And another of my irrelevant posts, but since I’ve ploughed through a fair few books whilst meandering around in Barnsley library this week, here are some of the ones that I rather liked.
A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain – Volume 8 : South and West Yorkshire by David Joy is a detailed, but accessible, history of the railways in the area, part of a much wider series of books covering the rest of the country. Sometimes these books can be a little overly complex and go over my head, but I think I got the information that I wanted. The book’s ISBN is 978-0715377833.
Aspects of Barnsley are a series of books edited by Brian Elliott which look at specific and narrow elements (some of which were more interesting and relevant to me than others) of the town’s history, but which come together to help give a wider understanding of the town’s evolution and development. The ISBN of the books are 978-1871647198 (volume 1), 978-1871647242 (volume 2), 978-1871647266 (volume 3), 978-1871647310 (volume 4), 978-1871647457 (volume 5) and 978-1871647808 (volume 6).
Barnsley – Two in One Series edited by Louise Whitworth, Gillian Nixon and Stan Bulmer is a double volume of previously individually printed books, which are mostly old photos of the town. There are over 450 photographs in the book, each with a short description. The book’s ISBN is 978-0752422152.
Barnsley and Beyond by Mel Dyke is a book about local well-known residents and their lives, with individuals including the chef Brian Turner, the sculptor Graham Ibbeson and the trade unionist Derek Robinson. Although some of the content is a little niche, although it’s a different way of looking at the area I suppose. The book’s ISBN is 978-1845630416.
Barnsley and District Through Time by Peter Tuffrey is a book mostly of photos, but there is detailed information about each one rather than just a token line or two. The images are mostly from postcards issued between 1905 and 1930, but alongside these are modern photographs of what the area looks like today. The book’s ISBN is 978-1445649894.
Barnsley at War 1939-1945 by Mark Green is a social and military history of the town and the men who were involved on the front-line, as well as the men and women who made a great contribution to the war effort locally. Quite a lot of content about before the war started, although to be fair, Barnsley was spared a lot of the bombings in the war that other cities had, so there’s less to write about in that area. The ISBN is 978-1526721877.
Barnsley in the Great War by Geoffrey Howse is a comprehensive look at how the town coped during the First World War, as well as stories about the troops who went off to fight in the conflict. The book is well illustrated and clearly written, all quite sad really given the Barnsley Pals who fought together in the trenches during some very difficult times. The book’s ISBN is 978-1473827387.
Barnsley’s Best by Nathan Hemmingham is a book by the former assistant sports editor at the Barnsley Chronicle and is about the sports stars of Barnsley with 30 different figures covered. Not entirely riveting for me as I don’t much follow sport or know much about Barnsley, but nonetheless I had a little look through it….. The book’s ISBN is 978-1845630980.
Changing Barnsley – From Mining Town to University Town edited by Cathy Doggett and Tim Thornton is a look at the changing history of the town from the perspective of the former Mining and Technical College on Church Street, which is now the home to the university. The book is well written and shows the changing way in which education has been viewed in the area. The book’s ISBN is 978-1845631222.
The History of the Town and Township of Barnsley by Rowland Jackson was published in 1858 and is an interesting account of what the Victorian thought about the heritage of the town and where it was heading. The author had quite high hopes for the future and how things were going, which to be fair, wasn’t unreasonable at the time. The book’s ISBN is 978-0341936800.
The Making of Barnsley by Brian Elliott is 190 pages long and has some tightly packed text meaning there’s plenty of content which explains the development of the town. The book’s ISBN is 978-1903425909.
Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South is perhaps the definitive book on architecture and historic buildings, part of the series written by Nikolaus Pevsner. This edition has been updated by Ruth Harman and it contains comprehensive and detailed information about the heritage of buildings. It’s a substantial book at 840 pages long, but there is little else with such detail. I have to add that if a library’s collection of local history books doesn’t have this title (or the equivalent one for their area), then it’s an inadequate section of the library, not that I’m judgemental or anything… The book’s ISBN is 978-0300224689.
