South Yorkshire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Yorkshire
Metropolitan and Ceremonial county
Top to bottom, left to right: Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Established	1 April 1974
Established by	Local Government Act 1972
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time)
Members of Parliament	List of MPs
Police	South Yorkshire Police
Ceremonial county Lord Lieutenant Andrew Coombe High Sheriff Mrs Carole O'Neill (2020–21) Mayor Oliver Coppard (L) Area [convert: needs a number]  • Ranked of 48 Population (2005 est.) 1,285,600  • Ranked 10th of 48 Density 829/km2 (2,150/sq mi) Ethnicity 90.7% White 3.4% S.Asian 2.0% Black 1.5% Mixed 2.5% Other Metropolitan county Government South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Admin HQ Sheffield GSS code E11000003 (county) E47000002 (city region) ITL TLE3 Districts Districts of South Yorkshire Districts Sheffield Rotherham Doncaster Barnsley

South Yorkshire is a special county in England. It is part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region. It shares borders with North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north. To the northeast is the East Riding of Yorkshire. Lincolnshire is to the east, and Nottinghamshire to the southeast. Derbyshire is to the south and west. The biggest city in South Yorkshire is Sheffield.

Most of the county is made up of towns and cities. It covers about 1,552 square kilometers (599 square miles). Around 1.4 million people live here. After Sheffield (with 556,500 people), the largest places are Doncaster (113,566), Rotherham (109,697), and Barnsley (96,888). The eastern and western parts of the county are more rural. South Yorkshire is managed by four main areas called metropolitan boroughs. These are Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield. They work together through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

South Yorkshire is located near the Pennines mountain range. The western part of the county includes some of the Peak District National Park. The River Don starts in these hills. It flows through Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster. Then it reaches the flat Humberhead Levels in the east.

History of South Yorkshire

The county of South Yorkshire was officially created in 1974. But the towns and areas within it have histories going back many centuries.

Ancient Times

People have lived in this area for a very long time.

• Archaeologists found a Stone Age "house" near Deepcar, Sheffield. It's a circle of stones shaped like a hut base. This house is about 10,000 years old (8000 BC).
• Even older signs of people exist nearby at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire. Here, tools and cave art have been found. They are at least 12,800 years old.
• During the Roman Empire period, this region was on the edge of Roman lands.

Industrial Growth

The main towns in South Yorkshire grew because of two big industries:

• Mining: Coal was mined mostly in the north and east of the county. Iron was also found and mined here.
• Steel: The rivers flowing from the Pennines in the west helped power the steel industry. This industry was strong in Sheffield, Stocksbridge, and Rotherham. Having iron and coal nearby made it a perfect place for making steel.

Local Government Changes

In 1969, a report called the Redcliffe-Maud Report suggested big changes to local government. It said that separating towns and rural areas was old-fashioned. It noted that towns provided jobs and services for people in the countryside. Also, townspeople used the countryside for fun.

The idea of a metropolitan county like South Yorkshire was part of these plans.

After 1974		Before 1974
Metropolitan county	Metropolitan borough	County boroughs	Non-county boroughs	Urban districts	Rural districts
South Yorkshire was formed from 32 older local government areas, including four county boroughs.	Barnsley	Barnsley	–	Cudworth • Darfield • Darton • Dearne • Dodworth • Hoyland Nether • Penistone • Royston • Wombwell • Worsbrough	Hemsworth • Penistone • Wortley (part)
	Doncaster	Doncaster	–	Adwick le Street • Bentley with Arksey • Conisbrough • Mexborough • Tickhill	Doncaster • East Retford (part) • Thorne • Worksop (part)
	Rotherham	Rotherham	–	Maltby • Swinton • Rawmarsh • Wath upon Dearne	Kiveton Park • Rotherham
	Sheffield	Sheffield	–	Stocksbridge	Wortley (part)

South Yorkshire Today

The Local Government Act 1972 officially created South Yorkshire on April 1, 1974. The South Yorkshire County Council (SYCC) started running in 1973. This new system aimed to balance local loyalty with modern planning needs.

At first, South Yorkshire had two levels of local government. There was the county council for big plans. Then there were four districts that provided most services.

In 1986, county councils like SYCC were removed across England. Their jobs were given to the local boroughs. Some services, like fire, police, and public transport, are now managed by joint boards. The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner are examples of these.

Even though the county council was abolished, South Yorkshire is still a metropolitan and ceremonial county. It has a Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire and a High Sheriff. These are important local roles.

South Yorkshire is also part of the Sheffield City Region. Barnsley is also linked to the Leeds City Region. This shows its location between Yorkshire's two biggest cities.

Geography and Landscape

South Yorkshire shares borders with six other counties. These are Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.

Land Features

The county's landscape is shaped by the Pennines mountains. These hills rise in the west and gently slope down to the Humberhead Levels in the east.

• The geology is mostly carboniferous rocks from the Yorkshire coalfield. This creates a landscape of rolling hills, steep slopes, and wide valleys.
• You can see many signs of past and present industry here. There are old mine buildings, spoil heaps, and steel plants.
• The scenery is a mix of towns, industrial areas, and open farmland. Roads and canals often have buildings along them. But some natural areas and older landscapes still remain.

