union Jack Garden was first planted in 1713 by Thomas Wentworth’s gardener, John Arnold. He knew it as the Wilderness. Arnold followed a design thought to be by the Royal Gardeners to Queen Anne, … Continue reading
Restoration of Cannon Hall’s Plunge Pool
If you have visited the Fairyland area of Cannon Hall, Park and Gardens recently you will have seen that the plunge pool has undergone restoration work. As part of the restoration of the pool some other fascinating pieces of history … Continue reading
Elsecar Building Bridges Project
‘Elsecar Building Bridges’ is a National Lottery Heritage Funded project supported by Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust with the aim of developing connections with local community groups and individuals across the village of Elsecar and surrounding areas. The project has … Continue reading
Barnsley Museums Job Vacancy – Exhibitions Officer
Barnsley Museums Service currently has a vacancy for an Exhibitions Officer. If you think this might be the job for you, read on! It’s exciting times at Barnsley – we have a bold vision for Barnsley in 2030 as a … Continue reading
New Barnsley Archives Accessible On-line
Barnsley Archives and Local Studies has announced a partnership with the Ancestry website that will allow thousands of records relating to Barnsley people to be accessed online for the first time. Previously, all records could only be accessed by visiting … Continue reading
Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens wins national heritage learning award
Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens is delighted to announce that it has received the Sandford Award for Heritage Learning. The award recognises Cannon Hall’s excellent learning opportunities and outstanding visitor engagement. The Sandford Award is the national quality mark … Continue reading
Guardians of Bird Island: A New Sculptural Trail for Cannon Hall Park and Gardens.
5th August 2024
Cannon Hall Park and Gardens is delighted to announce the arrival of Guardians of Bird Island, a characterful new sculptural trail that will enchant visitors of all ages. The trail will open on Friday, 19 July. Guardians of Bird Island … Continue reading
Historic Harrals clock returns to Eldon Street
A cherished landmark in Barnsley town centre has been restored to its former glory thanks to the Eldon Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ). The Harrals clock, which has been a meeting place for generations of people, has been repaired and … Continue reading
Summer Fun at Barnsley Museums
It’s shaping up to be a sensational summer at Barnsley Museums, with an exciting range of free family activities over the summer holidays. From Wednesday, 24 July, until Sunday, 1 September, families can get active and creative across the museum’s … Continue reading
New Railway document acquired by Barnsley Archives and Local Studies
Railway historians will be particularly interested in a recent purchase at auction by Barnsley Archives. The original document from 1897 is a conveyance of 9 acres 3 roods and 23 perches of freehold land at Worsbrough for the purposes of … Continue reading
Elsecar Heritage Centre launches a new interactive trail for young visitors
On Wednesday 31 July, Elsecar Heritage Centre launched a new interactive trail designed by teenagers for young people. The self-guided digital trail will run throughout the summer holidays and offer a fun and engaging way to learn about Elsecar’s rich … Continue reading
Secrets from the Fox Collection Revealed
The Cooper Gallery is delighted to announce the unveiling of five paintings from its Fox Collection, a gift from the children of James and Jane Fox in 1934, that have recently been conserved. The paintings, which depict landscapes and still … Continue reading
Wentworth Castle Gardens Estate Workers – We’re looking for clues!
The Archives & Research team at Wentworth Castle Gardens are looking for leads to help them research the lives and activities of the estate workers of the past. Have you anything that could help us? Many youths from local families … Continue reading
Elsecar Heritage Centre welcomes new changing places toilet facility
The new facility will make the attraction more accessible and inclusive for visitors. Elsecar Heritage Centre, the well-loved heritage attraction, has recently installed a Changing Places toilet facility to cater for the needs of disabled visitors, making the site more … Continue reading
Fusion’s Festival of Joy Arts Award Celebration Event
8th July 2024
Schools from across the borough came together for an inspiring night celebrating Fusion’s Arts Award Explore Programme at Horizon Community College. As part of Fusion’s Festival of Joy, close to 300 children completed their Arts Award journey thanks to support … Continue reading
Cooper Gallery nominated for Prestigious Award
The Cooper Gallery is thrilled to announce that they have been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums, Family Friendly Museum Award 2024 in the Best Accessible Museum category. This is in recognition of their efforts to make the gallery welcoming … Continue reading
