Traditionally a steel and coal producing centre, the decline of both industries in South Yorkshire has been replaced to some extent by tourism based around the area’s beautiful Pennine countryside. The county claims part of the Peak District National Park, whose hills and dales provide welcome space for the large urban populations.

South Yorkshire is made up of four districts: City of Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. Barnsley is the county’s administrative centre, located on one of Britain’s richest coalfields. The town has an entry in the Domesday Book and was built on land belonging to the priories of Pontefract and Monk Bretton. Doncaster, originally a Roman station, is set on the River Don. It is known particularly for its racecourse, best known for the St Leger in September. In 1875, Charles Dickens watched it from the 18th century Italianate grandstand at the Town Moor racecourse. The Lincolnshire Handicap is held in March. The town also boasts fine Georgian architecture and Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery.