Doncaster
Encyclopedia
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire
, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
. The town is about 20 miles (32 km) from Sheffield
and is popularly referred to as "Donny". Doncaster has an international airport
, and in recent years its centre has undergone regeneration including the development of an Education City campus, currently the largest education investment of its kind in the UK. Doncaster has also recently extended the Frenchgate Centre
, a shopping centre and transport interchange.
According to the 2001 census
, the urban sub-area of Doncaster had a population of 67,977. Together with Bentley
and Armthorpe
, it forms an urban area with a population of 127,851. The wider metropolitan borough had a 2001 population of around 286,866
projected as nearly 297,000 for 2011.
Doncaster is on the site of a Roman fort which was built in the 1st century AD at a crossing of the River Don. The Roman Empirical command of Ninius called this fort "Caer Daun". Later the commands of Antoninus Pius
and Notitia Dignitatum
called this fort Danum, from which the town derives the "Don-" part of its name; "caster" (ceaster) an Old English adaptation of the Latin word Castra
, meaning a military camp. Doncaster was home to the Roman Crispinian horse garrison. The cavalry took its name from Crispus
, son of Constantine the Great. Crispus, son of the Emperor, lived at Danum (Doncaster) whilst his father lived 40 miles (64.4 km) further north at Eboracum
(York).
The Doncaster garrison units are named in the Notitia Dignitatum
or 'Register of Dignitaries', produced around the turn of the 5th century near the end of Roman rule in Britain. This important administrative document contains — among other things — the name of almost every military unit in the Roman Empire
, also the name of their respective garrison towns. The garrison unit was originally recruited from among the tribes-people living near the town of Crispiana in Upper Pannonia
, near Zirc
in the Bakony
region of western Hungary
. The fact that Doncaster is included, highlights the importance placed by the Romans on Doncaster. The Doncaster entry is listed under the command of the Dux Britanniarum
or the 'Duke of the Britons'. Doncaster provided an alternative direct land route between Lincoln
and York
. The main route between Lincoln and York was Ermine Street
which meant crossing the Humber Estuary
in boats. For obvious reasons this was not always practical and thus Doncaster became an important staging post on the Roman map.
The Roman road
through Doncaster appears on two routes recorded in the Antonine Itinerary
. The itinera include the same section of road between Lincoln and York, and list three stations along the route in between these two coloniae. Iter VII and Iter VIII is entitled "the route from York to London". The section below showing distances from Iter VIII.
A route through the north Derbyshire
hills was opened up sometime in the latter half of the 1st century AD, possibly by the militaristic governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola
during the late 70s, although the first section of the road to the Doncaster fort had probably been in existence since the early 50s.
Today, there are several areas of known intense archaeological interest however many, in particular St Sepulchre Gate, remain hidden under buildings. The Roman fort is believed to have been located on the site that is now St George's Minster next to the River Don.
The town was an Anglo-Saxon
burh, and is mentioned in the 1003 will of Wulfric Spott. Shortly after the Norman Conquest
, Nigel Fossard refortified the town and constructed Conisbrough Castle
. By the time of the Domesday Book
, Hexthorpe
was described as having a church and two mill
s; David Hey contends that these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also suggests that the street name Frenchgate indicates that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the town.
As the 12th century approached, Doncaster matured into a busy town and in 1194 King Richard I
granted Doncaster national recognition with a town charter. During the Middle Ages
Doncaster evolved further and it was then later in 1204 that Doncaster suffered and recovered from a disastrous fire. At this time, buildings were built of wood and fire was a constant hazard.
In 1248, a charter was granted for Doncaster Market to be held around the Church of St Mary Magdalene, which in the 16th century became the town hall and was ultimately demolished in 1846. Some 750 years on, the market still exists with its busy stalls located both outside and under cover. The market also occupies the 19th century 'Corn Exchange' building, opened in 1873 and extensively rebuilt in 1994 after a major fire.
During the 14th century a number of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm and preachings. In 1307 Franciscan
friars (Greyfriars) arrived, and Carmelites
(Whitefriars) arrived in the middle of the 14th century. In the Mediaeval period, other major features of the town included the Hospital of St Nicholas and leper colony
of the Hospital of St James, a moot hall
, grammar school
, and the five-arched stone town bridge with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Bridge. By 1334, Doncaster was the wealthiest town in southern Yorkshire and the sixth most important town in Yorkshire as a whole, even boasting its own bank
er. By 1379, it was already recovering from the Black Death
and had a population of around 1,500 people. By 1547, it had over 2,000. The town was incorporated in 1461 and its first Mayor
and corporation were established.
Many of Doncaster's streets are named with the suffix 'gate'. The word 'gate' is derived from the old Danish word 'gata' which meant street. During Medieval times, craftsmen or tradesmen with similar skills, tended to live in the same street. Baxter is an ancient word for baker thereby confirming that Baxtergate was indeed the bakers' street. It is assumed that 'Frenchgate' may be named after French speaking Normans who settled on this street.
The Medieval township of Doncaster is known to have been protected by earthen ramparts and ditches leaving four substantial gates as entrances to the town. These gates were located at Hall Gate, St. Mary's Bridge (old), St. Sepulchre Gate and Sunny Bar. Today the gates at Sunny Bar are commemorated by huge 'Boar Gates', similarly, the entrance to St. Sepulchre Gate is also commemorated, this time with white marble 'Roman Gates'. The boundary of the town principally extended from the River Don, along what is now, Market Road, Silver Street, Cleveland Street and Printing Office Street.
Because access into town was circumscribed, some officeholders secured charters to collect tolls. In 1605, King James I
granted to William Levett
of Doncaster, brother of York
merchant Percival Levett
, the right to levy tolls at Friar's and St. Mary's Bridges. Having served as mayors and aldermen of Doncaster, the Levetts probably felt they could pull off their monopoly. In 1618 the family began enforcing it, but by 1628 the populace revolted. Capt. Christopher Levett
, Percival's son, petitioned Parliament. But Parliament disagreed, calling the tolls "a grievance to the subjects, both in creation and execution," and axed the Levett monopoly. (Doncaster's Levet Road is named for this family, as are the nearby hamlets of Hooton Levitt
and the largely extinct Levitt Hagg
, where much of the town's early limestone was quarried.)
During the 16th and 17th centuries the town of Doncaster continued to expand. This was despite several outbreaks of plague from 1562 until 1606. Each time the plague struck down significant numbers of Doncaster's population.
, King Charles I
marched by Bridgnorth
, Lichfield
and Ashbourne
to Doncaster, where on 18 August 1645 he was met by great numbers of Yorkshire
gentlemen who had rallied to his cause. On 2 May 1664, Doncaster was later rewarded with the title of 'Free Borough' by way of the King expressing his gratitude for Doncaster's allegiance.
