Museums, archives and heritage in South Yorkshire

Sheffield, parliamentary and municipal borough, manufacturing town, parish, and township, S. division of West-Riding Yorkshire, on river Don, 157 miles NW. of London by rail, 42½ SE. of Manchester, and 53 SW. of York – township, 3028 acres, population 91,806; borough and parish, 19,651 acres, population 284,508. Sheffield has long been famous for its cutlery. It has also manufactures of almost every description, of iron, steel, and brass; and in connection with these it has numerous extensive iron and brass foundries, grinding, tilting, rolling, and slitting mills, &c. The branches of manufacture include steel, mostly made from Swedish iron; armour-plates for ships of war; rails, wheels, and all other castings for fixed or rolling stock; stoves, grates, fenders; plated goods; Britannia-metal goods; and optical instruments, including spectacles. Sheffield is picturesquely situated in an amphitheatre of wooded hills, traversed by the river Don. which here receives the Sheaf, Rivelin, Loxley, and Porter. The modern history of Sheffield is closely connected with that of Trades Unions.

Rotherham, municipal borough and market town, parish, and township – parish, 13,585 acres, population 38,997. Rotherham, which is practically by its nearness to Sheffield a suburb of that great town, has extensive iron and chemical works, manufactures of glass, soap, starch, and ropes, and exports of coal and lime.

Doncaster, municipal borough, market town, parish, and township; parish, 10,197 acres, population 25,887. Previous to the Reformation it was the seat of several monastic establishments. Its corn market is of considerable importance, and its trade is mainly agricultural; it has, however, manufactures of canvas, sacks, and ropes, some iron and brass foundries, and agricultural implement works, besides the extensive locomotive and carriage works of the Great Northern Railway.

Barnsley, township and borough, 2386 acres, population 29,790. Barnsley is one of the chief seats of linen manufacture, and is situated in a rich coal and iron mining district.

– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)

Note: South Yorkshire was formed in 1974, mostly from parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire, but also parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

13th/18th Royal Hussar – Queen Mary’s Own

Cannon Hall, Cawthorne

Barnsley S75 4AT

01226 790 270

www.lightdragoons.org.uk

As with the regiment, The Light Dragoons Regimental Association was born from the amalgamation of two thriving Regimental Associations, 13/18H and 15/19H in December 1992. Centred around the administrative offices of Home Headquarters, its primary objectives are in maintaining contact between former members, fostering mutual friendship and providing for social gatherings.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

Abbeydale Road South

Sheffield S7 2QW

0114 236 7731

www.simt.co.uk

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a unique 18th century industrial works. Catch a glimpse of life at home and at work at a rural scythe and steelworks dating back to the 18th century. Now a Grade 1 Listed Building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, ‘Abbeydale Works’ was once a main producer of agricultural scythe and edge tools, such as grass hooks and hay knives, and one of the largest water powered industrial sites on the River Sheaf. See worker’s houses, waterwheels, tilit hammers, a grinding hull and workshops and the only intact crucible steel furnance surviving in the world today.

AeroVenture – South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

AeroVenture, Dakota Way, Airborne Road, Doncaster Leisure Park

Doncaster DN4 7FB

01302 761616

www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk

Based at the former site of RAF Doncaster, AeroVenture is a treasure trove of aviation history, available to all from a short motorway journey. Most of our exhibits are under cover, ideal for sunny or rainy days.

Barnsley Archives & Local Studies

Barnsley Central Library, Shambles Street

Barnsley S70 2JF

01226 773950

goo.gl/j3jn5a

Our archives and local studies exist to preserve and make available historic records and printed material relating to the borough.

Barnsley Family History Society

11 Meadow Rise, Wadworthy

Barnsley DN11 9AP

www.barnsleyfhs.co.uk

The aim of the Barnsley Family History Society (BFHS) is to assist those who have connections with the Barnsley area to find out more about their family history and place it in its social context.

Bishops’ House

Norton Lees Lane

Sheffield S8 9BE

0114 278 2600

www.bishopshouse.org.uk

Museums Sheffield: Bishops’ House is the best preserved timber–framed house in Sheffield. It is not known when it was built but the style of architecture suggests some time between 1460 and 1550.

Brodsworth Hall & Gardens – English Heritage

Brodsworth Hall and Gardens

Doncaster DN5 7XJ

01302 722598

goo.gl/2cihuI

Explore the changing fortunes of a wealthy Victorian family in this once opulent Yorkshire country home. Discover 150 years of family life documented at Brodsworth Hall: from silk and chandeliers, to the austerity of life during WWII.

Cannon Hall Museum

Bark House Lane, Cawthorne

Barnsley S75 4AT

01226 790270

www.barnsley.gov.uk

For two hundred years Cannon Hall was home to the Spencer Stanhope family. From the 1760s the architect John Carr of York was commissioned to extend and alter the house while the designer Richard Woods was hired to landscape the parks and gardens.

