An Introduction to South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is in North/central England and marked by rolling green hills with rich farmland and pasture. The county is home to the key industrial towns of Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham

Sheffield is a great place to explore history and innovation and in particular relating to the steel, engineering and cutlery.  Sheffield has about half of a million inhabitants and attracts visitors from all over the world. There are several good museums, most of them dedicated to the city’s industrial past, subsequent growth and prosperity, such as the Kelham Island steel Museum,  the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and the Metalwork Gallery Sheffield has two universities and offers excellent sport facilities and an active nightlife scene.

Rotherham: With beautiful rolling countryside and attractive picturesque villages, 70 per cent of the area is rural and glorious views are guaranteed. There is a good range of quality visitor experiences and places of interest all within minutes of each other. This classic South Yorkshire town can lay claim to some of Britain’s greatest inventions, including the screw-down water tap and the Bailey Bridge – said by Churchill to have shortened the war by two years!  Magna

Barnsley: Berneslai” is mentioned in the 1086 ‘audit’ The Domesday Book. In 1249, Barnsley was granted a Charter to hold an annual fair and weekly market. Very early in its history, coal mining began in the area, being supplemented by another important industry, glass blowing, early in the 17th. century. In 1744, William Wilson introduced linen weaving, which became so popular that by 1794, there were no fewer than 500 looms in the town. In 1984, the national Coal Strike marked the beginning of the end of Barnsley’s coal mining heritage. The bitter show-down between Arthur Scargill and Margaret Thatcher divided communities, neighbourhoods, even families. Today there are no coal mines left in Barnsley at all. The town has begun an ambitious programme of redevelopment but has some interesting attractions such as Cusworth Hall and the Cannon Hall Open Farm and the Wortley Top forge.

Doncaster with many attractions for the young and the young at heart. For all round family fun, Brockholes Farm, a combination of visitor attraction, working farm, zoo and riding school is an absolute must for animal lovers. Hatfield Water Park offers excellent water sports facilities with friendly instructors on hand for beginners.There are a number of Museums and Galleries in the Borough of Doncaster including the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery situated in pleasant, enclosed gardens in the town centre.   For those wishing to discover more about the changing home, work and social life of people and communities across the region, a visit to the Museum of South Yorkshire Life, at Cusworth Hall, illustrates  this progress over the past 250 years.