Doncaster is traditionally very wealthy. The borough itself was known for its rich landowners with vast estates and huge stately homes such as Brodsworth Hall
, Cantley Manor, Cusworth Hall
, Hickleton Hall, Nether Hall and Wheatley Hall. This wealth is evidenced in the luxurious and historic gilded 18th century Mansion House
which stands on High Street. This land ownership developed what is an ancient market place and large 19th century Market Hall and Corn Exchange
buildings. Perhaps the most striking building is St George's Minster
(promoted from a parish church in 2004).
Doncaster was already a communications centre at this time. Doncaster sat on the Great North Road or A1, due to its strategic geographical importance and essentially Roman inheritance. This was the primary route for all traffic from London
to Edinburgh
and Doncaster cashed in on its location.
. Rosie Winterton
represents Doncaster Central
, Ed Miliband
represents Doncaster North
, Caroline Flint
represents Don Valley
, while Michael Dugher
represents Barnsley East
.
At a European level Doncaster is part of the Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
constituency and is represented by six MEPs.
Locally Doncaster is one of only twelve UK boroughs to have a directly-elected mayor, a position currently held by English Democrat Peter Davies
.
The Doncaster skyline is dominated by the minster in the middle of the town. The Frenchgate Shopping Centre also holds an important position in the skyline, along with the Doncaster College Hub building and Cusworth Hall
. Cusworth Hall is an 18th century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house.
Doncaster has plans to demolish the old Doncaster College,(demolition is now complete and building work has started) the Council House and surrounding buildings and replace them with more modern facilities including a new theatre, council house and hotel which together will form the Doncaster Civic and Cultural Quarter. There are also plans for expansion onto set aside land north of the new college (The Hub) if it gains university
status.
Potteric Carr
, including Potteric Carr Nature Reserve
, lies to the south.
The Doncaster area is about as far north as the 21.5c(71f) average July/August maximum temperature isotherm reaches - Indeed, the August 1990 record high of 35.5c(95.9f) is the most northerly temperature reading above 35.0c(95.0f) in the British Isles. The nearby town of Bawtry just slightly further south still holds the UK's September monthly record high temperature of 35.6c(96.1f), set in 1906. Typically, the warmest day of the year should reach 29.1c(84.4f) and 12.58 days will report a daytime maximum of 25.1c(77.2f) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature stands at -13.5c, set during December 1981. Although online records only relate to the period 1960-2000, so in reality lower temperatures may have been recorded at nearby locations outside of this timeframe. According to the 1971-2000 period, 51.9 nights of the year will record an air frost on average.
Typically 106.9 days, of the year will report 1mm or more of rain falling. Total annual precipitation is slightly below 560mm, comparable to the driest parts of the United Kingdom, due to Doncaster's location in the rain shadow of the Pennines.
, Ikea
, Exel
, Amazon.com
and Faberge also exist, the B&Q
Distribution Centre next to the dfs
UK headquarters at Redhouse
A1(M) Junction 38 was the largest free-standing warehouse in the UK. A significant proportion of fresh and frozen goods for Northern Supermarkets is dispatched by road from Doncaster.
On 5 March 2004, Doncaster was granted Fairtrade Town
status.
inventors, Nuttalls Mintoes and Murray Mints.
In August 2011 Parkinson's put their 190 year old trademark up for sale on eBay after experiencing difficulties following their distributors going into adminsitration
that prompted Doncaster's exponential population growth. The waterways, River Don and Don Navigation were used to transport coal from Doncaster to the steel production centres at Rotherham
, Scunthorpe
and Sheffield
.
With coal mining came secondary and tertiary industries:
, the railway came to Doncaster, and the Great Northern Railway
Locomotive and Carriage Building Works
was established there. The reasons for this were Doncaster's communication links, the necessity to transport coal quickly and efficiently and Doncaster's expertise in specialist metal products. An extensive housing programme was undertaken to cater for the increase in the population. The Chairman of the Great Northern, anxious about the workers and their families' spiritual welfare, persuaded the directors to contribute towards the building of St. James' Church, which became known as the "Plant Church". The railway also built St. James' School. The Doncaster Plant became famous for building LNER
4-6-2
locomotives Mallard
and the Flying Scotsman
, as well as many thousands more locomotives.
Today, Doncaster railway station
, on the East Coast Line
, is linked to many towns and cities across the UK such as Wakefield
, Leeds
, Hull
, Sheffield
, Manchester
, Birmingham
, London
, York
, Darlington
, Newcastle upon Tyne
, Berwick upon Tweed, Edinburgh
, Motherwell
, Glasgow
, and Lincoln
.
Doncaster PSB
is one of the largest signalling centres on the UK network, controlling hundreds of route miles of railway.
During World War I
and World War II
, the rail industry gave way to munitions building. In the early part of the 20th century Doncaster became one of the largest coal mining
areas in the country, with the industry employing more people in the area than anything else. However, along with many other areas, a large number of mining jobs were lost in the late 1980s, and several pits closed. Today, coal mining has been all but eliminated from the area, with only a handful of collieries surviving. The demise of coal saw a cascade effect which saw the removal of many other tertiary industries. However, several companies diversified and can still be seen today.
was chosen as the venue for an airshow, after the world's first air display in Reims
, France
in 1908. All the world's leading aviators were present. Samuel F. Cody
(no relation to William F.Cody
) in an attempt to win a prize offered by the Daily Mail
for the first British pilot in a British aeroplane to fly a circular mile signed British naturalisation papers in front of the crowd with the band playing both God Save the King
and the Star Spangled Banner. Unfortunately, he crashed his British Army Aeroplane No.1 whilst taxiing.
During World War I
fighters based first from the racecourse, then a temporary airstrip near Finningley (later RAF Finningley
and now Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
) and finally, in 1916, from a newly built airfield alongside the racecourse, were deployed to defend the east coast against Zeppelin
s. On a number of occasions fighters took off to search for the intruders but none were ever seen. The Royal Flying Corps
station trained pilots for the war in France. Within months of the war ending the entire station was put up for sale and two of its three Belfast hangars, the same type of hangar that now forms the basis for the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon
, were sold to a Sheffield motor manufacturing company for storage and assembly at Finningley
. The third of the hangars stayed in place, mainly housing buses, until the 1970s when it was knocked down and replaced with modern buildings.
In 1920 the Government asked local authorities to assist in the formation of a chain of airfields so the country would not lag behind other nations in the provision of civil air services. Doncaster took heed and, with expert advice from Alan Cobham
, on 26 May 1934, opened a grandly called 'aviation centre'. Development of the airfield continued and on 1 July 1936 an international service was opened to Amsterdam
. On 1 November 1938, after long discussions with the Air Ministry
, 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron
of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was formed. Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939 the squadron went to its battle station and played an honourable part in the Battle of Britain
. After the departure of 616 squadron its place was taken by the formation of 271 (Transport) Squadron
composed mainly of requisitioned civilian aircraft and obsolescent twin engined bombers. 616 squadron should be noted as the first Allied jet fighter squadron, who were equipped with the Gloster Meteor
, famed for using their wingtips for throwing German V-1 Flying Bombs
off course. In 1944, after being re-equipped with American-made Douglas DC-3 "Dakotas"
, the squadron moved south to take part in Operation 'Overlord'
and later in the airborne invasion at Arnhem
where Flight Lieutenant
David Lord
was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross
.
