Grimethorpe

Grimethorpe is a village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. As of the 2011 census it has a population of 4,672. Grimethorpe is located in eastern Barnsley, and until the local government reorganisation of 1974, it was part of the Hemsworth district and constituency. The village is part of the North East ward of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. For much of the 20th century Grimethorpe's economy was rooted in coal mining. Since the 1984–85 miners' strike, the downscaling of UK coal mining greatly accelerated and international cheap open-cast mining provoked closure of its colliery in May 1993. In 1994 it was regarded as the poorest village in Britain. There are roads linking the village to some of the country's biggest arteries, and the village is home to approximately 51 businesses, including the online fashion retailer ASOS.