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South Humberside Main Line

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110-683: The South Humberside Main Line runs from Doncaster on the East Coast Main Line to Thorne where it diverges from the Sheffield to Hull Line. It then runs eastwards to Scunthorpe and the Humber ports of Immingham and Grimsby , with the coastal resort of Cleethorpes as terminus. From Doncaster the line forms a joint route with the Sheffield–Hull line to Hatfield , passing Hatfield Colliery where

220-567: A lowland valley in southern Yorkshire. To the west are low rolling hills eventually reaching the Pennines . To the east are the low-lying Isle of Axholme and Humberhead Levels . The south is relatively low-lying, with a large forested area including Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire . The Vale of York lies to the north. The floodplains of the River Don lie to Doncaster's north-east; this area

330-647: A mayor every four years. Additionally, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is one of twelve districts in the United Kingdom to have a directly elected mayor , currently Ros Jones , who was re-elected in 2021. The local authority applied several times, unsuccessfully, for city status . Its borough population of greater than 300,000 is larger than that of many cities' such as Hull , Southampton and Newcastle . On 28 October 2021, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council announced its bid for Doncaster City for

440-414: A 2011 population of 302,402, while a 2021 estimate was 308,000. The 2011 census figure makes Doncaster's population very slightly larger than that of Rotherham (pop 109,691). Doncaster emerged as an industrial centre in the late 18th to 20th centuries. Its communications, particularly its waterways, meant that it became extremely busy and experienced migration to its centre. Underneath Doncaster lies

550-601: A basic terminus in Sheffield at Bridgehouses . There was a branch from Dinting to Glossop , and another from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge . The SA&MR had been short of money during construction, and the Woodhead Tunnel was built as a single track to save money. As the Railway Mania took hold, it became evident that enlargement of the network dominated by a railway company was key to competitive survival, and in 1846

660-510: A branch from Grimsby Town station to the Docks and Pier stations, with two miles of internal dock lines, were ready on 1 August 1853. The Etherow and Dinting Vale viaducts on the original SA&MR line had both been strengthened with extra tie rods in the middle 1850s. They were insured respectively for £4,000 and £6,000, but now drastic repairs were required: all of the timber arches in both structures were to be replaced by wrought iron girders at

770-476: A branch to this line from Ulceby Junction, to Barton upon Humber . Passenger services on the line were provided by EMR. The South Humberside Main Line is one of eight national Seven Day Railway Routes, which target the routes with the strongest business case for investment. The port of Immingham is located at the end of the South Humberside Main Line from Doncaster. This generates around one fifth of

880-497: A cost of £28,700 from November 1859. Not long afterwards the contractor system of permanent way maintenance came to an end when it was discovered that a contractor had got into serious financial difficulty; the work was brought in-house. The first quadruple-track section of the MS&;L, between Gorton and Ashburys, were drawn up in 1860. Negotiations were required with the LNWR over the use of

990-481: A ferry service to Hull. It was promised that "the rails of the New Holland line will be continued to the extremity of the pier". Next opening was from a junction at Ulceby (about halfway between New Holland and Grimsby) to Brigg , and a second arm of that line to Market Rasen. These sections opened on 1 November 1848. Notwithstanding the difficult financial conditions, the MS&LR network as originally planned

1100-480: A huge natural resource by way of deep seam coal. Doncaster's proximity to major urban centres and motorway/rail infrastructure gives it a number of major distribution centres, including the 420-acre Doncaster International Railport , which dispatches goods to Europe. It also has large warehousing and logistic capabilities for retailers such as Next , Tesco , IKEA , Amazon.com , Lidl and Faberge . A marked proportion of fresh and frozen goods for northern supermarkets

1210-656: A million pounds worth of work was commissioned; the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway main line from Woodhouse (near Sheffield) to Gainsborough, the Grimsby line to Market Rasen , and a second bore of the Woodhead Tunnel. The eastward construction from the Bridgehouses terminus across Sheffield was started in May 1847. The MS&LR soon ran short of money, and a loan of £250,000 had to be negotiated; deliveries of locomotives were slowed, as were certain infrastructure improvements;