After the war the airfield reverted to civilian flying and finally closed in 1992.
In 1930, International Harvester
(IH) started the production of agricultural implements at a factory on Wheatley Hall Road and later at another in the Carr Hill area of Doncaster. The first tractor built at the factory was a Farmall M
, which came off the production line on 13 September 1949. Initially, tractors were built from parts shipped from the USA. The Wheatley Hall Road factory was extended after the war with a new foundry
to make the heavy castings. The factory started Crawler tractor production in 1953. By 1960, the factory was making a range of tractors from scratch, designed specifically for British and European markets, and sold under the 'McCormick International' name. Assembly moved in 1965 to the Carr Hill plant. In 1983, tractor production was moved to IH's other Doncaster factory at Wheatley Hall. In 1985, International Harvester
sold its agricultural division to Tenneco, Inc. which then merged the operation with its subsidiary J.I. Case to form Case IH
, who continued to design and build its European tractor range in Doncaster, shutting the David Brown Ltd.
tractor factory near Huddersfield
. The 350,000th tractor came off the production line in 1999.
In 2000, the factory was purchased by ARGO SpA
, an Italian-based agricultural equipment builder. Doncaster was the sole production site of the McCormick Tractors
brand, and the factory employed around 380 people (although approximately 1,100 people are employed in the worldwide McCormick group). In December 2006, the parent company ARGO Spa, announced that the Doncaster facility was to close in mid-2007 with the loss of around 325 jobs. Much to the dismay of trade union officials and local news, the announcement was made only one week before Christmas. When the factory closed, 61 years of tractor production in Doncaster came to an end as the production of the tractors was moved to Italy. The factory closed in late 2007.
and is the starting point of European Route E13
. The E13 connects Doncaster, Sheffield
, Nottingham
to London
. In the United Kingdom, European route designators are not displayed on road signs. It is notable to mention that the M18 Junction 2 at Doncaster was the original intended starting point of the M1 motorway
where the motorway meets the A1(M). The intended motorway design is evidenced in road maps. The M1 was extended northward to Leeds
, which is why the E13 starts at Doncaster and follows the path of the M18 and the M1.
and M62
motorways.
Doncaster is also an important railway town with a station
on the East Coast Main Line
. The 15 miles (24.1 km) A1(M) motorway bypass cost £6 million and was opened by Ernest Marples
in 1961. The former route is now the A638
, and partly the A614
to Blyth
.
which opened in 2005. In addition there is the well established Doncaster International Railport facilities that link to the Channel Tunnel
.
and the Frenchgate Interchange
(a unification of bus and railway stations with the Frenchgate Centre
). The extension to the shopping centre and the new bus station opened on 8 June 2006, from when all Doncaster bus routes started to use the station.
From around the 16th century, Doncaster embraced the wealthy stagecoach
trade. This led to horse breeding in Doncaster, which in turn led to the start of horseraces
there. The earliest important race in Doncaster's history was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest continuing regulated horserace in the world.
Ten years later the racecourse moved to its present location and in 1776 Colonel Anthony St. Leger founded a race in which five horses ran. This race has remained in existence and become the world's oldest classic horserace. During the First World War the racecourse was used for military purposes and substitute races were run instead at Newmarket from 1915 to 1918.
Doncaster has the distinction of both starting and ending the flat season on turf. Every September, Doncaster hosts the four-day Ladbrokes St. Leger Festival. Doncaster has also taken over events whose traditional homes have closed, such as the Lincoln Cup in 1965.
More history was made at Doncaster in 1992 when it staged the first ever Sunday meeting on a British racecourse. A crowd of 23,000 turned up despite there being no betting.
Today the St. Leger Stakes
remains the world's oldest classic horserace and features in the horseracing calendar as the 5th and final Classic of the British flat racing
season. This takes place every September on the Town Moor
course.
Doncaster is a left-handed, pear-shaped track of around 1-mile 7½ furlongs which is mostly flat. There are courses for Flat racing
and also for National Hunt racing.
The racecourse is no longer run by Doncaster MBC
but by Arena Leisure Plc. The racecourse reopened in 2007 after undergoing massive refurbishment with the building of a new grandstand, exhibition centre, stables and bloodstock sales. It reopened partly in August 2007 for a trial run for the St. Leger and fully in September, two days before the St. Leger meeting. It was reopened by the Princess Royal who was presented with a box of Parkinson's Butterscotch
a Traditional Doncaster Sweet.
Doncaster Knights
Rugby
Football Club has shown success in recent years, being the most promoted club in English Rugby Union History, and competing at the top of National League One. 2008 saw the completion of the 1650 seater De Mulder – Lloyd stand at Castle Park
. The creation of the new RFU Championship
mean theKnights compete in the newly launched second tier of professional rugby in England.
Recent leisure developments include a new community sports stadium for sports teams including the towns men's football club, Doncaster Rovers F.C.
, and one of the most successful women's football clubs in the country, Doncaster Rovers Belles who play at the Keepmoat Stadium. Doncaster RLFC (formerly known as Doncaster Dragons RLFC and Doncaster Lakers) have played consistently in
rugby league's National League One. It is also the home of the British
professional wrestling promotion
One Pro Wrestling
.
Speedway
racing was staged at Doncaster Greyhound
Stadium in 1969 and 1970. The team was known as the Stallions and then the Dragons. The team raced in the British League Second Division.
Doncaster also used to have a successful men's basketball team called the Doncaster Panthers. Doncaster has an American Football team called the Doncaster Mustangs, who are in Division 1 of the British American Football League.
, but these were the towns that Doncaster was twinned with in the past: Dandong
, China
– (21 November 1988) Avion
, France
– (13 May 1981) Herten
, Germany
– (20 February 1989) Gliwice
, Poland
– (21 May 1979) Wilmington, North Carolina
, USA – (5 October 1992)
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
. The town is about 20 miles (32 km) from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and is popularly referred to as "Donny". Doncaster has an international airport
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
, and in recent years its centre has undergone regeneration including the development of an Education City campus, currently the largest education investment of its kind in the UK. Doncaster has also recently extended the Frenchgate Centre
Frenchgate Centre
The Frenchgate Centre is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster....
, a shopping centre and transport interchange.
