WHY?

Cannon Hall Museum and Gardens Cawthorne Yorkshire

Historic Cawthorne, on the outskirts of Barnsley, recently named the poshest village in South Yorkshire by The Telegraph (and they should know), has chocolate box cottages and gated homes as well as a pristine village green. It’s famous for being home to Cannon Hall, a former stately home turned museum and country park, which perhaps is partly the reason house prices remain high. There is a nursery, school, village hall and post office as well as a café and close community feel. Near bustling Barnsley with its lively markets, shops, pubs and youthful club scene, the historic Town Hall with its library and museum and modern Civic Hall are at the heart. Located about halfway between Sheffield and Leeds and just off the M1, a new transport interchange gives access to local and national trains, coaches, buses and taxis.

EAT

Beaston House pannacotta and plum dessert — Beatson House

Beatson House for fine dining British cuisine with an international twist in beautifully converted 18^th century cottages; Spencer Arms for steak nights, stone-baked pizzas and outdoor terrace; Cawthorne Village Store & Tea Room for rural views from the Tea Garden as appetising as the freshly-baked scones and savouries. At Cannon Hall, sandwiches, soups and cakes with lovely views at the dog and child -friendly Pear Tree Pantry or Pavilion Café. An award-winning farm shop at Cannon Hall Farm for artisan breads, pies and desserts, ideal for picnics, as well as The White Bull restaurant with its Friday night Supper Club and dog-friendly Pup Café, with special treats just for pets. Open daily, the Thyme Bistro at the Canon Hall Garden Centre serves breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas.

SHOP

The Potting Shed Victorian Arcade Barnsley — The Potting Shed, Victorian Arcade

Muddy faves Joules, Barbour, Seasalt as well as the Original Muck Boot Company at Cannon Hall Garden Centre and children will love the traditional sweetie jars at Cawthorne Post Office, but best to head to Barnsley for serious retail therapy. After all, the historic Barnsley Market, currently marking its 775^th anniversary, is what this town is most celebrated for (other than being the home of late and great Yorkshireman Sir Michael Parkinson). Modernised recently, everything you can think of you need (and more that you don’t) is sold in the labyrinthine indoor and outdoor stalls, while there is a Market Kitchen for street food and cafes.

The Alhambra shopping centre is next door with free parking on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays as well as a free Kids’ Club for children aged 3+ while you browse the usual mainstream stores, cafés and occasional pop-up shops. Surprisingly, perhaps, Barnsley is famous throughout the region for its high-end clothes shop – check out the Victorian Arcade with its cobbled paving and ornate roof for boutiques like designer brand filled 80s Casual Classics, menswear Frank Bird Yorkshire or specialists Fosters Little Book Shop, Red Robot comics, Heart of Handmade, independent jewellers and The Potting Shed floristry school.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Sadly, no village GP, but there is a doctor-led Medispa offering ZO Skin Health, HydraFacial and other aesthetic treatments at Cawthorne’s Wellness Space, or head to Barnsley’s Bannatyne Spa or Burntwood Court Hotel for local spa days and fitness. Cawthorne Cricket Club welcomes new members – both social and playing, a tennis court is for hire in the village with donations to church funds, while Western horse trekking sounds fun at Lazing Saddles. Barnsley Mertodome leisure complex has a family-friendly pool with slides and a ‘beach’; Barnsley Harriers encourages beginners at a Walk to Run group; or sign up for more no pain, no gain exercise in city-based JD Gyms and The Gym Group Barnsley. Best of all, the countryside around Cawthorne is ideal for hiking, dog walking, climbing, bird watching and cycling, with all 70 acres of Cannon Parkland on the doorstep, as well as the long-distance Trans Pennine Trail.

