Grimethorpe
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Grimethorpe is a large village which is part of the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is located to the east of Barnsley and the south of Hemsworth; prior to the local government reorganisation, it was part of both the Hemsworth district and constituency. It is known for its past as a proud mining village, its brass band, The Grimethorpe Colliery Band and its siting for the film "Brassed Off" - a very dark comedy which tells the plight of the village and the effect on its band. Grimethorpe colliery was one of the deepest pits in Britain and still employed 6,000 men at the time of the closure in 1993.
Grimethorpe has gained a reputation as one of the most long-term deprived communities in Britain and more than half of the houses from the coal-mining days have been demolished. In 1994, the European Union's study of deprivation named Grimethorpe as the poorest village in the whole country and amongst the poorest in Europe. For a village, levels of crime and drug abuse have been chronically high. Unemployment was above 50% for much of the 1990s and a large proportion of the population are disabled, having suffered injuries down the coal mines. Several regeneration projects have caused fortunes to improve in recent years and the village is starting to regain its self-respect, but it still suffers from social poverty common to many neighbouring ex-mining villages, such as nearby Fitzwilliam.
It is believed that the name Grimethorpe originates from "Grim's Torp", a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and Viking names, meaning a Torp or hamlet owned by a Viking named Grim.