According to the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the urban sub-area of Doncaster had a population of 67,977. Together with Bentley
Bentley, South Yorkshire
Bentley is a village in South Yorkshire, England two miles north of the town of Doncaster.The village was once owned by Edmund Hastings of Plumtree, Nottinghamshire, who had inherited it from his wife Copley's Sprotborough family...
and Armthorpe
Armthorpe
Armthorpe is a village and civil parish which forms the eastern edge of the Doncaster urban sprawl within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 12,630.-Etymology:...
, it forms an urban area with a population of 127,851. The wider metropolitan borough had a 2001 population of around 286,866
projected as nearly 297,000 for 2011.
Roman heritage
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
called this fort Danum, from which the town derives the "Don-" part of its name; "caster" (ceaster) an Old English adaptation of the Latin word Castra
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
, meaning a military camp. Doncaster was home to the Roman Crispinian horse garrison. The cavalry took its name from Crispus
Crispus
Flavius Julius Crispus , also known as Flavius Claudius Crispus and Flavius Valerius Crispus, was a Caesar of the Roman Empire. He was the first-born son of Constantine I and Minervina.-Birth:...
, son of Constantine the Great. Crispus, son of the Emperor, lived at Danum (Doncaster) whilst his father lived 40 miles (64.4 km) further north at Eboracum
Eboracum
Eboracum was a fort and city in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into York, located in North Yorkshire, England.-Etymology:The first known recorded mention of Eboracum by name is dated circa 95-104 AD and is an address containing the Latin form of the settlement's name, "Eburaci", on a wooden...
(York).
The Doncaster garrison units are named in the Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
or 'Register of Dignitaries', produced around the turn of the 5th century near the end of Roman rule in Britain. This important administrative document contains — among other things — the name of almost every military unit in the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, also the name of their respective garrison towns. The garrison unit was originally recruited from among the tribes-people living near the town of Crispiana in Upper Pannonia
Upper Pannonia
The Upper Pannonia or Pannonia Superior was ancient Roman province with the capital Carnuntum. It was formed in the year 103 AD. Upper Pannonia included parts of present-day Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovakia....
, near Zirc
Zirc
-Attractions:*Zirc Abbey, a Cistercian abbey*Zirc Arboretum*Bakony Museum of Natural Sciences, situated in the territory of Zirc Abbey-External links:*...
in the Bakony
Bakony
Bakony is a mountainous region in Transdanubia, Hungary. It forms the largest part of the Transdanubian Mountains. It is located north of Lake Balaton and lies almost entirely in Veszprém county....
region of western Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The fact that Doncaster is included, highlights the importance placed by the Romans on Doncaster. The Doncaster entry is listed under the command of the Dux Britanniarum
Dux Britanniarum
Dux Britanniarum was a military post in Roman Britain, probably created by Diocletian or Constantine I during the late third or early fourth century....
or the 'Duke of the Britons'. Doncaster provided an alternative direct land route between Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. The main route between Lincoln and York was Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
which meant crossing the Humber Estuary
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
in boats. For obvious reasons this was not always practical and thus Doncaster became an important staging post on the Roman map.
The Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
through Doncaster appears on two routes recorded in the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
. The itinera include the same section of road between Lincoln and York, and list three stations along the route in between these two coloniae. Iter VII and Iter VIII is entitled "the route from York to London". The section below showing distances from Iter VIII.
| Roman town | Modern name | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Eboraco | YORK | Start |
| Lagecio | Castleford | XXI |
| Dano | DONCASTER | XVI |
| Ageloco | Littleborough | XXI |
| Lindo | LINCOLN | XIII |
A route through the north Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
hills was opened up sometime in the latter half of the 1st century AD, possibly by the militaristic governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
during the late 70s, although the first section of the road to the Doncaster fort had probably been in existence since the early 50s.
Today, there are several areas of known intense archaeological interest however many, in particular St Sepulchre Gate, remain hidden under buildings. The Roman fort is believed to have been located on the site that is now St George's Minster next to the River Don.
Early and Medieval history
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
burh, and is mentioned in the 1003 will of Wulfric Spott. Shortly after the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, Nigel Fossard refortified the town and constructed Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle
Conisbrough Castle is a 12th-century castle in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England, whose remains are dominated by the 97-foot high circular keep, which is supported by six buttresses. In the mid-1990s, the keep was restored, with a wooden roof and two floors being rebuilt...
. By the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, Hexthorpe
Hexthorpe
Hexthorpe is a small village located on the edge of the town of Doncaster. Hexthorpe lies in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The area's shape resembles a rhombus, with borders with Balby and Doncaster Town Centre, separated by railway lines and the river separating...
was described as having a church and two mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
s; David Hey contends that these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also suggests that the street name Frenchgate indicates that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the town.
As the 12th century approached, Doncaster matured into a busy town and in 1194 King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
granted Doncaster national recognition with a town charter. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Doncaster evolved further and it was then later in 1204 that Doncaster suffered and recovered from a disastrous fire. At this time, buildings were built of wood and fire was a constant hazard.
During the 14th century a number of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm and preachings. In 1307 Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars (Greyfriars) arrived, and Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
(Whitefriars) arrived in the middle of the 14th century. In the Mediaeval period, other major features of the town included the Hospital of St Nicholas and leper colony
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
of the Hospital of St James, a moot hall
Moot hall
A moot hall is meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues.In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to take decisions. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls...
, grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, and the five-arched stone town bridge with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Bridge. By 1334, Doncaster was the wealthiest town in southern Yorkshire and the sixth most important town in Yorkshire as a whole, even boasting its own bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
er. By 1379, it was already recovering from the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
and had a population of around 1,500 people. By 1547, it had over 2,000. The town was incorporated in 1461 and its first Mayor
Mayor of Doncaster
The Mayor of Doncaster is an elected politician and leader of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. The incumbent mayor is Peter Davies of the English Democrats, who won the election on 4 June 2009.-Referendum:-Elections:...
and corporation were established.
Many of Doncaster's streets are named with the suffix 'gate'. The word 'gate' is derived from the old Danish word 'gata' which meant street. During Medieval times, craftsmen or tradesmen with similar skills, tended to live in the same street. Baxter is an ancient word for baker thereby confirming that Baxtergate was indeed the bakers' street. It is assumed that 'Frenchgate' may be named after French speaking Normans who settled on this street.
The Medieval township of Doncaster is known to have been protected by earthen ramparts and ditches leaving four substantial gates as entrances to the town. These gates were located at Hall Gate, St. Mary's Bridge (old), St. Sepulchre Gate and Sunny Bar. Today the gates at Sunny Bar are commemorated by huge 'Boar Gates', similarly, the entrance to St. Sepulchre Gate is also commemorated, this time with white marble 'Roman Gates'. The boundary of the town principally extended from the River Don, along what is now, Market Road, Silver Street, Cleveland Street and Printing Office Street.
