Ranskill
Encyclopedia
Ranskill is a village and civil parish
in the Bassetlaw
district of Nottinghamshire
with its nearest town being Retford
approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) south. The Ranskill ward according to the 2001 census
has 2,226 residents.
Ranskill dates back to the Danish
invasions of the 9th century where the name 'Ravenskelf' meant 'shelving knoll/ridge of the raven'.
The village features St. Barnabas Church
, built in 1878 and a Methodist chapel first built in 1868 and expanded in the 1930s. The Methodist chapel also features a schoolroom, where today the local newspaper
, the STAR (Scrooby
, Torworth
and Ranskill) is printed. Ranskill also has a reading room
, built in 1891 by the Gillott family as a library and reading room, where in 1909 the room was changed to include billiard tables. Today the room is still in use and features two billiard tables, two pool tables and a darts board
.
The East Coast Main Line
railway passes to the east of the village, which was the site of a Royal Ordnance Factory
from 1940 until 1975. Ranskill also had a railway station
which opened in 1852 where there was a half hourly service between Retford
and Doncaster
. The station closed in 1958.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw is the northernmost district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population according to the 2001 UK census of 107,713. The borough is predominantly rural, with two towns: Worksop, site of the borough offices, and Retford...
district of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
with its nearest town being Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) south. The Ranskill ward 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....
has 2,226 residents.
Ranskill dates back to the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
invasions of the 9th century where the name 'Ravenskelf' meant 'shelving knoll/ridge of the raven'.
The village features St. Barnabas Church
Barnabas
Barnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
, built in 1878 and a Methodist chapel first built in 1868 and expanded in the 1930s. The Methodist chapel also features a schoolroom, where today the local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the STAR (Scrooby
Scrooby
Scrooby is a small village, on the River Ryton and near Bawtry, in the northern part of the English county of Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 329. Until 1766, it was on the Great North Road so became a stopping-off point for numerous important figures...
, Torworth
Torworth
Torworth pronounced ‘Tor-erth’ , is a small village on the A638 or 'Great North Road' in North Nottinghamshire. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 264...
and Ranskill) is printed. Ranskill also has a reading room
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, built in 1891 by the Gillott family as a library and reading room, where in 1909 the room was changed to include billiard tables. Today the room is still in use and features two billiard tables, two pool tables and a darts board
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
.
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...
railway passes to the east of the village, which was the site of a Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
from 1940 until 1975. Ranskill also had a railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
which opened in 1852 where there was a half hourly service between Retford
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
and Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
. The station closed in 1958.