Explore, Reminisce, Play!

Explore, Reminisce, Play!  

 

Discover over one hundred years of growing up in Barnsley through toys, games, pictures and treasured memories. You’ll recognise some items on display, but others may be less familiar… We hope you enjoy exploring and we’d love it if you had some fun too! 

We have put this exhibition together after searching long and hard through Barnsley's museums and archive collections. To be honest, there isn’t enough room in here for all the stories of childhood we found! It was sometimes tough to choose but many items are on display for the first time and, we hope, give a glimpse into the distinctive world of when we were young.  

Objects and archives from Experience Barnsley span many generations and tell different stories of growing up in the borough. Paintings and drawings from the Cooper Gallery and Cannon Hall Museum show images of childhood in art, with some local artists and faces featured. And you can follow a magical trail of special objects from Cannon Hall Museum through the exhibition and make up your own story.   

Mr Men Wooden Puzzle, 1970

 

  • Wooden puzzle board featuring colorful cartoon characters with various expressions and costumes. Each character has a small red knob for easy handling. The board has a light brown background with black printed outlines.
  • Wooden puzzle pieces featuring cartoon characters, each with different colors and expressions. The characters have distinct shapes and bright colors, arranged randomly on a plain white background.

Emily bought this puzzle from Barnsley Markets. It was donated to the Museum but not before her own children had played with it too.


Can you name all the characters?

Hornby Recorder, c.1970

A black plastic recorder with a beige mouthpiece and decorative ring lays on a light gray surface. The instrument has multiple finger holes and a flared end.

Who doesn’t remember the sound of the recorder from childhood? This particular instrument was played by a member of the Wood family at Keresforth Road School in the 1970s and 1980s.

Sampler, 1863

A vintage sampler with colorful stitched alphabets, numbers, and decorative borders. Inscriptions include "Hoyland Swaine National School Anno Domini 1815" and "Mary Denton Aged 8 Years" in red and green thread.

Embroidered by Mary Denton, age 8, at Hoylandswaine Primary School. Samplers were made by girls of all backgrounds to gain sewing skills but also to learn lessons such as the alphabet.

Wendy Paper Doll Set, c.1970

  • Vintage paper doll standing on a floral base, dressed in a yellow coat while holding a basket and hat. Three additional outfits lie around: a pink dress, a blue dress, and a green dress, each with detailed decorations.
  • Four vintage paper doll dresses are displayed on a black background. The outfits include a blue dress with a teddy bear, a pink ballet outfit, a green and pink dress with a book, and a tan coat with a basket.
  • A vintage paper doll of a young girl with brown hair, wearing a light blue dress with floral patterns. She stands inside a green base decorated with daisies and butterflies on a white background.

Playing with paper dolls has been a popular activity since the early 19th century. The ‘Wendy’ doll came with magnets instead of paper tabs for quick wardrobe changes.

School Football Medal, 1967–68

A medal with an enamel illustration of a soccer player dressed in white and brown, kicking a ball on a green field with a goalpost in the background. The circular design is bordered with a gold and silver frame.

Donated by Jeremy Wroe from Holy Cross School, who won their 1967–68 and 1968–69 football league.

Sun Jewel Barbie and Sun Sensation Ken, early 1990s

  • A doll with long blonde hair is wearing a yellow sleeveless top and a purple patterned skirt with blue details. The background is plain white.
  • A doll with short blond hair is wearing a sparkly, gold knit crop top and light green shorts. The doll is standing against a plain, light-colored background.
  • Two boxed dolls are displayed. The top box contains a male doll with short hair, wearing a mesh top and neon green shorts. The bottom box has a female doll with long blonde hair, wearing a yellow top and floral skirt. Both have bright pink packaging.
  • The image shows a pink and blue Barbie-branded toy packaging of an "Entertainment Center." The box features graphics of toy stereo equipment. A section of the packaging is torn, revealing a bit of the contents inside.
  • A pink toy fridge with open doors, revealing miniature food items like lard, vegetables, biscuits, cheese, and a can. A small bottle labeled "Cola" stands in front of the fridge.