Because access into town was circumscribed, some officeholders secured charters to collect tolls. In 1605, King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
granted to William Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
of Doncaster, brother of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
merchant Percival Levett
Percival Levett
Percival Levett was an early merchant and innkeeper of York, England, Sheriff of the city, member of the Eastland Company and father of English explorer Capt. Christopher Levett....
, the right to levy tolls at Friar's and St. Mary's Bridges. Having served as mayors and aldermen of Doncaster, the Levetts probably felt they could pull off their monopoly. In 1618 the family began enforcing it, but by 1628 the populace revolted. Capt. Christopher Levett
Christopher Levett
Capt. Christopher Levett was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first European to do so. Levett left behind a group of settlers at his Maine...
, Percival's son, petitioned Parliament. But Parliament disagreed, calling the tolls "a grievance to the subjects, both in creation and execution," and axed the Levett monopoly. (Doncaster's Levet Road is named for this family, as are the nearby hamlets of Hooton Levitt
Hooton Levitt
Hooton Levitt is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England; one of four villages in the county that carry the name of Hooton, meaning 'farmstead on a spur of land'...
and the largely extinct Levitt Hagg
Levitt Hagg
Levitt Hagg is an abandoned hamlet in South Yorkshire, located approximately two miles southwest of Doncaster and near Conisbrough Castle. Limestone began to be quarried at the site in ancient times. Levitt Hagg was also the site, along with nearby environs in the Don Gorge, of ancient woodlands...
, where much of the town's early limestone was quarried.)
During the 16th and 17th centuries the town of Doncaster continued to expand. This was despite several outbreaks of plague from 1562 until 1606. Each time the plague struck down significant numbers of Doncaster's population.
First English Civil War
During the campaign of the First English Civil WarFirst English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
, King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
marched by Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
and Ashbourne
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
to Doncaster, where on 18 August 1645 he was met by great numbers of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
gentlemen who had rallied to his cause. On 2 May 1664, Doncaster was later rewarded with the title of 'Free Borough' by way of the King expressing his gratitude for Doncaster's allegiance.
Brodsworth Hall
Brodsworth Hall, near Brodsworth, five miles north-west of Doncaster in South Yorkshire is one of the most complete surviving examples of a Victorian country house in England, and is virtually unchanged since the 1860s...
, Cantley Manor, Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall is an 18th century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house.- Introduction :...
, Hickleton Hall, Nether Hall and Wheatley Hall. This wealth is evidenced in the luxurious and historic gilded 18th century Mansion House
Mansion House, Doncaster
Mansion House is a Grade I listed building in Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It is used for meetings of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, and by the civic mayor of the town for official receptions....
which stands on High Street. This land ownership developed what is an ancient market place and large 19th century Market Hall and Corn Exchange
Corn exchange
A corn exchange or grain exchange was a building where farmers and merchants traded cereal grains. Such trade was common in towns and cities across Great Britain and Ireland until the 19th century, but as the trade became centralised in the 20th century many such buildings were used for other...
buildings. Perhaps the most striking building is St George's Minster
St George's Minster, Doncaster
The Minster and Parish Church of St George, Doncaster, also known as Doncaster Minster, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the Greater Churches.-History:...
(promoted from a parish church in 2004).
Doncaster was already a communications centre at this time. Doncaster sat on the Great North Road or A1, due to its strategic geographical importance and essentially Roman inheritance. This was the primary route for all traffic from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Doncaster cashed in on its location.
Politics
Doncaster is represented in the House of Commons by four MPs; all 4 constituencies are currently held by LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
represents Doncaster Central
Doncaster Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Doncaster Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1983, it covers a similar area to the former Doncaster constituency...
, Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
represents Doncaster North
Doncaster North (UK Parliament constituency)
- Sources :* Election results from 1992 to the present* Election results from 1945 to the present* The website of Ed Miliband...
, Caroline Flint
Caroline Flint
Caroline Louise Flint is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Don Valley since 1997. She served as the Minister of State for Housing and Planning in 2008, and later as the Minister for Europe until her resignation in 2009, citing the leadership of Gordon...
represents Don Valley
Don Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Don Valley is a parliamentary constituency which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.Created in 1918, Don Valley is a former coal mining area which has elected only Labour MPs since 1922...
, while Michael Dugher
Michael Dugher
Michael Vincent Dugher is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Barnsley East since 2010....
represents Barnsley East
Barnsley East (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnsley East is a Parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was created as Barnsley East in 1983 and abolished to create Barnsley East and Mexborough in 1997...
.
At a European level Doncaster is part of the Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of the nine regions of England and formally one of the government office regions. It covers most of the historic county of Yorkshire, along with the part of northern Lincolnshire that was, from 1974 to 1996, within the former shire county of Humberside. The...
constituency and is represented by six MEPs.
Locally Doncaster is one of only twelve UK boroughs to have a directly-elected mayor, a position currently held by English Democrat Peter Davies
Peter Davies (politician)
Peter Davies is a politician in the English Democrats. He became Doncaster's second directly elected mayor in June 2009.-Personal life:Born in Woodlands on the outskirts of Doncaster in 1948, Davies went to school in Thorne, then worked at Danum School as a teacher. He is married...
.
Geography
Doncaster is a large settlement and borough in South Yorkshire. The borough expanded dramatically in population with the development of coal mining. Closure of coal mines in the 1970s and the early 1980s caused some economic difficulties; the town then developed its service industry; the already good communication links with the rest of the UK supported this development.The Doncaster skyline is dominated by the minster in the middle of the town. The Frenchgate Shopping Centre also holds an important position in the skyline, along with the Doncaster College Hub building and Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall
Cusworth Hall is an 18th century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house.- Introduction :...
. Cusworth Hall is an 18th century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house.
Doncaster has plans to demolish the old Doncaster College,(demolition is now complete and building work has started) the Council House and surrounding buildings and replace them with more modern facilities including a new theatre, council house and hotel which together will form the Doncaster Civic and Cultural Quarter. There are also plans for expansion onto set aside land north of the new college (The Hub) if it gains university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
status.
Potteric Carr
Potteric Carr
Potteric Carr is a large area of land to the south east of Doncaster, in Yorkshire, England, some 3,000 acres in size.- History :One of the earliest references to Potteric Carr comes from the itinerary of Leland c.1540:...
, including Potteric Carr Nature Reserve
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve is a nature reserve at Potteric Carr, south of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as their flagship - and largest - reserve....
, lies to the south.
