Barnsley - good place to live?

[HarmOKnee]

They talk funny in Barnsley

[MoBlo]

Hello there members of the Sheffield Forum,

 

Looking for a place to live within a 30 min drive from Leeds and Sheffield we found Barnsley in the middle. Google street viewing the place it looks quite ok (living in Hull at the moment.. can it get any worse ) but were wondering about what it's like to live in Athersley North around the Laithes Lane area?

 

We're not looking for fancy stuff, but just a 'regular neighborhood' would do with a diverse population of both elderly and younger families and preferably no through-the-roof crime rates.

 

Cheers,

 

MoBlo

Edited October 27, 2012 by MoBlo

[Hots on]

I'd walk to Barnsley for some fish n chips from Princes chip shop. Beautiful.

[LeMaquis]

....but were wondering about what it's like to live in Athersley North around the Laithes Lane area?

 

The areas with the worst reputations in Barnsley are the estates of Worsborough Common, Lundwood, Kendray/Worsborough and Athersley. I'd avoid them all. If you want that side of Barnsley then go just a bit further north to Staincross and Mapplewell or west towards Darton/Kexborough/Barugh Green. You'll be nearer the M1 and Darton station which serves Leeds. There are also nicer areas near the town centre - Kingstone, Pogmoor, Gawber - which are also handy for the M1 and the main train station. But Athersley? Personally I wouldn't.

[MoBlo]

The areas with the worst reputations in Barnsley are the estates of Worsborough Common, Lundwood, Kendray/Worsborough and Athersley. I'd avoid them all. If you want that side of Barnsley then go just a bit further north to Staincross and Mapplewell or west towards Darton/Kexborough/Barugh Green. You'll be nearer the M1 and Darton station which serves Leeds. There are also nicer areas near the town centre - Kingstone, Pogmoor, Gawber - which are also handy for the M1 and the main train station. But Athersley? Personally I wouldn't.

 

Thanks for your (swift!) answer. Would you mind me asking what then is so wrong with the areas you mention such as Athersley? Is it crime levels or is it packed with 'lowlifes'? Just to get a picture. Will of course be coming down to judge for ourselves, but that will also be just a glimpse of the situation at one particular moment.

[Resident]

Of course people are saying everyone's nice in Barnsley. People related to each other generally are.

 

They have their own theme song too. Not complicated and long as they're all dim but here it is: (to the tune of the addams family)

 

#Your sister is your mother,

your uncle is your brother,

a town inbred like no other,

A Barnsley famil-y!#

[LeMaquis]

Thanks for your (swift!) answer. Would you mind me asking what then is so wrong with the areas you mention such as Athersley? Is it crime levels or is it packed with 'lowlifes'? Just to get a picture. Will of course be coming down to judge for ourselves, but that will also be just a glimpse of the situation at one particular moment.

 

Even in Barnsley Athersley/New Lodge, Lundwood, Worsborough Common and Kendray have bad reputations. There's a lot of crime like nicking cars and burning them out, etc. A mate of mine used to be head of PE at the main secondary school there. The training routine for the kids used to involve running between the burnt out cars on the school fields.

 

Avoid the areas I highlighted above as well as Thurnsoce and Goldthorpe which are probably the worst areas for drugs. If you have plenty of money Cawthorne, Hoylandswaine and Silkstone are lovely but a car would be necessary. If you do drive then Birdwell or Hoyland just off junction 36 of the M1 are options. Direct trains to Leeds and Sheffield are from Darton, Barnsley and Wombwell.

[Starlet83]

Thanks for your (swift!) answer. Would you mind me asking what then is so wrong with the areas you mention such as Athersley? Is it crime levels or is it packed with 'lowlifes'? Just to get a picture. Will of course be coming down to judge for ourselves, but that will also be just a glimpse of the situation at one particular moment.

 

I spent most of my Childhood in Athersley at my grandparents. Lindhurst Road to be exact. It was once a nice area but sadly it is not so much anymore. It has high level of unemployment and although I dont know the figures I suspect the crime levels are quite high too. They have tried to re generate the area but I think it is either not enough or too little too late. As suggested I would look at Darton, Barugh Green, Higham, Monk Bretton

[MoBlo]

Thanks all for the information.

 

How about Darfield? More village-like and also has some nice properties (at first sight) available.

[Stuart82]

My wife is from Barnsley, Wombwell originally and says the same as others about the areas already mentioned but depends on what you're used to.

 

We're looking to move to Barnsley when our place sells even though in last 4 weeks my wing mirrors have been nicked off MINI twice when we've stayed over at family in Wombwell so don't think we'll be moving there.