Brampton Bierlow

Brampton Bierlow, near Barnsley, often known as Brampton, is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the south side of the Dearne Valley, between Barnsley and Rotherham.

Population
According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 3,658, increasing to 4,610 at the 2011 Census.

Historic significance
The parish was within the historic county boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The area is traditionally within Barnsley, but since April 1 1974 was made part of Rotherham Metropolitan Council.

Economy
Brampton Bierlow is a former mining village, with employment primarily related to the coal industry; the economy declined after the closure of mines in the 1980s, which was, in part, sparked by the announcement of the closure of Cortonwood Colliery in the village. Despite some economic recovery, Brampton was, at one point, declared one of the poorest areas in the European Union (before the 2004 expansion).

Recently, the economy of the area has improved, as investment has been put into infrastructure and developing light industry and service industries in the area.

Notability
Steve Rothery, guitarist of the band Marillion, was born in Brampton. Footballers George Robledo and Ted Robledo, both of whom played football for local football club Barnsley F.C., grew up in the village: they were born in Chile but moved to Brampton (their mother's home) as children (in 1932) because of the instability in Chile at the time. George represented Chile at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.