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1320-699: A policy of expanding its area of influence, especially in reaching west to Liverpool, which it ultimately did through the medium of the Cheshire Lines Committee network in joint partnership with the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway . Its dominant traffic was minerals, chiefly coal, and the main market was in London and the south of England. It was dependent on other lines to convey traffic southward. The London and North Western Railway

1430-649: A shortened route between Retford and Lincoln. It was supposed to enable MS&LR trains to run through to Lincoln over the GNR, and in return for the GNR to reach Sheffield; however because of its traffic agreement with the LNWR, the MS&LR felt obliged to try to frustrate the arrangement. At the end of May 1851 a contract was concluded with the Electric Telegraph Company which, for about £5 per mile per annum, undertook to install lines between Manchester, Sheffield, New Holland, Grimsby and Lincoln, providing not only

1540-407: A week. Huish resumed his attempts at coercion. Members of the LNWR and MS&LR boards met at Rugby on 20 July 1854. It was agreed that the two railways should be worked as one interest with a scheme for sharing income and expenses. The treaty was regarded as continuous and subject only to seven years' notice of termination by either side. The agreement was finalised on 29 July 1854. Later in the year

1650-741: Is a city in South Yorkshire , England. Named after the River Don , it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough , and is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield . Noted for its racing and railway history, it is situated in the Don Valley on the western edge of the Humberhead Levels and east of the Pennines . It had a population of 87,455 at

1760-506: Is a shopping centre and transport interchange. Opened in June 2006, it connects with the railway and bus stations. Lakeside Village, a retail outlet with some 45 retail shops and restaurants lies along the A6182 dual carriageway. The Waterdale area of the town centre is currently undergoing rejuvenation, with a new theatre (known as CAST), new civic offices and a new public square having been completed on

1870-590: Is about as far north as the 21.5 °C (70.7 °F) average July/August maximum temperature isotherm reaches – Indeed, the August 1990 record high of 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) is the most northerly temperature above 35 °C (95 °F) in the British Isles. The nearby town of Bawtry, slightly further south, still holds the UK's September monthly record high temperature of 35.6 °C (96.1 °F), set in 1906. Typically,

1980-402: Is an ancient word for baker: Baxtergate was the bakers' street. Historians believe that Frenchgate may be named after French-speaking Normans who settled there. The medieval township is known to have been protected by earthen ramparts and ditches, with four substantial gates as entrances to the town. These were located at Hall Gate, St Mary's Bridge (old), St Sepulchre Gate and Sunny Bar. Today

2090-402: Is controlled throughout the town by the local planning authority , Doncaster Council. It reduces urban sprawl , prevent areas in the conurbation from further convergence, protects outlying communities, encourages brownfield reuse, and protects nearby countryside by restricting development in the designated areas and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building. It surrounds the side of

2200-520: Is dispatched by road from Doncaster. On 5 March 2004, Doncaster was granted Fairtrade Town status. Over the last few years the Doncaster Lakeside , as home to the Doncaster Rovers ground, has undergone modernisation. Doncaster has a bowling alley and a cinema near Lakeside. The Dome, opened in 1989 by Princess Diana , contains a swimming pool, gym, ice rink and café. The Frenchgate Centre

2310-481: Is linked by road and rail. As part of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours , Doncaster received city status by Letters Patent . A ceremony to confer city status took place at Mansion House on 9 November 2022 as part of a tour of Yorkshire by King Charles III and Queen Camilla . Possibly inhabited earlier, Doncaster grew up on the site of a Roman fort of the 1st century CE, at a crossing of

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2420-541: Is now Hyde Central .) Parliamentary sanction was given in 1858 to extend the Hyde branch to Compstall Bridge, then a local centre of industry. In fact the extension was from Hyde to Marple , with intermediate stations at Woodley and Romiley ; it opened on 5 August 1862. A further extension looked advantageous, and this was conceived as a nominally independent company, the Marple, New Mills and Hayfield Junction Railway. Sponsored by