Climate
Doncaster has a maritime climate, lacking in extreme temperatures, as with the rest of the British Isles. The town lies at a low elevation in the Don valley, in the lee of the Pennines, and inland from the North sea, meaning daytime summer temperatures are no lower than parts of South East England, despite the more northerly location. The nearest weather station is RAF Finningley, now known as Robin Hood Airport, located about 5.5 miles to the south east of Doncaster town centre, and at a similar elevation.The Doncaster area is about as far north as the 21.5c(71f) average July/August maximum temperature isotherm reaches - Indeed, the August 1990 record high of 35.5c(95.9f) is the most northerly temperature reading above 35.0c(95.0f) in the British Isles. The nearby town of Bawtry just slightly further south still holds the UK's September monthly record high temperature of 35.6c(96.1f), set in 1906. Typically, the warmest day of the year should reach 29.1c(84.4f) and 12.58 days will report a daytime maximum of 25.1c(77.2f) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature stands at -13.5c, set during December 1981. Although online records only relate to the period 1960-2000, so in reality lower temperatures may have been recorded at nearby locations outside of this timeframe. According to the 1971-2000 period, 51.9 nights of the year will record an air frost on average.
Typically 106.9 days, of the year will report 1mm or more of rain falling. Total annual precipitation is slightly below 560mm, comparable to the driest parts of the United Kingdom, due to Doncaster's location in the rain shadow of the Pennines.
Economy
The late 18th century to 20th century saw Doncaster emerge as an industrial centre. Its communication links, particularly its waterways, meant that Doncaster became extremely busy and saw vast migration to its centre. Underneath Doncaster lies huge natural resource by way of deep seam coal. Recently there has been an expansion in commercial and residential developments along with good transportation links with the rest of the United Kingdom.Distribution centres
Due to its proximity to major urban centres and motorway/rail infrastructure, Doncaster is home to a number of major distribution centres. These include an International Rail Freight Centre at Black Bank from where goods are transported to Europe by rail. Huge warehousing and logistic capabilities for retailers such as Next, TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, Ikea
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, Exel
Exel
DHL Supply Chain is a division of Deutsche Post providing contract logistics and value-added services.- History :On 14 December 2005 Deutsche Post announced the completion of the acquisition of Exel plc, becoming the global No. 1 in air freight, ocean freight and contract logistics...
, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and Faberge also exist, the B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
Distribution Centre next to the dfs
Dfs (retailer)
DFS, formerly Doncaster Furnishing Stores, is a national furniture retailer in the United Kingdom which specialises in sofas and soft furnishings. It serves the lower end of the furniture market and offers credit terms on its goods.- History :...
UK headquarters at Redhouse
Red House (Woodlands)
Red House is the name of junction 38 of the A1, where it meets the A638, 4 miles north of Doncaster and ¾ of a mile north of Woodlands, South Yorkshire, England. South of the junction, the A638 follows the route of the historic Great North Road to Doncaster...
A1(M) Junction 38 was the largest free-standing warehouse in the UK. A significant proportion of fresh and frozen goods for Northern Supermarkets is dispatched by road from Doncaster.
On 5 March 2004, Doncaster was granted Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods...
status.
Confectionery
During the 19th and 20th century a number of confectioners were based in Doncaster including Parkinson's the ButterscotchButterscotch
Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter, although other ingredients such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt are part of some recipes...
inventors, Nuttalls Mintoes and Murray Mints.
In August 2011 Parkinson's put their 190 year old trademark up for sale on eBay after experiencing difficulties following their distributors going into adminsitration
Coal and industrial expansion
It was coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
that prompted Doncaster's exponential population growth. The waterways, River Don and Don Navigation were used to transport coal from Doncaster to the steel production centres at Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
With coal mining came secondary and tertiary industries:
- Large scale glass production soon followed using coal to fire the furnaces. Several high-quality specialist glass manufacturers remain to this day, firms such as Rockware Glass (now Ardagh Glass)
- A production facility for chemical polymers — hydrocarbon compounds produced from coal and oil — was built on Wheatley Hall Road and was the largest production facility of its type in Europe. It changed hands numerous times during its existence until closure (by DuPont) in the mid-1990s.
- Steel foundries, rolling mills and wire mills were built close to the railways that brought steel from Rotherham and Sheffield.
- British Ropes (now Bridon) produce wire rope, including the ropes used at coal mines to haul coal and miners: this is claimed to be the largest wire rope manufacturing plant in Europe. Bridon have recently supplied wire rope for the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 London games.
The railways and locomotive works
Continuing the Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, the railway came to Doncaster, and the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
Locomotive and Carriage Building Works
Doncaster Works
Doncaster railway works is in the town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.Always referred to as "the Plant", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough...
was established there. The reasons for this were Doncaster's communication links, the necessity to transport coal quickly and efficiently and Doncaster's expertise in specialist metal products. An extensive housing programme was undertaken to cater for the increase in the population. The Chairman of the Great Northern, anxious about the workers and their families' spiritual welfare, persuaded the directors to contribute towards the building of St. James' Church, which became known as the "Plant Church". The railway also built St. James' School. The Doncaster Plant became famous for building LNER
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
locomotives Mallard
LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard
Number 4468 Mallard is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built at Doncaster, England in 1938. While in other respects a relatively typical member of its class, it is historically significant for being the holder of the official world speed record for steam...
and the Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
The LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley...
, as well as many thousands more locomotives.
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
, on the East Coast Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, is linked to many towns and cities across the UK such as Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Berwick upon Tweed, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Motherwell
Motherwell
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
.
Doncaster PSB
Doncaster PSB
Doncaster PSB is a signalling centre on the East Coast Main Line railway in the United Kingdom, principally covering the line from London to Edinburgh but also encompassing other lines diverging and converging to the ECML...
is one of the largest signalling centres on the UK network, controlling hundreds of route miles of railway.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the rail industry gave way to munitions building. In the early part of the 20th century Doncaster became one of the largest coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
areas in the country, with the industry employing more people in the area than anything else. However, along with many other areas, a large number of mining jobs were lost in the late 1980s, and several pits closed. Today, coal mining has been all but eliminated from the area, with only a handful of collieries surviving. The demise of coal saw a cascade effect which saw the removal of many other tertiary industries. However, several companies diversified and can still be seen today.
Aviation
In 1909 Doncaster RacecourseDoncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
was chosen as the venue for an airshow, after the world's first air display in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1908. All the world's leading aviators were present. Samuel F. Cody
Samuel Cody
Samuel Franklin Cowdery was born in Birdville, Texas, USA. He was an early pioneer of manned flight, most famous for his work on the large kites known as Cody War-Kites that were used in World War I as a smaller alternative to balloons for artillery spotting...
(no relation to William F.Cody
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
) in an attempt to win a prize offered by the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
for the first British pilot in a British aeroplane to fly a circular mile signed British naturalisation papers in front of the crowd with the band playing both God Save the King
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
and the Star Spangled Banner. Unfortunately, he crashed his British Army Aeroplane No.1 whilst taxiing.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighters based first from the racecourse, then a temporary airstrip near Finningley (later RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
and now Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
) and finally, in 1916, from a newly built airfield alongside the racecourse, were deployed to defend the east coast against Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
s. On a number of occasions fighters took off to search for the intruders but none were ever seen. The Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
station trained pilots for the war in France. Within months of the war ending the entire station was put up for sale and two of its three Belfast hangars, the same type of hangar that now forms the basis for the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
, were sold to a Sheffield motor manufacturing company for storage and assembly at Finningley
Finningley
Finningley is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of Nottinghamshire, Finningley lies along the A614 road, about six miles from the centre of Doncaster, at , and at an elevation of around seven metres above sea...