Western Moors and Valleys

The Pennines in the west are mostly within the Peak District National Park.

• The rocks here are mainly millstone grit sandstones. This area is known as the Dark Peak. It has moorland plateaus and gritstone edges.
• Between the Dark Peak and the coalfield, there are many steep valleys. The landscape changes from uplands and rural areas to lower, urban areas as you go east.
• Important rivers like the Dearne, Rother, and Don flow through this area.
• Further east, near Doncaster, the land becomes flatter. This is where the coalfield rocks are covered by deposits from the Humberhead Levels.

Green Belt Areas

South Yorkshire has a green belt around its four districts. This green belt was first planned in the 1950s. It helps to protect natural spaces and stop towns from spreading too much. The western edge of Sheffield and Barnsley districts directly touches the Peak District National Park boundary.

Towns and Cities

Population density map, Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley

The table below shows many of the towns and villages in South Yorkshire. They are grouped by their main metropolitan borough.

Metropolitan county	Metropolitan borough		Centre of administration	Other places
South Yorkshire	Barnsley (borough)		Barnsley (town)	Billingley, Birdwell, Bolton-upon-Dearne, Cudworth, Darfield, Darton, Dodworth, Goldthorpe, Great Houghton, Grimethorpe, Hoyland Nether, Royston, Penistone, Thurnscoe, Wombwell, Worsbrough
	City of Doncaster		Doncaster (city)	Adwick le Street, Armthorpe, Askern, Auckley, Balby, Barnby Dun, Bawtry, Bentley, Bessacarr, Braithwell, Branton, Cantley, Carcroft, Conisbrough, Cusworth Denaby, Dunscroft, Dunsville, Edenthorpe, Edlington, Finningley, Fishlake, Hatfield, Hyde Park, Intake, Kirk Sandall, Loversall, Marr, Mexborough, Micklebring, Moorends, Scawsby, Scawthorpe, Skellow, Stainforth, Rossington, Sykehouse, Norton, Thorne, Tickhill, Wadworth, Warmsworth, Wheatley, Wheatley Hills
	Rotherham (borough)		Rotherham (town)	Anston, Aughton, Brinsworth, Dinnington, Harthill, Kiveton Park, Maltby, Rawmarsh, Scholes, Swinton, Thorpe Hesley, Todwick, Treeton, Thurcroft, Wales, Wath-upon-Dearne, Woodsetts, Whiston
	City of Sheffield		Sheffield City Centre	Beighton, Chapeltown, Highlane, Mosborough, Oughtibridge, Stocksbridge, Wharncliffe Side

South Yorkshire has three main urban areas:

• The Dearne Valley area, which includes Barnsley and its surrounding towns.
• The Sheffield urban area, covering Sheffield, Rotherham, and nearby places.
• The Doncaster urban area, which includes Doncaster and its surrounding towns.

How South Yorkshire is Governed

The coat of arms of the former South Yorkshire County Council.

South Yorkshire is governed by four main councils. These are the City of Sheffield, the City of Doncaster, the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.

In 1986, the South Yorkshire County Council was abolished. Its jobs were passed down to the individual boroughs. Many services are now managed by joint authorities. These groups include representatives from all four councils. For example, public transport is managed this way.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority was set up in 2014. It brings together the leaders of the four councils. This group helps to make big decisions for the whole county. It is led by the Mayor of South Yorkshire, who is elected by the public.

In the 2016 vote on whether the United Kingdom should stay in the European Union, South Yorkshire voted to leave. About 62% of people voted to leave, and 38% voted to remain.

Economy and Jobs

South Yorkshire has been a focus for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. This is because it was once one of the less wealthy areas in Western Europe.

However, the county's service industry has grown recently. In 2022/23, Doncaster was named the best small city in Europe for investment. This was in the FDI European Cities and Regions of the Future Awards.

The table below shows how much money (Gross Value Added) the region has produced over the years.

Places to Visit

Rother Valley Country Park

Key
	Owned by the National Trust
	Owned by English Heritage
	Owned by the Forestry Commission
	A Country Park
	An Accessible open space
	Museum (free)
	Museum (charges entry fee)
	Heritage railway
	Historic House

South Yorkshire has many interesting places to visit, including:

• Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Sheffield
• Brodsworth Hall and Gardens
• Cannon Hall Museum, Park & Gardens, Barnsley
• Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge ("Chapel on the Bridge"), Rotherham
• Clifton Park Museum, Rotherham
• Conisbrough Castle
• Cusworth Hall
• Doncaster Minster
• Doncaster Mansion House
• Elsecar Steam Railway
• Howden Moors
• Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield
• Magna Science Adventure Centre
• Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield
• Monk Bretton Priory
• Pot House Hamlet
• Sheffield Winter Gardens
• Roche Abbey
• Rotherham Minster
• Rother Valley Country Park
• RSPB Old Moor Wetland Centre
• Sheffield Cathedral
• Ulley Reservoir & Country park
• Wentworth Castle & Gardens, Barnsley
• Wentworth Woodhouse
• Weston Park Museum & Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield
• Woodlands model village
• Worsborough Mill and Country Park
• Wortley Top Forge
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park

See also

In Spanish: Yorkshire del Sur para niños