2530-542: Is open only during daylight hours, towards Grimsby Docks, and then on to New Clee railway station running along the humber bank/sea wall to Cleethorpes railway station . The population in station catchments of the line is 470,000. The East Midlands Railway service between Cleethorpes and Barton on Humber uses the line until taking the Barton Line branch. Northern operate a service between Scunthorpe and Sheffield, calling at intermediate stations. The Barton Line forms

2640-404: Is regularly flooded, notably in 2007 and 2019. Thorne and Hatfield Moors , east of Doncaster, is the largest area of low-lying peat bog in the United Kingdom. It is protected as a national nature reserve. Potteric Carr , including Potteric Carr Nature Reserve , lies to the south. Doncaster is within a green belt that extends into the surrounding counties. First defined in 1966, the policy

2750-573: The 2021 census , whilst the wider metropolitan borough had a population of 308,100. Adjacent to Doncaster to its east is the Isle of Axholme in Lincolnshire , which contains the towns of Haxey , Epworth and Crowle , and directly south is Harworth Bircotes in Nottinghamshire . Also, within the city's vicinity are Barnsley , Wakefield , Pontefract , Selby , Goole , Scunthorpe , Gainsborough , Retford , Worksop and Rotherham , to which Doncaster

2860-538: The Crimean War . Passenger traffic showed decreases in all categories except second class. In the same year the maintenance of permanent way was changed from direct to contractors. In the 1856 session of Parliament, the North Western Railway (a small company unconnected with the London and North Western Railway) was applying for running powers over part of the LNWR. In the course of the examination of witnesses,

2970-525: The First English Civil War , King Charles I marched by Bridgnorth , Lichfield and Ashbourne to Doncaster, where on 18 August 1645 he was met by numbers of Yorkshire gentlemen who had rallied to his cause. On 2 May 1664, Doncaster was rewarded with the title of Free Borough as a way for the King (Charles I's son, King Charles II ) to express gratitude for the allegiance. Doncaster was connected to

3080-638: The Great Central Railway in 1897. In 1916 the section of route between Wrawby and Brocklesby was quadrupled to cope with the growing amount of freight traffic heading for the docks at Immingham and Grimsby. In April 2019, a level crossing over the line at Suggitt's Lane in Cleethorpes was closed due to safety concerns. In 2022, Suggitt's Lane Bridge was opened, replacing the level crossing. Doncaster Doncaster ( / ˈ d ɒ ŋ k ə s t ər , - k æ s -/ DONK -ə-stər, DONK -ast-ər )

3190-541: The Latin castra (military camp; fort). It was mentioned in the 1003 will of Wulfric Spott . Shortly after the Norman Conquest , Nigel Fossard refortified the town and built Conisbrough Castle . By the time of Domesday Book , Hexthorpe in the wapentake of Strafforth was said to have a church and two mills . The historian David Hey says these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also suggests that

3300-581: The Lincolnshire Wolds passing quarries at Melton Ross and passes close to Humberside Airport near to where it diverges with the Barton Line and a branch which serves Immingham Docks close to Ulceby . The main line continues to Grimsby roughly parallel with the A180 road though Habrough railway station , Stallingborough railway station , Great Coates railway station to Grimsby railway station . The route then passes Grimsby Docks railway station which

3410-486: The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1914 when it absorbed Balby with Hexthorpe and Wheatley. By 1927 the borough was considered large enough to run its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough , independent from West Riding County Council . The county borough

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3520-628: The Pilgrimage of Grace ended in Doncaster. This rebellion led by the lawyer Robert Aske commanded 40,000 Yorkshire people against Henry VIII, in protest at the Dissolution of the Monasteries . Many of Doncaster's streets are named with the suffix "-gate", after the old Danish word gata , meaning street. In medieval times, craftsmen or tradesmen with similar skills tended to live in the same street. Baxter

3630-480: The River Don . The 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary and early-5th-century Notitia Dignitatum ( Register of Dignitaries ) called the fort Danum . The first section of road to the Doncaster fort had probably been built since the early 50s, while a route through the north Derbyshire hills was opened in the later 1st century, possibly by Governor Gn. Julius Agricola in the late 70s. Doncaster provided an alternative land route between Lincoln and York , while