. The third of the hangars stayed in place, mainly housing buses, until the 1970s when it was knocked down and replaced with modern buildings.
In 1920 the Government asked local authorities to assist in the formation of a chain of airfields so the country would not lag behind other nations in the provision of civil air services. Doncaster took heed and, with expert advice from Alan Cobham
Alan Cobham
Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC was an English aviation pioneer.A member of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, Alan Cobham became famous as a pioneer of long distance aviation. After the war he became a test pilot for the de Havilland aircraft company, and was the first pilot for the newly...
, on 26 May 1934, opened a grandly called 'aviation centre'. Development of the airfield continued and on 1 July 1936 an international service was opened to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. On 1 November 1938, after long discussions with the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
, 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron
No. 616 Squadron RAF
No. 616 Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1938 and 1957.-Formation:...
of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was formed. Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939 the squadron went to its battle station and played an honourable part in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. After the departure of 616 squadron its place was taken by the formation of 271 (Transport) Squadron
No. 271 Squadron RAF
No. 271 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was operational for two periods; a few brief months between 27 September 1918 and 9 December 1918 operating flying boats to protect shipping from German U-boats, and between 28 March 1940 and 1 December 1946 No. 271 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was...
composed mainly of requisitioned civilian aircraft and obsolescent twin engined bombers. 616 squadron should be noted as the first Allied jet fighter squadron, who were equipped with the Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...
, famed for using their wingtips for throwing German V-1 Flying Bombs
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
off course. In 1944, after being re-equipped with American-made Douglas DC-3 "Dakotas"
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
, the squadron moved south to take part in Operation 'Overlord'
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and later in the airborne invasion at Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
where Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
David Lord
David Lord
David Samuel Anthony Lord VC, DFC was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
After the war the airfield reverted to civilian flying and finally closed in 1992.
Tractor production
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
(IH) started the production of agricultural implements at a factory on Wheatley Hall Road and later at another in the Carr Hill area of Doncaster. The first tractor built at the factory was a Farmall M
Farmall tractor
Farmall was a model name and later a brand name for tractors manufactured by International Harvester . The Farmall name was usually presented as McCormick-Deering Farmall and later McCormick Farmall in the evolving brand architecture of IH....
, which came off the production line on 13 September 1949. Initially, tractors were built from parts shipped from the USA. The Wheatley Hall Road factory was extended after the war with a new foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
to make the heavy castings. The factory started Crawler tractor production in 1953. By 1960, the factory was making a range of tractors from scratch, designed specifically for British and European markets, and sold under the 'McCormick International' name. Assembly moved in 1965 to the Carr Hill plant. In 1983, tractor production was moved to IH's other Doncaster factory at Wheatley Hall. In 1985, International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
sold its agricultural division to Tenneco, Inc. which then merged the operation with its subsidiary J.I. Case to form Case IH
Case IH
Case IH is an American mechanical company, one of the world’s largest brands of agricultural equipment. With headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, it has a network of more than 4,000 dealers and distributors that operates in more than 160 countries...
, who continued to design and build its European tractor range in Doncaster, shutting the David Brown Ltd.
David Brown Ltd.
David Brown Engineering Limited is a British engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. Their major gear manufacturing plant is in Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield, adjacent to Lockwood railway station...
tractor factory near Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
. The 350,000th tractor came off the production line in 1999.
In 2000, the factory was purchased by ARGO SpA
ARGO SpA
ARGO SpA is a family-owned Italian holding company owned by the Morra family that manufactures agricultural equipment.-History and Growth:It was founded by Valerio Morra in 1980 with his purchase of MBS Spa. In 1987, ARGO purchased Pegoraro Spa of Vicenza. Sixty-six percent of Landini was purchased...
, an Italian-based agricultural equipment builder. Doncaster was the sole production site of the McCormick Tractors
McCormick Tractors
McCormick Tractors International Ltd. manufactures a complete range of tractors for agricultural and general use. The company was formed in 2000 when Case IH divested assets in order to gain European Union regulatory approval to merge with New Holland Ag...
brand, and the factory employed around 380 people (although approximately 1,100 people are employed in the worldwide McCormick group). In December 2006, the parent company ARGO Spa, announced that the Doncaster facility was to close in mid-2007 with the loss of around 325 jobs. Much to the dismay of trade union officials and local news, the announcement was made only one week before Christmas. When the factory closed, 61 years of tractor production in Doncaster came to an end as the production of the tractors was moved to Italy. The factory closed in late 2007.
European
At a European continental level, Doncaster sits on the European Route E15European route E15
The European route E 15 is part of the United Nations international E-road network. It is a north-south "reference road", running from Inverness, Scotland south through England and France to Algeciras, Spain...
and is the starting point of European Route E13
European route E13
European route E13 is part of the International E-road network. It runs most of the length of the M1 motorway in the United Kingdom...
. The E13 connects Doncaster, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In the United Kingdom, European route designators are not displayed on road signs. It is notable to mention that the M18 Junction 2 at Doncaster was the original intended starting point of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
where the motorway meets the A1(M). The intended motorway design is evidenced in road maps. The M1 was extended northward to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, which is why the E13 starts at Doncaster and follows the path of the M18 and the M1.
National
At a National Level, Doncaster is situated on the A1(M) and M18 motorways, and is within 20 minutes of the key M1M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
and M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
motorways.
Doncaster is also an important railway town with a station
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. The 15 miles (24.1 km) A1(M) motorway bypass cost £6 million and was opened by Ernest Marples
Ernest Marples
Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Postmaster General and Minister of Transport. After his retirement from active politics in 1974 Marples was elevated to the peerage...
in 1961. The former route is now the A638
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
, and partly the A614
A614 road
The A614 is a main road in England running through the counties of Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.Beginning at Redhill, near Calverton in Nottinghamshire at a roundabout with the A60, the road meets the A6097 at a junction which looks like a roundabout but...
to Blyth
Blyth, Nottinghamshire
Blyth is a village in the Bassetlaw district of the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, north west of East Retford, on the River Ryton.-Geography:...
.
Regional
Within the region, Doncaster is being recognised an important European hub with developments such as a new international airport, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster SheffieldRobin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
which opened in 2005. In addition there is the well established Doncaster International Railport facilities that link to the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
.
Metro area
New developments include campus facilities for Doncaster CollegeDoncaster College
Doncaster College is a further and higher education college in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It comprises two campuses, which are known as "The Hub" and the "University Centre".-Staff and students:...
and the Frenchgate Interchange
Frenchgate Centre
The Frenchgate Centre is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster....