These glamorous dolls were owned by Tracey Collins of Barnsley, who absolutely loved playing with them and their accessories. See if you can find the earlier Sindy and Paul dolls in the exhibition – these belonged to Tracey’s mum Julie! The first Barbie dolls went on sale in the USA in 1959 and Ken followed in 1961. They were named after the children of Barbie inventor, Ruth Handler, who co-founded toy company Mattel with her husband.

Hornby Train Set Parts, 1930s

  • A model railway scene featuring a train station with a ticket office and bookstall. Several train cars, including a coal car and spool car, are on the tracks. A sign reads "Sampler, 1863" with text about school samplers made by girls.
  • A model steam locomotive with the label "LNER 2162" is displayed on a track. The engine is dark green with light green lining and features intricate detailing, including visible wheels and a connector to another model piece in the background.

A toy for people of all ages, train sets can give hours of enjoyment and fascination. This Hornby set was gifted to Cannon Hall Museum in 1983, but we don’t know who played with it.

Minton Figurine, 1863

A ceramic figurine depicts a cherubic child holding a large shell while riding on the back of a fish. The fish has vibrant scales and a wide mouth. The base is decorated with blue, green, and yellow accents.

A ceramic figure of a nude boy (putti) with a stylised dolphin and holding a shell. It is decorated in the majolica colours and is all on a base of blue, yellow and green.

Spencer the Capybara Plush Toy, 2024

A round, plush toy resembling an animal holds a boba tea cup with a straw. The plush is soft brown with darker accents on its ears and paws. A tag is attached to it. The background is a simple, solid surface.

Spencer was chosen by Hollie Brown, age 10, as part of our recent Contemporary Collecting Project with Burton Road Primary School. You can see other toys selected by pupils in the exhibition, but Spencer just wouldn’t fit in the same case! So, we gave him a special place here to welcome everyone. Holly likes this toy because her favourite animal is the capybara (the biggest rodent in the world).

Din Grogu, or Baby Yoda, 2023

A character from the Star Wars Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian. This toy was chosen for the Museum by Alexander White when he was 4 and at Holy Rood Primary School

Cinema Membership Card, 1956–57

A blue card for Goldthorpe Young Citizens Matinee Club, detailing membership benefits with fields for member's name, address, and club number. Matinee times are listed. Printed in Castleford, it's for Picture House, Goldthorpe.

Membership card to Goldthorpe Young Citizens Matinee – for a special Saturday afternoon.

Coronation Mug, 1911

A white commemorative mug with gold lettering reading, "Inauguration of King George V. Presented by the Harrow Club Children's Treat July 15th, 1911." The mug is displayed on a shelf with a blurred background.

In Commemoration of the Coronation of King George V Coronation, presented by the Barrow Club Children’s Treat.

Advert for The Juvenile Instructor Magazine, 1888

 

A vintage advertisement for "The Juvenile Instructor" magazine from 1888, detailing features like engravings, travel, music, science, and puzzle sections. Includes subscription information with a monthly rate of one penny.

Guidance and entertainment for teenagers in the late 19th century.

Return to the virtual exhibition or explore more of the objects from the exhibition below.

Back To School

Back To School

What do you think of your education? Do you remember one person you learnt from or looked up to? We’ve included a number of objects here from different
schools and clubs across the borough – it’s impossible to fit them all in!

No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home

The objects on display here made us think of being at home as a child. What object or word brings a memory of home to you?

Toy Treasures and Board Game Battles

Toy Treasures and Board Game Battles

Most people can remember a favourite toy and some grown ups have kept at least one for sentimental reasons. Did you have one special toy for most of your childhood? Or did it change every now and then as you grew up?

Toy Treasures and Board Game Battles (Part2)

Toy Treasures and Board Game Battles (Part2)

Most people can remember a favourite toy and some grown ups have kept at least one for sentimental reasons. Did you have one special toy for most of your
childhood? Or did it change every now and then as you grew up?

What Makes a Child's Day Special?

What Makes a Child's Day Special?

It could be a big celebration, but it doesn’t have to be. In this display, we’ve chosen some objects from festive days and one-off events, and others which marked a special time for just one child.

Kids Today!

Kids Today!

We are very grateful to children from Burton Road Primary School for taking part in our Contemporary Collecting Project. The group visited The Entertainer shop in the Alhambra Centre and each pupil chose a toy or game they liked for the Museum collection