Your visit

Welcome to the Cooper Gallery. We want all visitors to enjoy their visit, and aim to be an accessible and inclusive museum. As we are always looking to improve our access, we welcome any visitor feedback on this.

Our friendly team will always be on hand to welcome you to our venues and help you with any questions you may have about your visit. In the meantime, have a look at the information below to help you plan your day with us.

Please see our access vision.

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Getting here and parking

There are various options for town centre parking available close to the museum, many of which are free for up to three hours at the weekend. They include The Seam (Lower) car park, Gateway Plaza, Churchfields, Peel Parade, Sackville Street and Market Hill. There is limited on street parking outside the Gallery or on St Mary's Gate. People can be dropped off outside the Gallery.

There is a bus station (Barnsley Interchange) 0.3 miles from the museum. All buses in Barnsley are wheelchair and pushchair accessible. The route from Barnsley Interchange to the Museum is uphill.

You can find out more about parking in Barnsley here.

Admission and opening times

Free admission (Donations welcome)
Opening times, Monday - Saturday, 10 - 4. Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Gallery Cafe opening times - Monday - Saturday, 9.30 - 3pm. Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Joshua's opening times - Tuesday - Friday, 9.30 - 3pm. Closed Saturday - Monday.

Training

Our staff have disability awareness training. Some have Makaton training.

Awards

We are delighted to have won the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Award for Best Accessible Museum in 2024!

Food and Drink

The Gallery is home to two warm and welcoming cafes serving a delicious range of food and drink.

Cooper Gallery Cafe House is situated inside the Gallery and Joshua’s Dining Lounge is at the back in the garden. Both are perfect for a light lunch or afternoon tea.

Please note that the Cooper Gallery café only accepts cash payments. To contact the café call 07470 753 315.

To contact Joshua's please call 07873 333 789

Contact us

Telephone: 01226 775678

Email: coopergallery@barnsley.gov.uk

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 3 working days.

Visitors who are wheelchair users or whose mobility is limited

Step-free entry from Church Street
Lifts available to all floors and outside spaces
Seating available throughout the Gallery. Portable seating is also available.
Accessible toilets are available next to the café
There are Changing Places available in the Town Hall less than half a mile away in the town centre. A radar key is required for the Town Hall facility, if you do not have one you can request one at the main reception desk in the Town Hall (Monday - Friday) and in the shop at Experience Barnsley (Saturday). The Town Hall building is closed on Sundays.
There are alternative Changing Places nearby in the Glass Works shopping centre and in Library @ The Lightbox.

Visitors who are D/deaf or have hearing loss

Portable hearing loops available on the front desk - please speak to a member of staff for further information
Subtitles on films
Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of the Gallery

Visitors who are Blind or partially sighted

Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of the Gallery

Audio Descriptions

We have audio descriptions of a selection objects from our collections.

Autistic visitors and vistors with learning difficulties or who are neurodivergent

We have visual stories for each of our sites, including for our new temporary exhibition on Brian Wildsmith (please see below).
We have a 360 tour of the Cooper Gallery available
Our garden area is usually a relaxed and calm environment, but please check our events page for details of activities that maybe taking place on specific days. Our garden may also be busier during the summer holidays.
We have sensory backpacks available to borrow from our shop desk including ear defenders, fidget toys, soft toys and coloured filters. These are free of charge, please return them to the front desk at the end of your visit. We also have sunflower lanyards available to borrow free of charge for the duration of your visit.

We are holding relaxed openings at the Cooper Gallery and Experience Barnsley on the following dates in 2025:

Saturday 25th January
Tuesday 18th February (with early 9am opening)
Saturday 22nd March
Tuesday 15th April (with early 9am opening)
Saturday 17th May
Saturday 21st June
Wednesday 23rd July (with early 9am opening)
Tuesday 19th August (with early 9am opening)
Saturday 20th September
Tuesday 28th October (with early 9am opening)
Saturday 15th November
Saturday 20th December

Interactives will be turned down or off to create a quieter experience for visitors who prefer it. We can never guarantee how quiet or busy the Gallery might be on these sessions however we will not book in any groups or school visits on these days.

Please note that although music and interactives will be turned down, we do still have a busy cafe onsite which may generate some noise in the entrance to the Gallery and in the shop.

If you are visiting outside of our relaxed opening hours, our quietest times are usually at the start and end of the day. The Cooper Gallery is usually a quiet and relaxed space but please check our What's On page for details of any special events which may mean we are busier. Noise from the cafe can sometimes be heard on Gallery at lunchtimes and busy periods. During term time, we may have school groups in between 10am and 2pm, and during the school holidays we may be busy with family visitors. Please note our cafe closes at 3pm, so noise levels will be reduced after then.