Flixborough
Encyclopedia
Flixborough is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire
, England. It is situated near to the River Trent
, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Scunthorpe
. The village is noted for the 1974 Flixborough disaster
.
Flixborough is in the Burton upon Stather
and Winterton
ward of North Lincolnshire Council, and its civil parish boundary covers the southern part of Normanby Park
. Its Grade II listed Anglican church, part of the Burton upon Stather group of churches, is dedicated to All Saints
. The village public house
is The Flixborough Inn on High Street.
Flixborough is one of the Thankful Villages
that suffered no fatalities during World War I.
when the Nypro Works chemical plant was devastated by an explosion, known as the Flixborough Disaster. The plant manufactured Caprolactam
. Escaping cyclohexane
formed a flammable
vapour cloud and ignited. Twenty eight people died and more than 100 were injured, with around 100 homes in the village itself being destroyed or badly damaged. There is a memorial to the disaster.
to Flikesburg, Flyxburgh and Flixburrow. Eminson suggests that the first part of the name is an early form of the word cliff, and as the original settlement stood on a sloping cliff overlooking the River Trent
, the village's name can be translated as "fortified dwelling on the cliff slope".
settlement in the parish of Flixborough were excavated by Humberside Archaeology Unit between 1989 and 1991. The settlement was located 5 miles (8 km) to the south of the Humber Estuary, overlooking the floodplain
of the Trent
. During the two year programme, an unprecedented Middle to Late Saxon
rural
settlement sequence was uncovered, dating between the early 7th and early 11th centuries AD. It is particularly exceptional because of the association of 40 buildings, floor surfaces and massive refuse dumps.
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, England. It is situated near to the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, about 3 miles (5 km) north-west 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,...
. The village is noted for the 1974 Flixborough disaster
Flixborough disaster
The Flixborough disaster was an explosion at a chemical plant close to the village of Flixborough, England, on 1 June 1974. It killed 28 people and seriously injured 36.-Background:...
.
Flixborough is in the Burton upon Stather
Burton upon Stather
Burton-upon-Stather is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The village lies 5 miles north from Scunthorpe, 5 miles north-west from Frodingham, and is near the east bank of the River Trent...
and Winterton
Winterton, Lincolnshire
Winterton is a small town in North Lincolnshire, England, north-east of Scunthorpe. Taking into account the five years since the last UK census, the population currently stands at approximately 4,700 people. Major north-south/east-west streets of Winterton are Market Street and Northlands Road...
ward of North Lincolnshire Council, and its civil parish boundary covers the southern part of Normanby Park
Normanby Hall
Normanby Hall is a classic English mansion, located near the village of Burton-upon-Stather, north of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.The present Hall was built in 1825–30 to the designs of Robert Smirke for Sir Robert Sheffield , whose family had lived on the site since 1539. It replaced a...
. Its Grade II listed Anglican church, part of the Burton upon Stather group of churches, is dedicated to All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
. The village public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
is The Flixborough Inn on High Street.
History
A famous son of Flixborough is Sir Edmund Anderson, who was Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and tried Mary, Queen of Scots.Flixborough is one of the Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages are settlements in both England and Wales from which all their then members of the armed forces survived World War I. The term Thankful Village was popularised by the writer Arthur Mee in the 1930s...
that suffered no fatalities during World War I.
Flixborough explosion
On Saturday 1 June 1974 at 16:53 Flixborough was at the centre of the UK's worst industrial accidentChemical accidents
The terms “chemical accident” or “chemical incident” refer to an event resulting in the release of a substance or substances hazardous to human health and/or the environment in the short or long term...
when the Nypro Works chemical plant was devastated by an explosion, known as the Flixborough Disaster. The plant manufactured Caprolactam
Caprolactam
Caprolactam is an organic compound with the formula 5CNH. This colourless solid is a lactam or a cyclic amide of caproic acid. Approximately 2 billion kilograms are produced annually...
. Escaping cyclohexane
Cyclohexane
Cyclohexane is a cycloalkane with the molecular formula C6H12. Cyclohexane is used as a nonpolar solvent for the chemical industry, and also as a raw material for the industrial production of adipic acid and caprolactam, both of which being intermediates used in the production of nylon...
formed a flammable
Flammability
Flammability is defined as how easily something will burn or ignite, causing fire or combustion. The degree of difficulty required to cause the combustion of a substance is quantified through fire testing. Internationally, a variety of test protocols exist to quantify flammability...
vapour cloud and ignited. Twenty eight people died and more than 100 were injured, with around 100 homes in the village itself being destroyed or badly damaged. There is a memorial to the disaster.
Origin of the name
Flixborough has had many different spellings through the centuries, from Flichesburg in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
to Flikesburg, Flyxburgh and Flixburrow. Eminson suggests that the first part of the name is an early form of the word cliff, and as the original settlement stood on a sloping cliff overlooking the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, the village's name can be translated as "fortified dwelling on the cliff slope".
Anglo-Saxon Flixborough
The remains of an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-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...
settlement in the parish of Flixborough were excavated by Humberside Archaeology Unit between 1989 and 1991. The settlement was located 5 miles (8 km) to the south of the Humber Estuary, overlooking the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. During the two year programme, an unprecedented Middle to Late Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
settlement sequence was uncovered, dating between the early 7th and early 11th centuries AD. It is particularly exceptional because of the association of 40 buildings, floor surfaces and massive refuse dumps.
Entry from Kelly's Trade Directory for 1900
Population figures (1801 - 1991)
| Year | Population |
| 1801 | 173 |
| 1811 | 199 |
| 1821 | 216 |
| 1831 | 210 |
| 1841 | 211 |
| 1851 | 199 |
| 1861 | 214 |
| 1871 | 246 |
| 1881 | 229 |
| 1891 | 242 |
| 1901 | 196 |
| 1911 | 344 |
| 1921 | 310 |
| 1931 | 400 |
| 1941 | N/A |
| 1951 | 394 |
| 1961 | 449 |
| 1971 | 394 |
| 1981 | 606 |
| 1991 | 946 |