Before You Buy Your Home in Barnsley | Electrical Checks

Buying a house in Barnsley? Count the pits first

In 1960 there were 70 collieries within fifteen miles of Barnsley town centre. The last one, Goldthorpe, closed in 1994.

I’m Mat Orton, MP Electrical. I have been an electrician for 25+ years and we cover Barnsley from Rotherham.

Why an electrician cares about that

Seventy pits needed a lot of houses, and those houses were already standing in 1960. Barnsley has moved on since, with the Alhambra in 1991, the Interchange in 2007 and the Glass Works in 2021. Many of the houses have not.

What I look for in a house from the pit years

Rubber cable that has perished. Lights with no earth on the circuit. Gas and water pipes that were never joined to the earthing. Wiring changed in the mid 1960s, so a house from before then that has never been rewired can have all three.

Before you commit

Have a full EICR. A viewing will not show you the wiring and the surveyor does not test it. I report what I find in plain English and I do not guess it beforehand. The seller has to agree to the visit.

What Barnsley buyers ask me

Is Barnsley too far for you? No. We cover Barnsley.

Do you do small jobs? Yes, any size.

MP Electrical is NAPIT registered, with 330+ five star Google reviews and over 1000 jobs done.

Helpful Guides for Homebuyers

• Do I Need a New Fuse Board? 7 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade
• Signs Your House Needs Rewiring
• Old Fuse Box vs Modern Consumer Unit
• EICR for Barnsley Landlords
• Fuseboard Replacement in Barnsley

Areas We Cover Near Barnsley

MP Electrical helps homebuyers across Barnsley and into Rotherham, Chapeltown, Wath upon Dearne, Swinton, Mexborough, Sheffield and Doncaster.

Page last updated: 6 October 2026