Barnsley

Barnsley is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, lying on the River Dearne, approximately twenty kilometres north of Sheffield. It is between junctions 36 and 37 of the M1 motorway and has a railway station served by the Hallam and Penistone Lines. It is the main town in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley.

Culture

Famous people from Barnsley include Obadiah Walker, Joseph Locke, Joanne Harris, Joe Brammer, Michael Parkinson, Geoffrey Boycott, Brian Glover, Darren Gough, Harold Bird, Mick McCarthy, Arthur Scargill, Kate Rusby, Jenni Murray, Charlie Williams, Stan Richards, John Mayock and Sam Nixon.

Related Topics:
Obadiah Walker - Joseph Locke - Joanne Harris - Joe Brammer - Michael Parkinson - Geoffrey Boycott - Brian Glover - Darren Gough - Harold Bird - Mick McCarthy - Arthur Scargill - Kate Rusby - Charlie Williams - Stan Richards - John Mayock - Sam Nixon

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Barnsley is home to a proud tradition of Brass Bands, originally created as social clubs for the mining communities. Grimethorpe Colliery Band - located in a village 5 miles to the east of Barnsley - is perhaps the best brass band in Britain - it rose to fame in the film Brassed Off and is now the 'artist in residence' at the Royal College of Music, London. They have performed in Hyde Park during the Last Night of the Proms.

Related Topics:
Brass Band - Grimethorpe Colliery Band - Brassed Off - Last Night of the Proms

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Barnsley is also the home of Barnsley College, which was at one time Europe's largest Further Education establishment, it attracts students from all around South Yorkshire and offers a range of degree / diploma courses as well as A-Levels. In 2005 more than 61% of students gained 4 or more A-Level passes.

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Ken Loach's film Kes was set and filmed in Barnsley, using local actors such as Freddie Fletcher.

Related Topics:
Ken Loach - Kes

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There is a live rock music scene, which reached its height in the Britpop years, around 1997, due to its proximity to Sheffield and Manchester. Barnsley rock band Saxon were famous in the 1980s.

Related Topics:
Britpop - Saxon

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The Lamproom Theatre has its own theatrical company, and gives performances ranging from West End musicals to Shakespeare.

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The 'Bard of Barnsley', Ian MacMillan, writes in local dialect, and was recently nominated for a chair of poetry at Oxford University.

Related Topics:
Ian MacMillan - Oxford University

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