(a unification of bus and railway stations with the Frenchgate Centre
Frenchgate Centre
The Frenchgate Centre is a large shopping centre located in the town centre of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is named after the street of the same name that formed one of the old gates of medieval Doncaster....
). The extension to the shopping centre and the new bus station opened on 8 June 2006, from when all Doncaster bus routes started to use the station.
Sports and leisure
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
trade. This led to horse breeding in Doncaster, which in turn led to the start of horseraces
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
there. The earliest important race in Doncaster's history was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest continuing regulated horserace in the world.
Ten years later the racecourse moved to its present location and in 1776 Colonel Anthony St. Leger founded a race in which five horses ran. This race has remained in existence and become the world's oldest classic horserace. During the First World War the racecourse was used for military purposes and substitute races were run instead at Newmarket from 1915 to 1918.
Doncaster has the distinction of both starting and ending the flat season on turf. Every September, Doncaster hosts the four-day Ladbrokes St. Leger Festival. Doncaster has also taken over events whose traditional homes have closed, such as the Lincoln Cup in 1965.
More history was made at Doncaster in 1992 when it staged the first ever Sunday meeting on a British racecourse. A crowd of 23,000 turned up despite there being no betting.
Today the St. Leger Stakes
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
remains the world's oldest classic horserace and features in the horseracing calendar as the 5th and final Classic of the British flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
season. This takes place every September on the Town Moor
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
course.
Doncaster is a left-handed, pear-shaped track of around 1-mile 7½ furlongs which is mostly flat. There are courses for Flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
and also for National Hunt racing.
The racecourse is no longer run by Doncaster MBC
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
but by Arena Leisure Plc. The racecourse reopened in 2007 after undergoing massive refurbishment with the building of a new grandstand, exhibition centre, stables and bloodstock sales. It reopened partly in August 2007 for a trial run for the St. Leger and fully in September, two days before the St. Leger meeting. It was reopened by the Princess Royal who was presented with a box of Parkinson's Butterscotch
Butterscotch
Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter, although other ingredients such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt are part of some recipes...
a Traditional Doncaster Sweet.
Doncaster Knights
Doncaster R.F.C.
Doncaster Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing the town of Doncaster. The first XV are known as the Doncaster Knights, and play in the RFU Championship...
Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Football Club has shown success in recent years, being the most promoted club in English Rugby Union History, and competing at the top of National League One. 2008 saw the completion of the 1650 seater De Mulder – Lloyd stand at Castle Park
Castle Park rugby stadium
Castle Park is a sports stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It is the home of the Doncaster Knights, a Rugby Union side who play in the RFU Championship. Historically it was known as Armthorpe Road, but was renamed in 2000. Capacity is around 3,000. In 2008 the club opened the £3m all-seater De...
. The creation of the new RFU Championship
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship replaced National Division One as the second tier in the English rugby union system in September 2009. Unlike National Division One, which is semi-professional, the RFU Championship is a fully professional league.-History:...
mean theKnights compete in the newly launched second tier of professional rugby in England.
Recent leisure developments include a new community sports stadium for sports teams including the towns men's football club, Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
, and one of the most successful women's football clubs in the country, Doncaster Rovers Belles who play at the Keepmoat Stadium. Doncaster RLFC (formerly known as Doncaster Dragons RLFC and Doncaster Lakers) have played consistently in
rugby league's National League One. It is also the home of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley until the promotion went into liquidation in 2007; it was restarted within the same year..It ended in August 2011....
.
Speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
racing was staged at Doncaster Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
Stadium in 1969 and 1970. The team was known as the Stallions and then the Dragons. The team raced in the British League Second Division.
Doncaster also used to have a successful men's basketball team called the Doncaster Panthers. Doncaster has an American Football team called the Doncaster Mustangs, who are in Division 1 of the British American Football League.
Twin towns
All twin town links have been terminated by mayor Peter DaviesPeter Davies (politician)
Peter Davies is a politician in the English Democrats. He became Doncaster's second directly elected mayor in June 2009.-Personal life:Born in Woodlands on the outskirts of Doncaster in 1948, Davies went to school in Thorne, then worked at Danum School as a teacher. He is married...
, but these were the towns that Doncaster was twinned with in the past: Dandong
Dandong
Dandong , previously known as Andong and Antung, is a city in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, which is marked by the Yalu River, and is the largest border city in China. Also, to the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
– (21 November 1988) Avion
Avion, Pas-de-Calais
Avion is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:An ex-coalmining industrial town, with a little farming, situated just south of Lens at the junction of the N17, D40 and D55 roads.-Population:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– (13 May 1981) Herten
Herten
Herten is a town and a municipality in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the industrial Ruhr Area, approx...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
– (20 February 1989) Gliwice
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
– (21 May 1979) Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, USA – (5 October 1992)
See also
- St George's Minster, DoncasterSt George's Minster, DoncasterThe Minster and Parish Church of St George, Doncaster, also known as Doncaster Minster, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the Greater Churches.-History:...
- Cusworth HallCusworth HallCusworth Hall is an 18th century Grade I listed country house in Cusworth, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the north of England. Set in the landscaped parklands of Cusworth Park, Cusworth Hall is a good example of a Georgian country house.- Introduction :...
- Doncaster RLFC
- Doncaster KnightsDoncaster R.F.C.Doncaster Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing the town of Doncaster. The first XV are known as the Doncaster Knights, and play in the RFU Championship...
- Doncaster PSBDoncaster PSBDoncaster PSB is a signalling centre on the East Coast Main Line railway in the United Kingdom, principally covering the line from London to Edinburgh but also encompassing other lines diverging and converging to the ECML...
- Robin Hood AirportRobin Hood Airport Doncaster SheffieldRobin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
- Metropolitan Borough of DoncasterMetropolitan Borough of DoncasterThe Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
- BalbyBalbyBalby is a suburb of Doncaster located to the south-west of the borough in the north of England. It is home to the former secondary school, now sports college Balby Carr...
- The Dome Leisure CentreThe Dome Leisure CentreThe Dome Leisure Centre is an arena and leisure centre in Doncaster, England, informally known as The Dome or Doncaster Dome. It has a swimming complex, bars, a sports arena that is also used as an event venue and the United Kingdom's first ever split level ice skating rink.The Dome as a concept...
- Doncaster PrideDoncaster PrideDoncaster Pride is South Yorkshire's biggest Gay Pride event and is now one of the fastest growing Prides events within the UK. The first event was put together in just 3 months in 2007 and attracted 1500+ people; the following year drew a crowd of 5000+...
- Trolleybuses in DoncasterTrolleybuses in DoncasterThe Doncaster trolleybus system once served the town of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Opened on , it gradually replaced the Doncaster Corporation Tramways....