Its superior position that visitors have the possibility to drink in a beautiful landscape and monuments of the county.
Speaking of monuments, there is the imposing Hartcliff Tower, which is very close to 1200 feet above the sea point and, when the public (occasionally) has access to the parapets, a grueling inner spiral staircase, offers magnificent prospects for many kilometers around. .
What is the tower (or madness) for? Well, aside from giving visitors a life-filled workout when they climb to the top, and a smart look at the landscape when they get there, the answer is a lot.
It was built in 1856 at the request of a wealthy linen merchant named Henry Richardson, who obviously had nothing bigger to spend his money on. At the time, locals were so surprised by Richardson’s wit that he was temporarily elected mayor of Barnsley: Penistone is within the boundaries of the municipality.
The mystery was, as now, why did Richardson need this madness in the first place?The inventive minds have proposed several theories, perhaps he just looked for the sensible thing and looked lustfully at everything he possessed?
Maybe just send one of your men there, to give direction orders for shooting games when the game season comes?
Or can you simply sign up for a servant as a lookout, to see the wonderful boy coming back from his business trips?This is all perfectly plausible, but who knows? Anyway, the wonderful tower is still located over the city about a mile to this day.
There were markets in the center of Penistone for many centuries, although, compared to other parts of the county, the charter and the royal seal of approval came to an end in 1699. Today (in general circumstances), this continues and is a popular assembly post on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The market is located in the splendid Grange Cruck, an open construction that has been specially designed for the site of the center. The concept of this form, strong, strong and built to last, goes back to Anglo-Saxon Britain, and even before. Our ancestors would be too familiar with the concept, and their villages and villages would have had many good examples of design.
The Penistone Market Barn is not the only impressive construction in the city. There are some notable buildings not far away: the Grade I parish church (dedicated to St. John the Baptist) is full of history, with the remains of a Saxon-built cross on the walls, and the base of the cemetery itself.
The first written records of the clergy in the domain date from around 1200 and the tower building was built around three hundred years later. There are 8 bells, which visitors won’t be able to see, but can appreciate, if they look up: the gleaming stainless steel weather vane, a gift from a talented Penistone local, the late Arnold Smith.
Its concept of constituting two traditions, that of fish (paleo-Christian symbol) and of a local industry, the manufacture of steel. On a sunny day, the interior is illuminated through bright (and invaluable) stained glass windows.
The front of the cemetery is guarded by a beautiful lychgate, a monument to a vicar here who held this position for 60 years, which may well be the record of a clergyman of the Church of England serving in an unmarried position.
This is the Canon Reverend William Turnbull, who arrived in the parish in 1855 and died there in 1915; Canon Turnbull would have identified several things we see today, one being the memorial stone of Nicholas Saunderson, a local child born in 1682 and originally from Thurlstone. .
Tragically he lost his sight at 12 months of age (because of smallpox), but learned to read by drawing the letters on the cemetery stones, then went to Penistone Grammar School (where he learned Latin, Greek and French), then to Cambridge.
There, he befriended luminaries such as Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley. He graduated and then appointed professor of Lucasian mathematics, a position he held over the years through Charles Babbage and Stephen Hawking.
Saunderson is also a member of the Royal Society and recently identified – how many other mathematicians get this distinction?- telling his story in a musical, written through instructor Andy Platt and correctly named No Horizon, who arrived at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.
As everywhere, the rest of Penistone’s people were looking for entertainment, and it wasn’t long before the Assembly Hall, built in 1914, became a cinema. The scene has been preserved and is still used for live events. Local woman Kate Rusby, the well-known folk singer, has given the impression here several times.
Paramount (as it is now) can accommodate up to 344 people, the first lock was completely renovated in 2020, is controlled through the Penistone Council and is made up of enthusiastic and incredibly professional volunteers.
This network asset also houses the “Mighty Compton Paramount Cinema Organ”, and concerts take place when the thunder of this impressive musical beast is unleashed. It is one of the few remaining (and operational) bodies of this type in the country.
Breeding sheep and farm animals is vital for Penistone, and the special breed in this region is the Whitefaced Woodland, a cross between Woodland and Penistone. There are many on the many open acres of this patch, but they are rare and are indexed as vulnerable through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
They are one of the largest mountain breeds, both sexes and versatile, as they have short and fine wool used in the high-end carpet industry (and are also quite tasty on the plate).
Like so many other Yorkshire cities, it was the arrival of the railway in 1845 (operated through Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway Company) that powered Penistone. For many years, it was a main crossroads and the headquarters of a giant engineering warehouse, which a giant local employer.
The city’s position in railway history (and controversy) was secured through its proximity to woodhead’s 3 tunnels, which have its trio of eastern portals nearby. They were first introduced in 1837 and had to serve lines to the east and west. as through many to be a serious mistake.
Penistone is proudly paired with Grindavik in Iceland, hosts a prominent annual agricultural fair and, over the years, well-supported literary, folk and musical festivals have been organized.
It is a position with a very close network and a willing look to the future. When the boys who were doing the survey for the Domesday Book arrived in 1086 (in the years after the North’s harassment), they described the colony in one word – “waste. “
If you came back here today, you may simply write thousands of lines without still being close to capturing the spirit of the city.