3740-637: The River Mersey . It had opened on 21 February 1833, and its route included rope worked inclines. It amalgamated with the Sankey Brook Navigation , forming the St Helens Canal and Railway by an act of Parliament of 21 July 1845. The construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway showed that merely acting as a feeder to waterborne transport was no longer competitive. John Meadows Rendel ,

3850-692: The Sheffield Canal and it was vested in the MS&LR on 22 July 1848, and the MS&LR acquired the Chesterfield Canal on 9 July 1847. In 1847 the railway network of the MS&LR consisted of nothing more than the network of the SA&;MR, with one small addition. On the first day of 1847 a short spur connection was opened from the Sheffield terminal to the Sheffield station of the Midland Railway (former Sheffield and Rotherham Railway ). At this time

3960-615: The West Riding of Yorkshire in 1899. Under the Local Government Act 1972 it was drawn into a new metropolitan borough in 1974 and became part of the new county of South Yorkshire. Doncaster has traditionally been prosperous within the wapentake of Stafford and Tickhill . The borough was known for rich landowners and huge stately homes such as Brodsworth Hall , Cantley Hall , Cusworth Hall , Hickleton Hall , Nether Hall and Wheatley Hall (demolished 1934). This wealth appears in

4070-621: The 1960s. Perhaps the most striking building to survive is St George's Minster , built in the 19th century and promoted from a parish church in 2004. Doncaster was already a communication centre by this time. It straddled the Great North Road or A1 , gaining strategic importance, as this was the main route for traffic between London and Edinburgh . Doncaster is represented in the House of Commons by three Members of Parliament (MPs). Sally Jameson represents Doncaster Central , Ed Miliband ,

4180-453: The 19th-century Doncaster Corn Exchange building (1873). The Corn Exchange was much rebuilt in 1994 after a major fire. During the 14th century, numerous friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm and preaching. In 1307 the Franciscan friars ( Greyfriars ) arrived, as did Carmelites (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century. Other major medieval features included

4290-509: The Don Valley, in the lee of the Pennines, and inland from the North Sea, mean 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 Doncaster Sheffield Airport , about 5.5 mi (8.9 km) to the south-east of Doncaster city centre and at a similar elevation. The Doncaster area

4400-676: The Great , who was headquartered there while his father was based in nearby York . The Register names the unit as under the command of the " Duke of the Britons ". In 1971 the Danum shield , a rectangular Roman shield dating to the 1st or 2nd century CE, was recovered from the site of the Danum fort. An inscribed altar, dedicated to the Matres by Marcus Nantonius Orbiotalus, was found at St Sepulchre Gate in 1781. This

4510-650: The Hospital of St Nicholas and the leper colony of the Hospital of St James, a moot hall , a grammar school and a 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 in Yorkshire as a whole, even boasting its own banker. By 1379, it was recovering from the Black Death , which had reduced its population to 1,500. In October 1536,

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4620-519: The LNWR (used by the MS&LR) with the former Liverpool and Manchester Railway (now LNWR) at Ordsall Lane. This connected the hitherto separate networks east and west of Manchester. The other part was the seven-mile line to Altrincham . The line opened between Oxford Road, Manchester, and Altrincham on 20 July 1849, and it was extended back to London Road in July 1849, and from Altrincham to Bowdon in August 1849, or September 1849. The MSJ&AR network

4730-475: The LNWR offered to perform the whole of the MS&LR's passenger and parcels business at London Road station, including collection and delivery by van, for £600 a year. This was accepted and the MS&LR withdrew its staff. It was a move that the MS&LR came to regret. Financially, 1855 was not a good year for the MS&LR. Trade generally had been adversely affected by the blockade of the Baltic ports , owing to

4840-451: The Levett monopoly. Doncaster's Levet Road is named after the family, as are nearby hamlets of Hooton Levitt and the largely abandoned Levitt Hagg , where much of the town's early limestone was quarried. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Doncaster continued to expand, but it suffered several outbreaks of plague between 1562 and 1606. Each struck down significant numbers of victims. During

