Hoyland has had money thrown at it & they've managed to make to worse than it was before which took some doing.
I'll give you one example.... Public transport. You can no longer get a bus from Great Houghton for example straight to Wombwell. Now it's a 1 change job and an hour. That's put a load of the older generation right off You can say anything about places being run down, but if public transport is obliterated so folk can't get anywhere then it's no wonder
There used to be a Thornton's bakery (I'm sure it was called that) in Normy high street, and this became a Gregg's. As a kid I used to love their fresh cream apple turnovers, yum yum.
I was born and bred on Foley Avenue, went to the Navy for 12 years then back to Wombwell as Community Bobby. It certainly went downhill when Barnsley took it over. However i used to do foot beat in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights with very little problem the town centre was clean we had shops people used we had choices not only via the shops but also via the market(s). Barnsley town centre has improved by the same ratio Wombwell has deteriorated. No one walks the town centre anymore, kids run riot all over the town, I won't go into the other problems and the reasons behind them. OK, towns all over the country are in decline, but I and others have the right to complain about OUR town.
I think supermarkets killed High Streets initially. When I was a kid, growing up in Wombwell, you got your meat from the butchers, veg from the grocers, bread from the bakers and newspapers from the paper shop. But, also, in the days of the pits, there were a lot more ‘housewives’. The man was the ‘breadwinner’ and the wife the home maker who would walk, pretty much daily, to the local shops to buy fresh produce for the days meal. Then, the pits shut and there was less wealth. The housewives also became workers, then career women and one car families became two car families. Weekends then became shopping days for the workers, supermarkets started opening Sundays, frozen food became more popular. The supermarket sold it all if you were prepared to jump in your car and drive a short few miles where, in one visit you could buy your meat, veg, milk, newspaper, the lot. Town and village High Streets have changed because society has. As a kid, I used to walk to Wombwell High Street, to Radio Rentals (later DER) to pay our weekly rent for our washing machine and telly, because nobody could afford to buy these items outright. Then the Japanese made these items so cheap that folk could own them thus killing another High Street business. It saddens me, now, passing High Streets filled with charity shops, nail boutiques, barbers and bookies. But, it’s beyond repair now as the norm is to jump in the car and drive to a one stop shop supermarket.
Barnsley Town centre has been revamped at the cost of multi millions three times in my lifetime and places like Wombwell and Goldthorpe have had f*** all.
I would have to get a bus to Chapeltown to get to Barnsley through the day. & I wouldn’t be able to get home til 8pm. My doctor is in Hoyland & that’s a couple of cabs. It’s crap.,
First time i visited Goldthorpe today in many years as my eldest had a job interview. The most run down high street i have ever driven along.
Just telling it how it was for me. I'm sure there's some nice establishments, I shouldn't have generalised. My apologies.
Born in Wombwell (Vegas) int late 70s, moved out in 2003 when purchasing my first house, moved back 2006-2011 and then purchased a house in town. I would never ever move out of town, everything on your doorstep, even more so now.