Barnsley Heritage Connects

From great stately homes to dusty old pit tracks we celebrate Barnsley’s rich heritage and champion grass roots cultural groups borough wide. We organise heritage social events online and at amazing places and there’s always something new to do and learn about our shared heritage

An on going project by Barnsley Museums, supported by Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust. We bring people together and promote events across the borough so please get in touch if you have an event to promote or story to share. You can find us on our social media channels too: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

 

"Logo for 'Heritage Open Days' featuring the words 'heritage' and 'days' in blue and 'open' in pink. Above the text is a large pink letter 'H' with an archway design integrated into it.

Heritage Open Days in Barnsley in 2025

There's plenty of free events happening across the borough in September, find out more

 

Places to visit and useful contacts

Logo of Barnsley Civic Trust. The phrase 'MAKING A DIFFERENCE' curves around the initials 'BCT'. The full name 'BARNSLEY CIVIC TRUST' is written in blue, with each word stacked vertically.

Barnsley Civic Trust

Photograph of a two-storey building with a light pink exterior and blue-green doors and window frames. The building has three chimneys and sits on a street corner.

Darfield Museum

The museum building is on top of a slight incline, it has a thatched roof and white and black strips on the front of the building

Cawthorne Jubilee Museum

Aerial view of an old industrial building featuring a large blue metal structure, likely a headframe or winding tower used in mining. The site is surrounded by green grass and trees.

Barnsley Main Heritage Group

People making their way up the hill in the country park

Rabbit Ings Country Park

Photograph of a rustic stone building with a tiled roof, surrounded by a garden and an ornate wrought iron fence.

Hoylandswaine Nail Forge

Photograph of a gazebo in a park, surrounded by trees with yellow leaves. The gazebo has a domed roof with a red top and white ornate supports. Green grass fills the foreground, with various green trees in the background.

Friends Of Locke Park

Photograph of a wooden signpost with two signs. The top sign reads 'Wortley Top Forge Industrial Museum' and the bottom sign, with an arrow pointing right, reads 'OPEN TODAY'.

Wortley Top Forge

Serene outdoor scene featuring a pond surrounded by lush greenery and trees. In the foreground, two adult geese and several goslings walk on the grass near the water’s edge under a clear blue sky.

Dearne Valley Park

Up The Swanee!

Up the Swanee

Up the Swanee

Lead by Barnsley Museums, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust (BMHT), Up the Swanee! focuses on the history of the Swanee Pond in Kendray. A much loved but often overlooked spot, which offers relaxation and a connection to nature. Although not a typical heritage spot, it has an abundance of hidden history and rich folk law to explore.

Ken and Ian in the Darield Museum shop, Ken is holding a plaque and Ian is showing to the camera a picture of Barnsley FC

Blogs

We're always on the look out for guest bloggers! Here's a recent blog by Ian McMillan

Get in touch with us if you'd like to write something, it could be about a recent heritage project/event or a snippet of Barnsley's history you'd like to share with us and the world.