4950-458: The London and North Western Railway, engaged in schemes to gain advantage over neighbouring lines. The MS&LR directors saw that it was no longer practicable to control their company's day-to-day activities from the Board, and the decided to appoint a General Manager. The Board selected James Joseph Allport , appointed at a salary of £1,200 a year. Due to existing commitments he was not able to take up

5060-571: The MS&LR brought into use the Whisker Hill curve at Retford, which enabled its passenger trains to use the Great Northern station: the MS&LR Retford station closed on the same date. Mark Huish had taken over at the LNWR; he was a master of commercial chicanery. He achieved domination of the Midland Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway by means of traffic pooling agreements, and

5170-404: The MS&LR into joining a traffic agreement that contained clauses hostile to any collaboration with the GNR; this was approved on 16 January 1850. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway opened a line from Huddersfield to Penistone on 1 July 1850; MS&LR passenger trains began to run over it into Huddersfield. The Leverton line, leading towards Lincoln, was opened on 7 August 1850, forming

5280-462: The MS&LR it was authorised on 15 May 1860. It was to extend to New Mills with a branch from there to Hayfield . From Marple to New Mills the line opened for goods on 1 July 1865 and for passengers on 1 February 1867. Meanwhile, the Midland Railway was building a line up from near Miller's Dale, joining the MNM&;HJR at New Mills; it opened on 1 October 1866. This gave the Midland Railway access to

5390-521: The MS&LR station handling all passenger business, and the L&;YR all the goods business. The necessary junctions between the two routes at Stalybridge were ready on 1 July 1849, and on 1 August two new junctions with the London and North Western Railway were brought into use as well, end-on at Stalybridge with the new line from Huddersfield , and at Guide Bridge station, with the line from Heaton Norris . At

5500-420: The MS&LR system, and thereby to Manchester. The MNM&HJR company was acquired by the MS&LR on 5 July 1865. The MS&LR had sought the support of the LNWR and L&YR for the construction of a south-to-north line from Guide Bridge to Oldham , connecting with those companies' lines. The Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway was authorised on 10 August 1857, with capital of £140,000. The MS&LR

5610-551: The Midland approached from the Rotherham direction only, and it had a terminal station adjacent to Wicker, and named after that thoroughfare. The short connecting link was steeply graded and almost entirely in tunnel; it was only used for wagon exchange purposes. Having now taken over three large railway schemes that were authorised but not yet started, the MS&LR had to let large contracts for construction. In February 1847 nearly half

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5720-758: The Queen's Platinum Jubilee . This has been supported by the Doncaster Labour Group and the Doncaster Conservative Association. All three MPs for Doncaster expressed support for city status, with Don Valley 's Nick Fletcher speaking for it in Parliament. Alongside seven other areas, Doncaster was announced to have succeeded in its bid to gain city status on 20 May 2022 as part of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The city status applies to

5830-402: The Retford-Peterborough section of the GNR main line, which crossed that of the MS&LR on the flat. An act of Parliament of 24 July 1851 permitted the GNR to run over the MS&LR to cross the River Trent at Gainsborough, and also to enter the eastern end of the Great Northern Railway station at Lincoln by means of a spur from Durham Ox Junction, on the line from Market Rasen. On 1 July 1859

5940-436: The SA&MR had been authorised (by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxviii) of 27 July 1846 ) to amalgamate with three as-yet unbuilt railways: they were: The amalgamation took effect on 1 January 1847, and the combined company was named the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. It had headquarters at Manchester London Road station . The first board meeting of

6050-424: The SA&MR, the M&BR and the Earl of Ellesmere . His share was bought out in 1847 and the two railway companies had merged into the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the London and North Western Railway respectively, so that the MSJ&AR was wholly and equally owned by the MS&LR and the LNWR. The line was to be in two parts. The South Junction part was to connect the London Road station of

6160-424: The Sheffield-Beighton junction section, to Gainsborough, was formally opened on 16 July 1849. A special train conveying the Directors ran from Liverpool to Grimsby in five hours. The line was opened to the public the following day, 17 July 1849. There were two stations at Stalybridge : the former SA&MR station and one belonging to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway . The companies agreed to rationalise, with

