Silkstone, United Kingdom
Silkstone is a town of 1,764 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Silkstone
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 12 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Penistone Paramount Cinema, Penistone Railway Viaduct on Penistone and Denby Dale Line, Cannon Hall and Obelisk to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
Weather in Silkstone
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Silkstone
Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, around 4 miles west of Barnsley. The modern parish includes the neighbouring village of Silkstone Common. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,954, increasing to 3,153 at the 2011 Census.
From the Wikipedia article Silkstone (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Silkstone
Things to do3
Penistone Paramount Cinema
Cinema and theater · 3.1 mi
Community cinema and theatre in Penistone near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England
Penistone Railway Viaduct on Penistone and Denby Dale Line
Bridge · 2.8 mi
Railway viaduct in Penistone, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Museums and landmarks9
Cannon Hall
Museum · 1.9 mi
Country house museum in Cawthorne, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Obelisk to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
Monument and historic site · 2.4 mi
Obelisk in Stainborough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Wentworth Castle
Museum · 2.5 mi
Grade I listed historic house museum in Stainborough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Penny Pie Park
Park · 2.3 mi
Park in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Restaurants and cafes12
Old Stables Coffee Shop
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Cake · 1.1 mi
Off Moorend Lane, Barnsley
Th-Mo 10:00-16:00
Chilli Lodge
Restaurant · Indian · 1.3 mi
Knabbs Lane, Barnsley
Su-Th 17:30-21:45; Fr,Sa 17:30-22:00
Cottage Bakery Shop
Bakery · 0.8 mi
36 Ben Bank Road, Barnsley
Mo-Fr 08:30-14:00; Sa 09:00-12:00
History
The name Silkstone is Old English in origin and is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon man's name Sylc and the suffix tūn meaning a farmstead, giving "Sylc's farmstead". The earliest known written record of Silkstone is the Domesday Book of 1086, when Silkstone is referred to as a part of the manor of Cawthorne:
In Calthorne (Cawthorne) Ailric had three carucates of land to be taxed and there may be two ploughs there. The same now has it of Ilbert; himself two ploughs there, and four villanes with two ploughs. There is a vicor and a church, wood pasture two miles long and two broad; the whole manor three miles long and two broad. Value in King Edward's time forty shillings, now twenty shillings. To this manor belongs Silchestone, one carucate and a half.
The church mentioned may be a predecessor of the current Church of All Saints, the parish church in Silkstone. Silkstone parish originally included Cawthorne, West Bretton, Barnsley, Dodworth, Stainborough, Thurgoland, Hood Green, Crane Moor, Silkstone Common and Hoylandswaine.
Historically Silkstone is part of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the Wapentake of Staincross.
Read more of the history
The Silkstone coal seam is at its shallowest in the Silkstone area, and mining was an important local industry. In 1809 the Silkstone Waggonway was built through the village by the Barnsley Canal Navigation Company. The waggonway was used to transport coal from collieries in the Silkstone valley to Cawthorne. A memorial commemorating the waggonway stands in the village.
From the History section of Silkstone on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Silkstone
Arts and culture
The Church of All Saints was constructed in the 12th century (with alterations/renovations in the 15th and 19th centuries), it is a Grade I listed building. It is locally known as the minster of the moors. The Grade II listed Noblethorpe Hall near the village was built in the early 19th century for the Clarke family (local colliery owners). During the Second World War it was used as an army camp. Pot House Hamlet is located below Silkstone Church and was the site of an 18th-century pottery and 17th century glassworks. English Heritage have deemed this an underground national ancient monument. Pot House Hamlet today houses many independent retail outlets.
One of the village's famous sons was John Charles Brooke, Esq, FSA (1748–1794) who became Somerset Herald in 1777. He was crushed to death in a crowd at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 3 February 1794.
The Wagonway runs through Silkstone to the neighbouring village Cawthorne, and was used as a route for the transportation of coal from the nearby mines. The sleeper stones were originally laid in the early 19th century when coal mining was booming, and the wagonway was used until the 20th century.
The stones can still be seen from the Ring O Bells pub to Pot House Hamlet.
Today, the Wagonway is a scenic route ideal for country walks, with story boards, and is preserved as a historic route as part of the village's history.
From the Wikipedia article Silkstone, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Silkstone
- Hubert PadgettEnglish county cricketer (born 1931)
Born in Silkstone, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay3
Churches and places of worship10
Silkstone Common Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 0.9 mi
Ben Bank Road, Barnsley
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
School · Anglican · 1.3 mi
Taylor Hill, Barnsley
Healthcare1
Map of Silkstone
48 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Barnsley 3 mi east, about 5 min by car
- Darton 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Penistone 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- Stocksbridge 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Hoyland Nether 6 mi southeast, about 9 min by car
- Cudworth 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Chapeltown 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- Wombwell 7 mi east, about 11 min by car
- Horbury 8 mi north, about 13 min by car
- Wakefield 10 mi north, about 16 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Silkstone
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Wagonway silkstone, Barry Hurst, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Silkstone All Saints GeoUK1411209, John Fielding, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Penistone Paramonut, DaveGorman at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Penistone - Viaduct, Dave Bevis, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cannon Hall (Barnsley), Dave Gorman, Public domain
- Sun Monument, Wentworth Castle, habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Wentworth Castle02 2007-08-13, Klaus with K . Blue fringing removed by Digon3 13:34, 24 August 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0
- LockePark 26042015, ChicXulub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PennyPiePark 26042015, ChicXulub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- All Saints Silkstone, Geoff Pick, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St John's Church, Dodworth, Ian S, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Memorial to Huskar Pit Disaster, Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, mappo2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, mappo2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, mappo2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, mappo2, CC BY-SA 4.0
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