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Local History
‘Horror of losing two children haunted my family forever’
One of the Chronicle’s reporters is related to two of the children killed in the Civic Hall Disaster. Ashley Ball writes about how, even many decades on, he could sense the huge impact it had on his family.
MY great-grandma never got to meet her brother and sister but I could always sense that she had inherited the agony of loss from her parents and other siblings.
Ethel Stott was born five years after her...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Memories of the glorious game
THE cricket season is back in full swing - but what about these old boys?
We are fortunate to have a deep archive at the Chronicle and we have unearthed these pictures from a few decades ago.
They include some smiley team pictures and the odd action shot - some might want to look away now.
Who do you notice from these pictures?
What are your memories from those days?
Is anyone still playing?
Be...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Lavish production in the park
SOME more photos of an amateur dramatic production from the 1950s have come to light this week and they show the really professional-looking production of The Desert Song.
The musical play was held between July 5-10 and in 1954 at Worsbrough Park in an open air theatre.
It was produced by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation Amateur Operatic Society.
Originally by Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel and Oscar Hammerstein II, the play tells...
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Town shivered as worst snow in years blanketed the town
AS we all wait to see whether we wake up to the forecast snow, we took a look back at the Chronicle archive and found that 15 years ago to the week Barnsley was slipping and sliding and struggling to cope in the worst wintry weather the town had seen for years.
The Chronicle of February 5, 2009 reported that most schools were closed and scores of people had suffered falls on icy pavements.
Wheelie...
Holgate Heroes: Christian James Stubbs
The final installment in our 'Holgate Heroes' series.
Christian James Stubbs
A REVEREND who served on the flagship of the home fleet may have found the horrors of war too much to handle.
Reverend Christian James Stubbs was born in Stairfoot in the third quarter of 1911 and was a well respected man throughout his life.
His keen theological mind was often noticed by those close to him, especially those he served...
Holgate Heroes: Remembering Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
When it comes to loss of life in service to one’s country, one Barnsley school paid far more dearly than any other.
During World War Two, 98 pupils from Barnsley Holgate Grammar School tragically lost their lives when they went to fight for their country.
The names of the former pupils who made the ultimate sacrifice were unveiled on an impressive memorial board within the school on Armistice Day 1948 and have been solemnly...
TRUE CRIME HISTORY: More Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Barnsley
Barnsley’s notoriety has been so bad - it’s filled two books!
Below is a tale from the second instalment in the series, More Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Barnsley, which is available to buy here…
This shocking story ended at the gallows and involved a woman and her alleged lover killing her husband in Wombwell way back in 1903.
There was also a lengthy manhunt to North Yorkshire for one of the accused.
...
From the archives: Memories of cycling's good old days as the Tour de France gets underway
THE death of pioneering cyclist Brian Robinson last year triggered a host of memories for fans of the sport.
Brian was the first Brit to win a stage at the Tour de France when he did so in 1958. He followed it up with another stage win a year later and went on to win the famed Dauphine race in 1961.
Though from over the border in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, Brian certainly mixed in...
Memories of Barnsley: Pioneering takeover by factory workers
We take a look back at a historic moment in the town when Raven of Barnsley Ltd became the first workers’ co-operative. This is a piece taken from issue ten of the popular Memories of Barnsley magazine. (Back issues available here).
Raven of Barnsley Limited made history when they became the first workers’ co-operative in the town.
The Pond Street factory, the home of a former velvet works, had earlier gone through a...
Trip across the pond for bell ringers
THURLSTONE Handbell Ringers were formed in 1855.
The minutes of Thurlstone School Board stated that the bell ringers should always have a room in which to rehearse.
They won the Yorkshire Handbell Ringers Association Shield and Cup in 1930, 1931 and 1932 and first prize in the English Championships of 1930.
Winners of the English Championships in 1930. Back row- L. Sykes, C. Mitchell, N. Crossland, M. Walshaw, E. Wood. Front row- T. Sykes,...
Chart topping performances at the Civic - looking back to 1974
THE prospect of chart-toppers playing a concert in Barnsley seems pretty far-fetched nowadays.