Collections: Cannon Hall Museum contains collections of fine furniture, old master paintings, stunning glassware and colourful pottery. In addition it is home to ‘Charge.’, the regimental Museum of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s Own).

Clifton Park Museum

Clifton Lane, Rotherham

Rotherham S65 2AA

01709 336633

www.rotherham.gov.uk/cliftonparkmuseum

The museum is located within Clifton House, a Grade II* listed building designed by John Carr. The house was built in 1783 as the home of Joshua Walker, son of the founder of Rotherham Ironworks, and it retains many period features.

Collections: The House has been a museum since 1893, and is the base of Rotherham Borough’s Museums, Galleries and Heritage Service. Its collections aim to reflect the natural, social and industrial development of the town of Rotherham itself as well as the geographical area covered by the Rotherham Borough.

Conisbrough Castle

Castle Hill, Conisbrough

Doncaster DN12 3BU

01709 863329

www.conisbroughcastle.org.uk

The lofty 12th century keep of this very well-preserved building, now complete with its restored roof and floors, is a spectacular sight. It had a major role to play in the Wars of the Roses and was once owned by Richard of York. Conisbrough Castle featured in Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Ivanhoe’, and with its many reminders of the golden age of knights in armour it makes a great value family day out near Doncaster.

Cusworth Hall Museum & Park

Cusworth Hall, Cusworth Lane

Doncaster DN5 7TU

01302 782342

www.cusworthhall.co.uk

Cusworth Hall has been described as the jewel in Doncaster’s crown. A beautiful Grade 1 listed 18th century country house in acres of historic parkland with lakes, plantations and pleasure ground with dramatic views across the town and home to amazing social history collections, which illustrate the way people lived worked and entertained themselves over the last two hundred years.

Doncaster Archives

King Edward Road, Balby

Doncaster DN4 0NA

01302 859811

www.doncaster.gov.uk/doncasterarchives

Doncaster’s Archives & Local Studies department holds historical borough information from the earliest times to the present day.

Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery

Chequer Road

Doncaster DN1 2AE

01302 734293

www.doncaster.gov.uk/museums

Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery is full of exciting collections depicting various aspects of natural history, archaeology, local history and fine and decorative art.

Elsecar Heritage Centre

Wath Road, Elsecar

Barnsley S74 8HJ

01226 740203

www.barnsley.gov.uk/tourism/elsecar/index.asp

The award winning Elsecar Heritage Centre is an exciting history and craft centre, set in the attractive conservation village of Elsecar and surrounded by beautiful South Yorkshire countryside. The centre is located within the former ironworks and colliery workshops of the Earls Fitzwilliam, where visitors can explore the attractively restored buildings and monuments. Features include the only Newcomen type engine, worldwide, to remain in its original location, a unique monument to the industrial age. Guided group tours available upon request.

Experience Barnsley Museum & Discovery Centre

Town Hall, Church Street

Barnsley S70 2TA

01226 773950

www.experience-barnsley.com

Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre is dedicated to the history and people of Barnsley. Visitors will uncover the incredible story of Barnsley told through centuries-old artefacts, documents, films and recordings that have been donated by people living and working in the borough. Unique, hands-on and interactive exhibits encourage visitors to explore the people and places of Barnsley.

Kelham Island Museum

Alma Street, Off Corporation Street

Sheffield S3 8RY

0114 272 2106

www.simt.co.uk

The collections at Kelham Island Museum cover industries in Sheffield from 1750 up to the present. Major collections include the Iron & Steel Industry Collection, Cutlery Industry Collection, Armament Industry Collection and the Tool Making Industry Collection.

Ken Hawley Collection Trust, The

c/o The University of Sheffield, West Court, 2 Mappin Street

Sheffield S1 4DT

0114 222 7100

www.shef.ac.uk/hawley

The Hawley Collection is an internationally important material record of tool making, cutlery manufacture and silversmithing from Sheffield, together with complementary material from Britain and the rest of the world. This collection is unique in that it combines finished artefacts and work in progress to illustrate how things were made. Together with published catalogues, archival material, pictures, photographs, tapes and films, it records the development of many of Sheffield’s manufacturing processes and products and the skills of the workpeople involved.

King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum

Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery, Chequer Road

Doncaster DN1 2AE

01302 734 293

goo.gl/kXr2tF

Following extensive refurbishment the The regimental Gallery of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry re-opened in 2010 in the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery. The gallery displays an excellent collection of regimental memorabilia, uniforms, uniforms, pictures and silver dating from the raising of the regiment in 1755 to its amalgamation into The Light Infantry in 1968 and then into The Rifles in 2007. It includes a model of the Pontefract Barracks, the Roll of Honour of the 5th Battalion and one of the most extensive medal collections in this country.

