Athersley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barnsley
Barnsley shown within South Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SE345093
Metropolitan borough	Barnsley
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BARNSLEY
Postcode district	S70-S75
Dialling code	01226
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Barnsley Central
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°34′47″N 1°28′49″W / 53.5796, -1.4804

Athersley is a estate in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England, and is divided somewhat unevenly into two regions, North and South.

Construction began in post war Britain near the end of the 1940’s under the direction of the current Building Administrator. The land, originally dense woodland populated by all manner of wildlife, proved difficult to prepare, yet the urgent need for more housing gave rise to a great influx of labourers, many of whom stayed on in the very houses they helped to build. The undertaking of such an endeavour, and its subsequent success, was instrumental in the decision to build more homes around the region, including ‘Phase 2’ of Athersley, which was later to become known as Atherlsey North. Curiously, North and South are separated by a main B road, Laithes lane, yet many other estates surrounding the area have no noticeable separation, most notably Smithies and Monk Bretton, adding confusion to the general populace as to where certain estates begin and end.

Despite the fact that much woodland was cleared to make way for construction, small remnants remain sprinkled throughout the surrounding area, home to some rather diverse wildlife and a selection of ponds and creeks. Such areas are still considered to be among the finest landscape in the county, with several such places being made into sanctuaries for the local wildlife, most recently ‘Carlton Marshes’, a reasonable sized lake/pond dedicated to the preservation of many water creatures and a great variety of birds.

There is a sports complex in Athersley North called the Athersley Leisure Centre (former name Athersley Recreation Centre) which opened in early 1984. The local football team, Athersley Recreation FC whose ground is on the former school fields of Edward Sheerien School play in the Sheffield Senior League and also the Barnsley Sunday League. Under the only Manager since it's formation in the early 1980's (Pete (Porky) Goodlad), they have won many league titles and cups.