6270-406: The alliance became known as the Euston Square Confederacy. There were good relations between the Great Northern Railway and the MS&LR, and Huish saw that completion of the GNR line from Peterborough to Doncaster , connecting with the MS&LR at Retford, as well as the Gainsborough connection, would encourage a co-operation that would abstract traffic from his allies. He manipulated Allport and

6380-428: The amalgamated company took place on 6 January 1847. As well as the railway interest, the new MS&LR acquired a considerable canal network. The Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway had acquired three canals in March 1846; they were These canals cost the company £33,608 annually in guaranteed payments to the original proprietors. The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway had already purchased

6490-410: The assistant of Huish at the LNWR and he revealed that the latter, in spite of the Euston Square agreement, had been negotiating with the GNR for a territorial division between the two companies, to the detriment of the MS&LR. Dow refers to this as "deplorable duplicity" by Huish. Watkin had a challenge before him; at this time traffic receipts were falling short of fixed obligations by about £1,000

6600-407: The central part of the parish, including the town. Such townships were also made civil parishes in 1866. Doncaster was also an ancient borough , with its earliest known charter dating from 1194. The borough just covered the Doncaster township, although it exerted some authority over a surrounding rural area known as the soke. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under

6710-415: The company changed its name to "The Great Central Railway ", and it was under that company name that the London Extension was opened in 1899. The Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway had opened throughout on 23 December 1845. Its line ran through the Woodhead Tunnel , a little over 3 miles in length. The line connected with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway at its western end, and had

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6820-452: The conference in Doncaster, UKIP were "now parking our tanks on the Labour Party's lawn", referring to Labour leader Ed Miliband 's Doncaster North constituency. Shortly afterwards in the seat, at the 2015 general election , UKIP won 8,928 votes to Labour's 20,708. In the 2016 membership referendum , 69 per cent of Doncaster voted to leave the European Union. Doncaster forms part of the South Yorkshire Combined Authority , which elects

6930-417: The confidence of his own board, and on 11 September 1858 his resignation was accepted. Towards the end of 1851 the Board had considered the restarting of the Barnsley branch construction, which had been promised but never proceeded with. In the meantime, other companies had connected the town: the Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Goole Railway and the South Yorkshire Railway . It

7040-478: The end of 1849, the MS&LR network amounted to 159 miles, with an additional 110 miles of canal. The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Junction Railway had originally been conceived to connect the Sheffield, Ashton under Lyne and Manchester Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . The Manchester and Birmingham Railway would benefit too from the connection. It was authorised on 21 July 1845 as an independent private company, with three shareholders:

7150-408: The end of March 1860 the line had been finished between Guide Bridge and the junction with the L&YR near Ashton-under-Lyne, but unusually wet weather delayed the completion of the remainder. On 31 July 1861 the line was opened formally. Passenger trains started running on 26 August, the MS&LR providing the locomotives and carriages; goods traffic did not start until 1 February 1863. Liverpool

7260-411: The engineer of Birkenhead docks, recommended the development of a dock at Garston , on the Mersey south of Liverpool, and a connecting railway. This was authorised in 1846; it diverged from the original line to Runcorn Gap just north of the Mersey and ran west to Garston. It opened on 1 July 1852, and the dock at Garston opened on 21 July 1853. A line eastwards to Warrington was built from a junction with

7370-404: The equipment but the clerks to operate it at the principal stations. In July 1851 through carriages by three trains a day were introduced between Sheffield (Bridgehouses) and London (Euston Square) via Beighton, Eckington and the Midland Railway and the LNWR. A considerable step forward was taken when the new Sheffield station (in due course named "Victoria") was opened on 15 September 1851. It

7480-635: The former Labour Party leader , represents Doncaster North , and Lee Pitcher represents the Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme . From 2023 , the Don Valley constituency will be renamed Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme , and will cover part of North Lincolnshire . A new Rawmarsh and Conisbrough constituency will be created covering the south-western suburbs of Doncaster and parts of Rotherham. Doncaster Central and Doncaster North will see minor boundary changes. In September 2014, UKIP held an annual party conference at Doncaster Racecourse . UKIP party leader Nigel Farage claimed that by holding