But for music fans back in 1974, it was a regular occurrence with the biggest acts of the day regularly taking centre stage at the Civic Hall.
There were regular appearances from artists in the top ten with The Bay City Rollers, Suzi Quatro, Cockey Rebel, Mud and Showaddywaddy all featuring.
It was the Scottish heartthrobs who caused the biggest stir and...
Town's history comes to the surface
WORK is ongoing to ensure the history of the town keeps coming to the surface. In the final part of the archaelogical series, Ashley Ball speaks to experts about recent discoveries, getting the public involved and future projects.
Elsecar’s industrial past is likely to keep archaeologists busy for some time while also affording local people the chance to get up close to their ancestors and heritage. The rich history in the village has been closer...
Tokyo medalist Dorothy on 1964 and 2021 Olympics
Dorothy Hyman admits she feels sorry for the athletes who cannot compete in the Tokyo Olympics this year and says a 12-month delay might have helped her win gold in the same city in 1964.
The Cudworth woman, who competed at the Olympics in 1960 in Rome and four years later in Japan, is disappointed that the coronavirus crisis has pushed back Tokyo’s second games until 2021 but insists that it is not the most...
1995: Glancing Back
Charlotte Hutton takes a look back at the Barnsley Chronicle from this week 25 years ago.
A WILD animal, believed to be a puma, has been spotted prowling the isolated moors above Penistone.
It was seen by barrister Christopher Mills who says it came within a few feet of the door of his Dunford Bridge home.
Christopher, 46, had gone out to scrape ice from his car when the security lights flashed on, revealing the...
2004: Glancing Back
Charlotte Hutton takes a look through the Barnsley Chronicle archives from November 2004.
A BARNSLEY violin-maker thought he was subject of a hoax when world-famous violinist Vanessa Mae said she wanted one of his instruments.
The classical musician had tried all over to find a see-through acrylic violin for her album, ‘Subject to Change’, but struck lucky when she discovered Ted Brewer.
Ted has now supplied Vanessa with three custom-made violins.
“I get a lot...
No TV but life was sweet on our old estate
To mark 100 years of council housing, local historian and comedy songwriter Dave Cherry reflects on his days growing up on a council estate.
DID you know we have had council houses for 100 years?
The Housing, Town Planning Act of 1919 at the end of the First World War aimed to solve the huge demand for working-class housing in cities and towns throughout Britain.
I wonder how many of you were brought up on...
1983: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from 1983.
BARNSLEY pits made a substantial profit during the first three months of the year - and there’s more good news on the way.
The £420m coalfield made a remarkable recovery after losing 360,000 tonnes of coal through industrial disputes in the last financial year - the equivalent of £16m in revenue.
John Keirs, the NCB’s Barnsley area director, said in January, February and March the coalfield...
2000: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives from the year 2000.
THE Barkin Brothers could be top dogs in this weekend’s music chart.
Their debut single ‘Gonna Catch You’ entered the midweek top 40 at number 17 - and record industry pundits are expecting sales to rocket before the week’s final chart is announced on Sunday night.
In real life, the brothers aren’t brothers at all - they are student and part-time comedian Danny Oaks...
1986: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives - 1986.
THE familiar click of the bus ticket machine and the cries of “fares please” will be lost from Barnsley buses forever.
Because today the last 17 conductors employed by Yorkshire Traction swap their badges for redundancy payments.
And two of the longest-serving members of the Yorkshire Traction team are Anne Whitehead and Jean Allen, both from Kingstone, who have clipped thousands of tickets and met hundreds...
1989: Glancing Back
Megan Wallace explores the Barnsley Chronicle archives - 1989.
BARNSLEY will be the centre of FA Cup interest tomorrow when the fifth round’s biggest crowd of the day will converge on Oakwell in anticipation of a possible shock result.
It is estimated that the tie with First Division Everton will attract an all-ticket gate of about 33,000 - the biggest at the ground since the Reds beat another First Division side, Manchester City, 1-0 in...
