Download GPX file for this article
53.4301-1.3572Full screen dynamic map

From Wikivoyage
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England, near Sheffield. The urban area has a population of about 120,000.

Understand

Rotherham Visitor Centre is at 40 Bridgegate, [1]. M-W 9:30am-5pm, Th 9.30am-1pm, F 9.30am-5pm, Sa 9:30am-1pm.

Get in

Rotherham is easily accessible by bus and train. The town has a large, recently refurbished bus interchange moments away from the main shopping and leisure precincts with connections to Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Chesterfield and the surrounding suburbs. The main train station is very small (only two platforms) and is located a short walk from the bus interchange and again has links to Sheffield, Doncaster, Cleethorpes, Hull, Lincoln, Huddersfield, Leeds and Bradford.

Get around

The best way to see the town centre is on foot given its size. Travel to the many suburbs and smaller townships of Rotherham can be achieved by the frequent and reliable First bus services. There are a range of taxi companies and a Hacknay Taxi rank outside the bus interchange. Rotherham was rumoured to be connected to the Sheffield Supertram network but in 2007 this was quashed in favour of a rapid bus system that is currently in development.

See

  • Clifton Park Museum, Clifton Lane, +44 1709 336633. M-Th, Sa 10am-5pm, Su 1:30-4:30pm, F closed. The house was built in 1783. The museum includes local social and industrial history, archaeology, natural sciences, coins and medals and fine and decorative arts. Free.
  • Rotherham Minster, Church Street, +44 1709 364737. Much of the building dates from the 15th century. Some parts are from Saxon and Norman times. Formerly known as Rotherham All Saints’ Parish Church.
  • Chapel of Our Lady on Rotherham Bridge. Built in 1483. Has been a chapel, almshouse, gaol, shop and is now a chapel again.
  • York and Lancaster Regimental Museum, Arts Centre, Walker Place. M-Sa 9.30am-5pm, closed bank holidays. Free.
  • Boston Castle, Boston Castle Grove. A square two-story building built as a shooting lodge by the Earl of Effingham.
  • Magna Science Adventure Centre, Sheffield Road, Rotherham, S60 1DX (Take the M1, junction 33 if travelling from the south, junction 34 if travelling from the north), +44 1709 720002. 10am-5pm. A hands-on science museum situated in an old steelworks. Adults £9.95, Children £7.95.
  • 1 Conisbrough Castle, Castle Hill, Conisbrough, DN12 3BU, +44 1709 863329. adults £4.60, children £2.80, concessions £4.10.

Do

Buy

  • Parkgate Shopping. Stadium Way, Rotherham, S60 1TG. Parkgate Shopping is a retail park situated approximately 1 mile to the north of Rotherham town centre on the A633. It has an array of high street shops including Next, Marks & Spencer, HMV and Boots. There is also a large Morrisons supermarket.

Meadowhall

Entrance to Meadowhall

Meadowhall [2], once the largest shopping mall in the country, has had its success has been blamed for a steep decline in the fortunes of city centre shops in both Rotherham and the neighbouring towns in South Yorkshire. With 280 high-end stores and over 30 million visitors every year, Meadowhall attracts shoppers from a large area, with residents from Nottingham, Bradford and Leeds (all highly populated local cities with thriving shopping districts) being known to travel to the Shopping Mall - adding to the heavy human traffic in the relatively narrow corridors (perhaps one of Meadowhall's downsides).

Shops generally stay open till 8PM; most fast-food restaurants stay open until around 10PM. During the Christmas holidays, most shops stay open till 10PM, but the centre becomes very packed and is not recommended to the less sturdy shopper, those in large groups, or families with multiple extra-large baby-buggies. 'The Oasis' is the mall's designated food court which includes a variety of different food outlets such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, La Tasca, Nando's, Frankie & Benny's, Coal Grill And Bar, Pizza Express, along with many other independent restaurants occupying the upper floor.

Meadowhall can be reached easily from the Rotherham Interchange by the X78 bus route.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Go next

  • Leeds a big Yorkshire city, only an hour away by train/coach/car, handy for the Yorkshire Dales.
  • Manchester, England's 'second city', a vibrant shopping and cultural hub. Around 1 1/2 hours journey by car (through the scenic views of the Peak District) and an hour by train.
  • Hull, a 700-year-old major port city and regional capital of East Yorkshire and the Humber. Many free museums in the cobbled old town, and the most successful millennium project in the country with the spectacular aquarium, The Deep.
  • Sheffield another large Yorkshire city, less than half an hour away by bus/train/car, easy to get to and has many more visitor attractions.
This city travel guide to Rotherham is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!