Goldthorpe

Infobox UK place
map_type= South Yorkshire
country = England
official_name= Goldthorpe
latitude = 53.53
longitude = -1.30
scale =
population=
metropolitan_borough= Barnsley
metropolitan_county= South Yorkshire
region = Yorkshire and the Humber
constituency_westminster= Barnsley East and Mexborough
post_town = ROTHERHAM
postcode_district = S63
postcode_area= S
dial_code= 01709

Goldthorpe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. 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.

Goldthorpe railway station opened in 1988 on the Wakefield Line.

In the early 18th century Barnsley Attorney William Henry Marsden Esquire of nearby Burntwood Hall bought the Lord of the Manor of Bolton on Dearne with Goldthorpe for £10,000 together with over 1000 acres of land. Goldthorpe is recorded in the 1761-1767 Inclosure Awards. The Marsden family continued to hold the Manor until 1815.

The area is now commonly referred to as the Dearne Valley and was a major coal mining area, but since the closure of the mines in the late 1980s, it has become a depressed area, only partially improved by the construction of numerous call centres nearby. The area to the west of Goldthorpe along the A635 road is known locally as Highgate.

Brian Blessed (who has appeared in Flash Gordon, Blackadder, Z Cars) once lived on Probert Avenue in Goldthorpe.

St John and St Mary Magdalene Church, Goldthorpe, built in 1916, is an early example of a ferro-concrete building.

Its strange Italian style is unique in this part of South Yorkshire and is distinctly odd for a Dearne Valley pit village.

According to Pevsner, the pulpit bought by the church in 1931 is 18th century Flemish.

Goldthorpe Market is located just off the A635 in Goldthorpe Town Centre. To be a casual trader you may register at 8.30am at Goldthorpe Market Office. On Monday casuals may register from 7.30am. Stall allocation restrictions limit minimum distance between same lines to two stalls. Monday market is strictly second hand and starts at 7.30am. The main market days are Tuesday and Saturday. The market has 64 stalls.

Goldthorpe Library is a relatively new building (the previous library having been burnt down in an arson attack) conveniently situated in the middle of the town with excellent car-parking facilities and disabled access. Whilst offering the usual library facilities in a particularly comfortable and friendly environment, the following services are available:- Large upstairs meeting room for community use; A brand-new suite of computer terminals for free internet and e-mail use; A Reader’s Group, meeting monthly (first Tuesday, 2.00pm); Courses run throughout the year (mainly Workers’ Educational Association) often covering basic computer skills; Toddler Groups, including ‘Bookstart’ sessions carried out by trained professionals.

The main secondary school in the area is The Dearne High School- a specialist humanities college which caters for around 1300 pupils aged 11-16 years. There are three main primary schools: Dearne Goldthorpe Primary School (3-11, community school), Dearne Highgate Primary School (3-11, community school) and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (3-11, voluntary aided school).

Goldthorpe has a lively high street with a rich diversity of shops.

ee also

*List of Yorkshire Pits

External links

* [http://www.genuki.org.uk:8080/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Boltonupondearne/InclosureAwards/ The Inclosure Awards of 1761-67 for Bolton on Dearne with Goldthorpe.