Museums Sheffield: Millennium Gallery

Millennium Gallery, Arundel Gate

Sheffield S1 2PP

0114 278 2600

www.museums-sheffield.org.uk

Step into one of Sheffield’s architectural treasures, the award winning Millennium Gallery, an inspiring venue in the heart of the city centre.

Collections: The Metalwork Gallery collection is made up of cutlery, flatware and hollowware made in the city, together with an outstanding selection of comparative material from Europe and many parts of Africa and Asia. It includes silver, pewter, stainless steel and Old Sheffield Plate and is the best collection of its kind in this country and almost certainly the world.

Museums Sheffield: Weston Park

Weston Park, Western Bank

Sheffield S10 2TP

0114 278 2655

www.museums-sheffield.org.uk

At Museums Sheffield: Weston Park you can explore the world and its past, from millions of years ago to the present day. Children and adults will love the animated new displays, specially designed to delight even our littlest explorers.

Olde Smithy Museum, The

High Street, Owston Ferry

Doncaster DN9 1RE

01427 728169

goo.gl/NWISj0

The Olde Smithy Museum is a village black smith shop that was closed during the 1980s. The smithy was never modernised and is today very much as it was in the early 1900s.

Roche Abbey – English Heritage

Maltby

Conisbrough S66 8NW

01709 812739

goo.gl/dDNm2R

Beautifully set in a valley landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 18th century, the most striking feature of this Cistercian abbey is the end of its church, built in the new Gothic style c1170. It has one of the most complete ground plans of any English Cistercian monastery, laid out as excavated foundations.

Rotherham Archives & Local Studies Service

Clifton Park Museum, Clifton Lane,

Rotherham S65 2AA

01709 336632

www.rotherham.gov.uk/Archives

The Archives and Local Studies Service holds over 700 archive collections in its secure and environmentally controlled strong rooms. We currently have over 4000 boxes of archives, which would fill over 8 double decker buses. The archival documents cover the history of the whole of Rotherham Borough from 1328 to the present day.

Sheffield & District Family History Society

12 Birchitt Road, Bradway

Sheffield S17 4QP

www.sheffieldfhs.org.uk

Sheffield and District Family History Society was founded in 1977 with the aims of promoting the study of genealogy, family history and local history in the area, for the benefit and education of the public.

Sheffield Archives

52 Shoreham Street

Sheffield S1 4SP

0114 203 9395

www.sheffield.gov.uk/archives

Sheffield Archives collects, preserves and lists written and other records relating to Sheffield and South Yorkshire, and makes them available for reference and research. The records date from the 12th century to the present day and include: business records, ecclesiastical records, family and estate records, local government records, local public records and records from individuals.

Sheffield Cathedral

Church Street

Sheffield S1 1HA

0114 275 3434

www.sheffieldcathedral.org

The cathedral is Sheffield’s oldest building, the ancient heart of a great city. The life of this cathedral is rich and varied it is the seat of the Bishop and a centre of worship for the Diocese of Sheffield, serving the whole of South Yorkshire.

Shepherd Wheel

Whiteley Woods, off Hangingwater Road

Sheffield S7 2QW

0114 2722106

www.simt.co.uk

A water powered grinding wheel set on a picturesque stretch of the river Porter. The site dates back to 1584.

Collections: Tools and equipment used in the cutlery industry.

South Yorkshire Archaeology Service

Development Services, Howden House, 1 Union Street

Sheffield S1 2SH

0114 273 6354

www.sheffield.gov.uk/syas

The South Yorkshire Archaeology Service (SYAS) was established by the former South Yorkshire County Council in 1974. Since 1986 it has been maintained by the four districts of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and is administered by Sheffield City Council.

University of Sheffield, Turner Museum of Glass

Department of Engineering Materials, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin St

Sheffield S1 4DU

0114 275 4325

www.turnermuseum.group.shef.ac.uk

The Turner Museum of Glass is one of the UK’s most interesting and comprehensive collections of 19th and 20th century glass. The museum was founded in 1943 by Professor W.E.S. Turner.

Victoria Jubilee Museum

Taylor Hill, Cawthorne

Barnsley S75 4HQ

01226 790545

goo.gl/u0UDNu

This unique and exciting, small volunteer run museum can be found in the picturesque village of Cawthorne. The museum is a typical Victorian hotch potch. whichever way you turn there is something to catch the eye of both young and old.

Wentworth Castle Gardens

Lowe Lane

Stainborough, Barnsley S75 3ET

01226 776040

www.wentworthcastle.org

Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park is located approximately 3km south west of Barnsley in South Yorkshire. The estate’s Grade 1 landscape and formal gardens are nationally significant for their extensive monuments, housing some of the earliest gothic follies in the country.

Worsbrough Mill Museum

Worsbrough Bridge

Barnsley S70 5LJ

01226 774527

www.worsbrough-mill.com/worsbrough-mill-museum

Worsbrough Mill is a 17th century working water powered corn mill set in over 200 acres of country park.