City Guides
Barnsley
Introduction
Barnsley is the principle town in the Barnsley metropolitan borough, 20km north of Sheffield, with a population of just over 70,000.
Barnsley belies its reputation as a run-down, out-dated town, and its town centre boasts an array of independent designer outlets and alternative boutiques. The market has been refurbished to a modern, spacious indoor shopping experience, with thousands bustling around its 300 units shopping for clothes, antiques, bargains. The Alhambra shopping centre, not far away, provides shoppers with an opportunity to spend an afternoon milling around a mall in leading retail stores and enjoying a meal in Massarella’s.
It is said that Barnsley has more pubs and bars per square mile than most other towns and cities in the UK. So despite having only three full-time nightclubs, Barnsley still offers a busy nightlife with a choice of music venues and café bars.
Barnsley Interchange is reasonably small, but forms the centre of the town’s reliable transport network and there are train and bus links to all the major towns and cities in the surrounding area. Major redevelopments are planned for the interchange, and the new system will be running by Spring of 2007.
The town is surrounded by historical parklands, rolling countryside and ancient villages. With monuments and buildings dating back to the twelfth century, and even a mention in the Doomsday Book, Barnsley has a wealth of history and historical trails for visitors to explore.
Famous ex-residents of the town include Michael Parkinson, Arthur Scargill and poet Ian McMillan. The latter of which was Poet in Residence at Barnsley FC, and has since been nominated for an honorary degree from Oxford. He is a regular panelist on The Culture Show, and often writes in Barnsley dialect. His love of his birthplace, and that of other ex-residents, is a testimony to the warm and friendly atmosphere of this town.
Barnsley belies its reputation as a run-down, out-dated town, and its town centre boasts an array of independent designer outlets and alternative boutiques. The market has been refurbished to a modern, spacious indoor shopping experience, with thousands bustling around its 300 units shopping for clothes, antiques, bargains. The Alhambra shopping centre, not far away, provides shoppers with an opportunity to spend an afternoon milling around a mall in leading retail stores and enjoying a meal in Massarella’s.
It is said that Barnsley has more pubs and bars per square mile than most other towns and cities in the UK. So despite having only three full-time nightclubs, Barnsley still offers a busy nightlife with a choice of music venues and café bars.
Barnsley Interchange is reasonably small, but forms the centre of the town’s reliable transport network and there are train and bus links to all the major towns and cities in the surrounding area. Major redevelopments are planned for the interchange, and the new system will be running by Spring of 2007.
The town is surrounded by historical parklands, rolling countryside and ancient villages. With monuments and buildings dating back to the twelfth century, and even a mention in the Doomsday Book, Barnsley has a wealth of history and historical trails for visitors to explore.
Famous ex-residents of the town include Michael Parkinson, Arthur Scargill and poet Ian McMillan. The latter of which was Poet in Residence at Barnsley FC, and has since been nominated for an honorary degree from Oxford. He is a regular panelist on The Culture Show, and often writes in Barnsley dialect. His love of his birthplace, and that of other ex-residents, is a testimony to the warm and friendly atmosphere of this town.
Entertainment