As Experience Barnsley celebrates 10 years since opening, we look back at the exhibitions which took place in the first 5 years.
The word ‘varied’ is often overused but it’s the only word I could think of to summarise the eclectic mix of exhibitions that have been held at the museum over the years. In summer 2023 we’re putting the top ten most visited exhibitions to the public vote: https://bit.ly/ExhibitionVote
If you need help in picking a favourite, here’s the first of a two part series looking at every exhibition at the museum. Starting with 2013, a year that was sound tracked by Pharrell Williams, Avicii and Taylor Swift, and in the cinemas The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years A Slave were some of the films making the headlines.
2013 – Reworked
In the same year that the museum opened, staff at Barnsley Archives and Local Studies discovered a Victorian photo album by the chartist John Hugh Burland, it was a who’s who of Barnsley people at the time. The album went on to influence the first temporary exhibition. 9 artists selected a photograph and then ‘reworked’ it into a piece of artwork
You can read more about John Hugh Burland in this blog. You can see the Victorian photograph album the next time you visit The Discovery Centre
For his design Fabric Lenny created an animation based on the portrait of Joseph Crabtree’s grandson
2013 – The Romans!
Our first major exhibition was curated by Professor Joann Fletcher and explored what life was like in Barnsley in Roman times. The exhibition uncovered what life was like to be a Roman, from farming the land and cultivating crops, to building shrines and worshipping the gods.
Objects on display included hoards of silver Roman coins found in Darfield, a bronze bracelet from Billingley and pottery from Shafton and Thurnscoe, showing Barnsley was alive with activity in the Roman period. The exhibition featured loans from York Museums Trust, Malton Museum and Cawthorne Jubilee Museum including jewellery, wall painting, burial items and more.
‘The Romans’
The exhibition also featired an animated film made by children at St Helens Catholic School in Hoyland with artist Fabric Lenny, inspired by the Roman coin hoard collections in Experience Barnsley Museum. This film and exhibition was funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Collections Fund.
2014 – When The Beatles Came To Barnsley
Do you remember when The Beatles came to Barnsley? Local pop art artists Terry Brookes does!
I remember the weekend well, it was shortly after the museum opened, a hot summers weekend and I was curious to know if The Beatles ever made it to Barnsley. Seemingly they never made it further than Sheffield but what I did discover was that local artist Terry Brookes, a huge fan of the band and a big supporter of all things Barnsley had imagined a time when then fab four had come to town. A few emails and phone calls later and the rest as they say is history!
The brightly coloured exhibition had the Fab Four in various scenes in town alongside other iconic musicians such as Bowie, Led Zepplin and Amy Winehouse. You can see more of the exhibition and Terry’s work on his website
2014 – Coal Not Dole: Women Against Pit Closures
This exhibition explored the miners’ strike of 1984/85 through the story of the women in Barnsley who formed their own powerful group to support the striking miners and their families. Through their stories of struggle, hardship and friendship we explored the impact the strike had on the lives of these women thirty years ago to the present day.
The exhibition also included an award winning animation by The Barnsley Youth Panel
2014 – It’s just Like Watching Brazil!
Barnsley Football Club was originated in 1887 by Rev. Tiverton Preedy. It is likely that at the time the fans who went to watch would have worked in industries such as coal mining, glass manufacturing or milling linen. Nowadays the town itself has changed beyond recognition and those industries have all about vanished, yet Barnsley Football Club remains at the heart of the community. Oakwell is a place that the people of Barnsley can relate to as a familial institution. The fans and the players reflect the true spirit of the town itself, resilient, vehement, allegiant.
This exhibition set out to define those characteristics. From the home grown talent who have gone on to play at World Class level to the fans who follow the team through the highs and the lows. It demonstrates the tenacity and ingenuity of each individual that once combined create what we know today as Barnsley Football Club and it’s supporters!
The exhibition featured a map of the world where Barnsley born players played (correct as of 2014) Download here.
2014 – The Road To War
We marked the centenary of WWI, in subsequent years we also marked The Battle of The Somme and the End of the War. Here is a short video which features soldiers featured in the exhibition and also a clip of the Barnsley Pals in 1915
The exhibition explored the first year of the conflict, looking at local recruitment and the fever of call-up for Barnsley’s soldiers. Most people thought it would be over by Christmas.
Since the exhibition we have done more research about Madame Amy Joyner, a soprano who raised lots of money and also performed in France for 5 weeks. Read the blog here
2015 – Our Glass
‘Our Glass’ looked at an industry so embedded in the history and heritage of the local area that it is incorporated into the Barnsley coat of arms. During the exhibition visitors were able to see fantastic collections from around South Yorkshire including sparkling archaeology from Gawber and Wood Brothers glassware worthy of inclusion in the 1851 Great Exhibition.
This exhibition was in partnership with the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership (DVLP). A five-year scheme, which ended in 2019 that focussed on the historic buildings and landscapes of the Dearne Valley, working with the local communities to protect, preserve and enhance the area.
Although the DVLP came to an end in 2019 the team created an online exhibition
2015 – The Brilliant & Bizarre
Our next exhibition in 2015 celebrated donations to the museum and Barnsley Archives in the 18 months since opening.
A wide variety of items on display which range from a Sooty xylophone and Wolsey string vest to a Max Bygraves record and a knitting machine. The exhibition included treasures from the archive collection in the Discovery Centre such as; underground mining photographs, plans of the old bus station and the first edition of The Barnsley Record – a celebration of all things Barnsley.