COMMUNITY

A friendly and tight-knit community, proud residents of this beautiful village want to keep it pristine and the Cawthorne Museum welcomes volunteers to help the Gardening Group tend flowerboxes and plant pots. There is a Village Hall and Parish Council with numerous social and recreational groups, from church bell ringers to Young Farmers, as well as two social clubs. Genteel events include Cawthorne Choral Society concerts, coffee mornings, table top sales, a Poppy Appeal by the Crafty Ladies and a Village Sing with Cawthorne Brass Band. The Summer Fête is held on alternate years, but sadly, fab Under The Stars Festival, which attracted performers like Bill Bailey and ‘Barnsley Nightingale’ Kate Rusby to Cawthorne over the past decade, is taking a break for 2025, although it may well be back.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

Wentworth National Truat — Wentworth Castle

The star attractions are undoubtedly Cannon Hall, with its museum, grounds, boating lake, children’s play area, cafés, gift shop and walled garden as well as family-friendly Cannon Hall Farm, which had its own TV series on Channel 5 and offers everything from tractor rides and animal encounters to outdoor adventure and indoor soft play. Worsburgh Mill is both a museum of flour milling and a country park and there are stunning dog-friendly gardens to explore at National Trust’s Wentworth Castle, which is itself not open to the public. The highest market town in the county, pretty Penistone with its twice-weekly markets and September show is worth a visit, while keep an eye out for the impressive 29-arch viaduct that carries the Sheffield to Huddersfield line.

CULTURE

Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum open summer weekend afternoons for strange-but-true exhibits; live music and open mic nights at the Cawthorne Club or quaint, old-fashioned Paramount Cinema in nearby Penistone. Theatres include Barnsley’s Lamproom and The Civic, also home to gallery exhibitions, or find paintings by Ruskin, Turner and Henry Moore at Cooper Gallery near the Town Hall. A blast of the past at Elsecar Heritage Centre in former ironworks and colliery, while a life-sized horse sculpture now marks the start of the Trans Pennine Trail nearby. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is just a short drive away at Bretton with acres of landscaped grounds and contemporary art installations.

AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE

Only around 1,500 residents are lucky enough to call Cawthorne home which means demand for the select properties is high. The average house price is £509,918, with the majority of detached property sales costing around £570,456, while terraced properties fetch £237,500.

HOT PROPERTY

COTTAGE FOR SALE IN CAWTHORNE NR BARNSLEY — Slap bang in the middle of village life, this 3 bed stone house is ideal for families. On the market for £425,000.

NURSERIES

Cawthorne Children’s Centre is a not-for-profit, outstanding Ofsted rated day nursery for ages from 0 to 14 yrs with indoor and outdoor facilities. Nearby Cliff Nursery for children from 6 wks – 5 yrs and Silkstone Pre-School Playgroup for ages 2 – 5 are both rated ‘Good’. Cawthorne Toddler & Baby Group from birth to school age is available in the Village Hall three mornings a week during school holidays.

SCHOOLS

Competition for both Cawthorne C o fE (VC) Primary School in the heart of the village and nearby Gawber Primary School is fierce due to their ‘Outstanding’ ratings, while Barugh Green Primary School is rated ‘Good’. For secondary education, neighbouring Darton Academy is also rated ‘Good’. Leading independent schools in the area include Wakefield Grammar Pre-Prep School for boys and girls aged 3 – 7 yrs; Wakefield Girls’ High School for Junior Girls aged 7 – 11 yrsand Senior Girls 11 – 18 yrs; Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for Junior Boys aged 7 – 11 yrs and Senior Boys 11 – 18 yrs and Silicoates School for boys and girls from age 3 to 18 yrs.

BEST-KEPT SECRET

Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum was founded in 1884 by formidable local vicar Charles Pratt to encourage the village children to take an interest in their natural surroundings. Worth a visit for its eclectic artefacts including a stuffed mongoose fighting a snake; a 9.5lb stone removed form a horse’s intestine; the figure of John Wesley carved out of a whalebone, a man trap and a two-headed lamb! The museum, owned by the people of Cawthorne, is thought to be the only survivor of John Ruskin’s dream of a network of village museums set up throughout Britain.

COMMUTE

The nearest train station is in Barnsley, about four miles away, with services to commutable cities like Wakefield (15 mins), Sheffield (30 mins) and Leeds (45 mins). It takes an average 2h 50mins to reach London Kings Cross with at least one change. Bus links to Barnsley from Cawthorne as well as surrounding villages and towns. J37 of the M1 motorway is reached in 10 mins and the A635 provides access to Barnsley and on to Wakefield and Sheffield. The nearest airport is Leeds Bradford, just over 20 miles away.

View the full Top 300 Best Places to Live.

Cawthorne

See more in Yorkshire