Athersley

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.5796
longitude= -1.4804
map_type= South Yorkshire
official_name= Barnsley
population =
metropolitan_borough= Barnsley
region= Yorkshire and the Humber
metropolitan_county = South Yorkshire
post_town= BARNSLEY
postcode_district = S70-S75
postcode_area= S
dial_code= 01226
os_grid_reference= SE345093
constituency_westminster= Barnsley Central

Athersley is an estate in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England, and is divided somewhat unevenly into two regions, North and South.

Construction began in post war Britain, near the end of the 1940’s under the direction of the then Building Administrator. The land, originally dense woodland populated by all manner of wildlife, proved difficult to prepare, yet the urgent need for more housing gave rise to a great influx of labourers, many of whom stayed on in the very houses they helped to build. The undertaking of such an endeavour, and its subsequent success, was instrumental in the decision to build more homes around the region, including ‘Phase 2’ of Athersley, which was later to become known as Athersley North. Curiously, North and South are separated by a main B road, Laithes Lane, yet many other estates surrounding the area have no noticeable separation, most notably Smithies and Monk Bretton, adding confusion to the general populace as to where certain estates begin and end.

Despite the fact that much woodland was cleared to make way for construction, small remnants remain sprinkled throughout the surrounding area, home to some rather diverse wildlife and a selection of ponds and creeks. Such areas are still considered to be among the finest landscape in the county, with several such places being made into sanctuaries for the local wildlife, most recently ‘Carlton Marshes’, a reasonable sized lake/pond dedicated to the preservation of many water creatures and a great variety of birds.

The Edward Sheerien school was also the main school from the movie "Kes" Fact|date=July 2008.