Visitors voted for the items in the exhibition, which they would most like to see on display in the museum galleries on a permanent basis. No surprise the Sooty Xylophone got most of the votes!
2015 – Service Please! Barnsley British Co-operative Society
In 2014 Barnsley Museums was awarded £43,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch an exciting project focusing on a company that was at the heart of communities in Barnsley and the surrounding area for over 100 years.
All the research from the exhibition has been made available online. We created an online exhibition and published a project blog
The exhibition enabled people to learn about their heritage by exploring objects and photographs donated by local people, view some of the recently conserved archives and watch films with people’s memories recorded. The exhibition was also supported by the Rochdale Pioneers Museums who loaned a former BBCS delivery bicycle for display. Areas of the exhibition also sought to recreate the designs from former buildings such as the wallpaper used in the Arcadian Restaurant. The largest item on display was an original shopfront sign from the Racecommon Road branch which had been donated and conserved, and which now hangs proudly in the museum.
2016 – Meet The Harveys
Telling the fascinating story of one of Barnsley most influential families was an exhibition where visitors were invited to come along to the interactive gallery space and Meet the Harveys.
Delving into the lives of the town’s wealthy local family, it charted their success in the linen industry and how they were instrumental in founding The Harvey Institute, which became the Public Hall and now houses The Civic.
A great family of philanthropists, the Harveys donated their highly important art collection to the nation. Because of their family history in Barnsley, the group of over 50 oil paintings later became part of Cannon Hall Museum’s collection.
2016 – Stories of The Somme
The second WWI exhibition told the story of the bloodiest battle in the British Army’s history, through the eyes of the people of Barnsley. Raging from 1 July 1916 to 19 November of the same year, it was a terrifying struggle and the town’s men and boys were at the forefront of the fight. The exhibition highlighted the struggle of those involved and the impact it had on lives both in France and at their families at home.
On Friday, 1 July at 1pm, people were invited to join the Mayor Elect, the British Legion and local schools for the Commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The free public event will be taking place at the War Memorial in front of Barnsley Town Hall and remembers the many thousands of lives lost during the largest battle of the First World War. The afternoon began with 2 minutes silence followed by readings, music and the launch of a temporary piece of public art, created by artists Musson + Retallic, in collaboration with local people.
So popular was the artwork that it found a permanent home in Churchfields Peace Gardens. Currently undergoing conservation work it will be back on display in the Summer of 2023
2016 – The Oaks Disaster
The Oaks Colliery Disaster killed 383 men and boys in two separate explosions on 12th and 13th December 1866. 2016 marked the 150th anniversary of the disaster which is synonymous with the dangers of mining in the Victorian period.
The Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership lead a research project which revealed for the first time the full extent of the disaster (it had previously been thought 361 people were killed). It has also been possible to name all the victims for the first time. This research will to a large extent inform the exhibition. The exhibition focussed on the human impact of the disaster told through the stories of individuals involved, rather than a chronological retelling of the incident. Themes will include economic migration, working conditions, rescue efforts, effects on families, relief and memorialisation
2017 – Dickie Bird: My Life In Cricket
In 2017 we celebrated the amazing career of Dickie Bird which has included playing cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire and umpiring 66 test matches. Throughout his career he has amassed many successes and humorous stories along the way. The exhibition featured 300 objects from Dickie’s own collection and a new film was commissioned
2017 – Changing Crimes
In 2017 we also delved into the Borough’s local archives and uncovered fascinating criminal tales from the Victorian era.
‘Changing Crimes: True Stories of Barnsley’s Criminal Past’’, discloses details of historic crimes such as murder, theft and even a case of ‘furious driving’ dating back to 1885.
The exhibition was a culmination of extensive research of Barnsley Archives collections, one of the police records included photographs of convicts in the Victorian period which we had colourised
2017 – Ancient Egypt In Yorkshire
2017 ended in style with three exhibitions curated by Prof. Joann Fletcher.
The exhibition at Experience Barnsley included handpicked objects from museums across the county, highlighting the fascinating connections between Ancient Egypt and Yorkshire dating back to 1610.
Joann, who was born in Barnsley and is a professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, has spent the last thirty years studying Yorkshire’s Egyptian past and now brings together the objects included in the exhibition for the very first time. Never before seen in one location, they tell riveting stories that will bring ancient Egypt to life.
A world authority on ancient Egypt from its pharaohs to mummification, Joann has published nine books and made numerous television appearances, in 2012 winning a BAFTA and most recently writing and presenting the series ‘Immortal Egypt with Joann Fletcher’ on BBC 2 (for which the Radio Times dubbed her ‘Barnsley’s Cleopatra’).
The Egyptian extravaganza continued at Cannon Hall in October with the arrival of ‘Resurrecting Ancient Egypt’. The exhibition, featured images by Jennifer Robertson and Lynne Fletcher of Kyte Photography, including the landmark Yorkshire buildings inspired by Egyptian architecture, some of which are located in and around Barnsley.
The third piece of the Egyptian triangle was a stunning collection of watercolours and drawings by Barnsley-born artist and archaeologist Harold Jones. On display at the Cooper Gallery, just a stone’s throw away from where he was born on Sackville Street, his excavations in the Valley of the Kings are perfectly captured in his images of the mystical land which stole his heart.
Wow! I’d forgotten just about how many exhibitions there has been held at the museum, stay tuned for part two!
Experience Barnsley Is 10
Visit our website where we continue to look back on the last 10 years and don’t forget to vote in our exhibition poll
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