Barnsley Dearne Valley

Situated between Barnsley and Doncaster, the Barnsley Dearne Valley covers the villages of Bolton upon Dearne, Goldthorpe, Thurnscoe and Highgate.

The BDV joined the Renaissance Market Towns (RMT) programme in 2006.

Bolton upon Dearne

Bolton upon Dearne is approximately seven miles east of Barnsley, ten miles west of Doncaster and eight miles north of Rotherham. Bolton upon Dearne was an ancient parish, part of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as being under the Manor of Bolton-upon-Dearne with Goldthorpe which was once owned by Roger de Busli.

Goldthorpe 

Goldthorpe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley. Originally a small medieval farming village, Goldthorpe is recorded in the Domesday Book and was under the Manor of Bolton upon Dearne which was once owned by Roger de Busli. The area is now commonly referred to as the Dearne Valley and was a major coal mining area and has been affected by the closure of the mines in the late 1980s.

Thurnscoe and Highgate

Thurnscoe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley. Set in the heart of the Dearne Valley, historically, Thurnscoe was a farming village and dates back to Roman times. Thurnscoe's oldest building is the Church of St. Helen on the High Street built in 1087, though only the tower of the original structure remains.

Mining began here in the early 18th century from small surface mines but exploded along with the population after Hickleton Main Colliery found the Barnsley seam in 1894. Almost the entire of the village east of the railway was built to accommodate the coal miners, including the Church of St. Hilda in 1935, whereas the west side contains more of the older, more historic, buildings. The colliery was merged with Goldthorpe in 1986 before that too was closed in 1994. Hickleton Main pit tips have now been landscaped and converted, with the aid of Groundwork, into "Phoenix Park".

The area to the west of Goldthorpe along the A635 road is known locally as Highgate.

Watch our short film about Barnsley Dearne Partnership.

Contact:
The Housing Market Renewal Team
Barnsley Council
Town Hall
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2TA
01226 770770.

Contact at Yorkshire Forward:
Joe Covey
Rural Renaissance Manager – Rural Capitals
Yorkshire Forward
Victoria House
2 Victoria Place
Leeds
LS11 5AE
0113 394 9839
Email: joseph.covey@yorkshire-forward.com