‘I’d like it to say something about Barnsley!
You know, show off all the interesting places and history we have round here.’

This was the mural brief given to me by Michael Gilmore of Barugh Green Primary School in Barnsley.

I’ve previously painted two murals at the school showing images from the natural world and around the globe. This time we felt that is was Barnsley’s turn to be acknowledged. And it turns out that there was plenty to be discovered!

Talking with teachers, pupils and parents at the school enlightened me as to what was commonly associated with the area. Barnsley football team was popular - no surprise there then! And lots of people spoke about the coal mining past of the area - a visit to the National Coalmining Museum seemed like a good idea - and free too!

But mention of an ancient abbey nearby continued to crop up and arouse my curiosity. I grew up just fifteen miles away from the school and thought I would have heard of, if not visited most of what the area had to offer. Monk Bretton Priory was a new one to me.

I set off from the school with a long, exciting list of places to visit, photograph and take notes on - it was time to explore!

Since Monk Bretton Priory was nearest and since, to me, it was the most intriguing I decided to start there.

I followed a little biro map a teacher had drawn for me through several villages towards the outskirts of Barnsley trying also to follow a trail of tiny, faded and battered brown, tourist road-signs for the fabled priory.
I found myself going round and round in circles in a small unassuming housing estate. I pulled up, ‘it’s got to be near here’ I decided. ‘It must be pretty small.’
I got out of the car to find someone on foot to ask and suddenly realised I had arrived. The lay-by I’d pulled into was actually the car park for the 12th century abbey which has been hidden behind houses.

I entered the grounds and before me lay an expanse of well cared for lawns and poplar trees surrounding the huge and beautiful remains of the abbey. Complete with arched windows and spiral stairways leading to lost floors. It is truly a magnificent relic and a real surprise to find.

It was a wonderful start to my exploration of the area surrounding the school. The site thoroughly investigated and photographed, I moved on to the other locations.

In the same day I did a whistle stop tour including the National Coal-mining Museum, Cannon Hall Country Park, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the beautiful rolling hills of the area surveyed as they are, for miles around by the towering presence of Emley Moor Mast.A fun and fascinating day. I could have happily spent much longer at each site. I’m sure that there must be plenty I missed. Barnsley certainly proved itself to hold many places of genuine cultural and historical interest. It was time to put together all the images I had gathered.

The hard work done, now to transfer the design to a 2.5M x 6.5M, exterior, brick wall during the wet and windy English summer! With much standing on Gym horses and tying together of skipping ropes a tarpaulin was erected and tied in place. The painting began.

Now some of the fascinating historical and cultural facets of Barnsley are acknowledged and celebrated for eternity (well, at least for the next 10 years!) and the only thing in the painting that required a bit of artistic licence was the weather!

The Verdict:

“It really raises the moral of the teachers, pupils and parents. Such a stunning mural makes us proud of our school!”
Michel Gilmore, Headmaster

“It Cheers me up every morning when I go into school”
Teacher

“I see something different each day, it makes me want to visit all the places”
Pupil

“A stunning way to highlight Barnsley’s assets”
Parent

“Every school should have one! Even passers by have stopped to admire it - its wonderful!”
Caretaker