Maltby

Understand

"Rother" is Old English for "chief river", roduβr, but those Old English can't have travelled very far, since the River Rother is merely a tributary of the Don, which in turn joins the Trent / Ouse tidal system and then the broad Humber. It wasn't navigable but had water enough to power mills and supply industry, which drove Rotherham's 18th-century growth from a small market town into a busy, grubby city. Iron and steel was the main industry, using local iron ore fired by coal from the rich Barnsley seam. The coal was suitable for making coke, used for the very high temperatures for quality steel and for glass-making. The Templeborough steelworks in its Edwardian heyday was over a mile long, employed 10,000 workers, and produced 1.8 million tonnes of steel a year. But many of the manufacturers succumbed to foreign competition: Templeborough closed in 1993 and is now the site of Magna Science Adventure Centre. There's still a strip of steelworks along A630 northeast edge of town. Famous people from Rotherham include goalkeeper David Seaman (b 1963), football referee Howard Webb (b 1971), TV presenter James May (b 1963) and politician William Hague (b 1961). Those from elsewhere who got their career start in Rotherham include actor Sean Bean (b 1959) and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson (b 1960).

Getting there

Rotherham lies north of the M1 and west of the M18, with several access junctions. See South Yorkshire#Get_in for flight options.

By rail Trains run every 30 min from London St Pancras to Sheffield via Leicester and Derby, and from London Kings Cross to Doncaster. Change at either Sheffield or Doncaster for frequent local trains onward to Rotherham Central, for a total journey time from London of 2 hr 30 min. Coming from the north, you usually change at Leeds or Doncaster. However there's also a train three times a day from York via Pontefract to Rotherham and Sheffield. Rotherham is also on the Sheffield Supertram network: the tram-train (black on the network map) runs from Cathedral in central Sheffield every 20 min via Meadowhall to reach Rotherham Central in 25 min. The terminus is Parkgate shopping centre, 4 min further up the line. See also Sheffield#By tram for fares and a network map. 1 Rotherham Central has a staffed ticket office and machines. There's a cafe and toilets but no waiting room; the station is within a short walk of all central amenities. There is step-free access by the lifts to both platforms. Plusbus is available here.

By bus National Express NX560 runs twice a day from London Victoria to Rotherham (5 hours) and Barnsley. For most other destinations change in Sheffield or Leeds. Megabus doesn't serve Rotherham directly, but does stop at Meadowhall; from here, take a train or local bus. First Bus X1 Steel Link runs every 10 min from Sheffield Eyre St via Meadowhall to Rotherham (35 min) and Maltby. Bus X78 runs every 15 min between Doncaster, Rotherham (one hour), Meadowhall and Sheffield. Bus 22x runs hourly from Barnsley, taking an hour to Rotherham. The hourly bus X6 between Sheffield and Doncaster-Sheffield Airport stops at Wickersley at the south edge of town, it doesn't come into the bus station. 2 Rotherham Interchange is the town's main bus station, 250 m east of the railway station.

Getting around

Most sights can be reached on foot. For Magna Centre take any bus towards Sheffield, except the X78 which uses a different route. For Roche Abbey take the X1 to Maltby then walk south for a mile on A634. This is a busy road but there's a sidewalk. Taxis wait at the railway and bus stations.

See

1 Rotherham Minster (All Saints Church), Church Street S60 1PD, ☏ +44 1709 364737. Daily. Anglican church in Perpendicular style, the chancel dates from the 14th century and the tower from the 15th. The rest is later and it was made over by George Gilbert Scott in the 19th century. (updated Apr 2020) 2 Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge, Bridge St. This was built upon the bridge over the River Don in 1483. Chapels on bridges were often used as chantries, where a priest chanted prayers for the souls of passers-by and of local worthies. After the Reformation it became an almshouse, gaol and shop but was restored as a chapel in 1927. (updated Apr 2020) 3 Clifton Park Museum, Clifton Lane S65 2AA, ☏ +44 1709 336633. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Museum in an ironmaster's house built in 1783, and passing to the council in 1891, at which time the park was laid out. It includes local social and industrial history, archaeology, natural sciences, coins and medals and fine and decorative arts. There's a large collection of Rockingham Pottery, a gaudy rococo style originally made nearby in Swinton, including one of only two specimens of "Rhinoceros Vase" created to showcase the pottery's technical skill. The museum also includes the York and Lancaster Regimental Museum in the building opposite. Free. (updated Apr 2020) 4 South Yorkshire Transport Museum, 9 Waddington Way, Aldwarke S65 3SH. Closed until April 2021. Volunteer-run museum with some 50 historic vehicles. (updated Jan 2021) 5 Boston Castle, Boston Castle Grove. Apr-Sep: Tu-Su 11AM-3PM. A square two-storey building built in 1775 as a shooting lodge by the Earl of Effingham and prettified with mock castellations. He named it in sympathy with the Boston "tea-party" colonists and resigned his commission rather than fight them; and no tea was ever to be drunk in his castle! There's a small museum inside; the surrounding Boston Park was opened on 4 July 1876, the centennial of US independence. Free. (updated Apr 2020)

6 Centenary

Do

Football: Rotherham United, AESSEAL New York Stadium, New York Way S60 1FJ (half a mile south of Rotherham Central railway station). "The Millers" were relegated in 2026 and now play soccer in League Two, the fourth tier. They play at the New York Stadium, capacity 12,000. (updated May 2026) Theatre: Rotherham Civic Theatre is on Catherine St in town centre. Cinema: cross the M1 west to Vue in Meadowhall or Cineworld off A6178. Rotherham Leisure Complex is on Effingham St north side of town centre. It has a gym, pool and fitness classes. Walk, bike or boat along the River Don, which is canalised and navigable. The canal network connects all the way to Sheffield, to the sea at Goole, and to the Aire-Calder system across the Pennines. Golf: nearby courses are Sitwell Park GC, Rotherham GC, Roundwood GC, Wath GC and Grange Park GC. Just west of M1 in Sheffield are Concord Park and Tinsley Park. Sing mass in ancient Egyptian: the Coptic Orthodox Church of St Anthony is on St Leonard's Rd, just south of the junction of A630 and A633. Morning mass is W F Su, with vespers Sa. Liturgy is little changed in thousands of years and long pre-dates Arabic, though it's transcribed into Greek script. The pharaohs probably hummed the same tunes.

Buy

High Street was given a makeover in the 2010s and turned into an attractive pedestrianised area of small independent retailers. However, as of February 2022, many of the shops are empty, incl