| Penistone | |
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Penistone
Penistone shown within South Yorkshire |
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| Population | 10,101 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | SE245033 |
| Parish | Penistone |
| Metropolitan borough | Barnsley |
| Metropolitan county | South Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHEFFIELD |
| Postcode district | S36 |
| Dialling code | 01226 |
| Police | South Yorkshire |
| Fire | South Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Penistone and Stocksbridge |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Penistone ( /ˈpɛnɨstən/ pen-is-tən) is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census.[1] It lies 8 miles (13 km) west of the town of Barnsley and 17 miles (27 km) north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines. Penistone town centre stands at an elevation of 750 feet (230 m) above sea level.
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The meaning of Penistone is Old English tun "farm, village" with an uncertain first element, possibly Celtic penn = "head", "hill", similar to Penn in the West Midlands. Records of the name as Penstun (1143) and Penstone (n.d.) prove the second element is Old English tūn = "farm, village" (not Old English stān ="stone" as might be suggested). The history of Penistone can be dated back to 1066 when it was known to be owned by Ailric. However, following the Norman Conquest it was razed to the ground in 1069 in what became known as the Harrying of the North; the Domesday Book described the settlement in 1086 as 'wasted'.
Sheep sales have been held in the town since before 1699, when the market received a Royal Charter, and the area produced the now rare Penistone sheep.[2]
The town remained small until the coming of the railway in 1845, although several pre-19th Century buildings survive. The oldest still standing is 'Penistone Church'. This is the Grade I listed mediaeval parish church, Saint John the Baptist Church. The White Hart pub in the town dates from 1377. Penistone had had a market for a long time before its royal charter was granted in 1699, although its historic livestock market was closed recently to make way for town centre re-development. A new landmark building has been built in Penistone for the Market Place. This is an oaken 'Cruck Barn' and was built by Carpenter Oak of Totnes, Devon.
Penistone was formerly a major railway junction, including a depot for engineering trains. Much of the former railway infrastructure has since been removed. The town's station is still open, but is now only served by Huddersfield-Sheffield trains on the "Penistone Line". Penistone station was once a well-used interchange with the reputation of being one of the coldest in the country.
The town was formerly served by the Woodhead Line which ran between Manchester (Piccadilly), Hadfield and Sheffield (Victoria) via the Woodhead Tunnel. Penistone station was served by express passenger trains on the line. Following major investment (started in 1935 but delayed by World War II), the electrification of the railway was completed in 1954; the line's power control centre was built adjacent to Penistone station. This building still stands, but has been converted to alternative commercial use.
The Woodhead Line through Penistone was the first main line railway in the UK to be electrified, but its once-pioneering 1500 V dc system was ultimately to become non-standard. Penistone station lost its Woodhead Line passenger trains on 5 January 1970, but freight trains (mainly coal trains) continued for a further eleven years. The line was finally (and controversially) closed in 1981 and the track lifted several years later. The route of the old track is now being used as part of the Trans-Pennine Trail.
Penistone was in the Barnsley West and Penistone constituency until the 2010 general election when it became part of the newly created Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency.
Penistone has its own radio station. Formed in 2005 Penistone FM operated a trial broadcast in September 2006 and successfully applied for a full time licence. Penistone FM was renamed Penistone Community Radio/Penistone AM as the Community Radio Licence was initially awarded on the Medium Wave band, however Ofcom cleared an FM frequency for the station. Penistone FM started test transmissions on 95.7 MHz FM on Saturday 9 May 2009 and officially launched on Saturday 6 June 2009, with its licence running for five years.
Penistone Grammar School was founded in 1392. Notable former pupils include mathematician Nicholas Saunderson, and Anne Campbell, who served as MP for Cambridge until May 2005. Currently, a new school is being built and should be ready for Easter 2011. The new school will be known as Penistone Grammar Advanced Learning Centre. Other local schools include St John's Junior School, St John's Infant School and Springvale Primary School.
Penistone Show is an annual agricultural show which draws in crowds from across the county. It is thought to be the biggest one-day show in Yorkshire and is held on the second Saturday in September. As well as ordinary agricultural categories for sheep, cows, goats, and chickens entries are received in horticulture, handicraft, show jumping, pigeons, dogs, photography and many more categories. At the same time, a 10 Kilometre fell race is held (organised by Penistone Footpath Runners' Club), to finish on the Showground.
The annual 'Parade Weekend' has become established as an important time on Penistone's June calendar. The Saturday has two music events on the Showground: a concert of light music in the afternoon and an evening Rock concert. On the Sunday, a major Parade and Gala takes place. The Parade goes through the middle of Penistone and the Gala takes place on the Showground.
Penistone Farmers' Market is a monthly farmers' market on the second Saturday of every month. Local farmers and producers of foods and crafts bring local produce direct to the public. The market is open to all traders selling more than 50% of their own produce and based within a fifty mile radius of Penistone. The Farmers' Market is held in the market place.
On Yorkshire Day, 1 August 2006, Penistone played host to the now annual gathering of Lord Mayors, Mayors and other civic heads from Yorkshire. The day was marked with a service at Penistone Parish Church, a parade around the town and a meal for invited guests at Penistone Grammar School. Other events included free films and an evening of music at the Paramount Cinema, an exhibition at St John's Community Centre and Hartcliff Tower was open to the public again. There were Morris dancers, a farmers' market, a shop window competition and an historic organ concert at St. Andrew's Church. The day was taken seriously by its organisers and some of the roads on the procession route were resurfaced for the event.
The new Market Cruck Barn was officially opened, jointly by Cllr Steve Webber (Penistone Mayor) and Cllr Karen Dyson (Barnsley Mayor) at 1pm on Thursday 21st July 2011.
Penistone received a lot of media coverage in March 2007 after decisions were made to build a large supermarket in the town centre. It was announced that Barnsley Council had agreed proposals submitted by Tesco to go ahead with building. Despite major local opposition, especially to its proposed location close to the showground, and worries that local businesses may suffer, in Spring 2010 construction of the new Tesco store began and it is now open.[4]
The town's railway station serves the Penistone Line which runs between Huddersfield and Sheffield. The trackbed of the closed railway line from Sheffield to Manchester via Woodhead now forms the Trans-Pennine Trail. There are occasional suggestions of reopening the line, without success.
On 26 February 2007 the Town was officially declared a Fairtrade Town.[5]
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