7590-510: The gates at Sunny Bar are commemorated by huge "Boar Gates"; similarly, the entrance to St Sepulchre Gate is commemorated by white marble "Roman Gates". The boundary of the town mainly extended from the Don along a route known now Market Road, Silver Street, Cleveland Street and Printing Office Street. Access to the town was restricted and some officeholders secured charters to collect tolls. In 1605, King James I granted to William Levett of Doncaster, brother of York merchant Percival Levett ,

7700-428: The green belt is to encourage recreation and leisure interests, with rural landscape features, greenfield areas and facilities including the River Don and valley west of Hexthorpe; Hexthorpe Park; Cusworth Hall , museum and country park; Potteric Carr and Huxter Well Marsh; and the Trans Pennine Trail . Doncaster has a maritime climate lacking extreme temperatures, like much of the British Isles. Its low elevation in

7810-436: The illegal "common-purse" agreement which existed between the London and North Western and the Midland Railway was exposed. Euston Square was now vulnerable to a Chancery suit, and, in the spring of 1857 a director of the Great Northern Railway filed a petition in Chancery. The LNWR position was indefensible and Euston Square had no option but to terminate the arrangement; this was done on 12 May 1857. The Euston Square Confederacy

7920-534: The line between Grimsby and New Holland . The Grimsby-Louth line of the East Lincolnshire Railway (now leased to the Great Northern Railway) was nearing completion too, and both lines opened on 1 March 1848. There was a through train service between New Holland and Louth , operated equally by both companies. A pier 1,500 feet in length had been provided at New Holland, which was the terminal of

8030-623: The line passes through the steelworks into the Ancholme Valley before crossing under the M180 motorway . To the west of Barnetby the line branches further at Wrawby Junction with the Grimsby–Lincoln–Newark line turning south towards Market Rasen , and the Kirton Lindsey line, (formerly a continuation of the Sheffield to Lincoln Line ). After Barnetby railway station the line crosses

8140-452: The line speed is predominantly 55 mph, with Wrawby Junction only 30 mph. The line speed between Immingham and Ulceby is mainly 30 mph. Loaded freight trains generally run at 60 mph on other lines, with some modern unloaded trains being capable of 75 mph. The line was initially part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway until the company changed name to

8250-613: The lines diverge at Thorne Junction. The line runs across Thorne and Hatfield Moors to run along the Stainforth and Keadby Canal toward the River Trent . Close to Keadby Power Station the route turns around Keadby and crosses the river Trent at Keadby Bridge . The line then climbs and passes over the M181 motorway and on viaduct to cross the Lincoln Edge at Scunthorpe. Through Scunthorpe,

8360-576: The luxurious, historic gilded 18th-century Mansion House in High Street . This land ownership developed over what is an ancient market place and large buildings were erected in the 19th century, including the Market Hall and Corn Exchange . The old Doncaster Guildhall in Frenchgate was designed by John Butterfield with a tetrastyle portico and completed in 1847: it was demolished in the redevelopment of

8470-440: The main line had gone). The LNWR continued to use underhand tactics of all kinds to frustrate the smooth operation of MS&LR and GNR trains, especially at Manchester. The warfare continued despite the efforts of neutral railway companies to mediate, and it was not until 12 November 1858 that a peaceful agreement was concluded. Throughout the process, Huish had been pursuing personal antagonistic objectives, and had steadily lost

8580-666: The main route Ermine Street involved parties breaking up to cross the Humber in boats. As this was not always practical, the Romans saw Doncaster as an important staging post. The Roman road appears on two routes recorded in the Antonine Itinerary . The itinerary includes the same section of road between Lincoln and York and lists three stations between these two coloniae . Routes 7 and 8 ( Iter  VII & VIII ) are entitled "the route from York to London ". Several areas of intense archaeological interest have been identified in

8690-503: The need for MS&LR trains to cross to the southern side there, as a means of obstructing MS&LR expansion. James Allport resigned on 20 July 1853, effective at the end of September; he went to the Midland Railway. A shareholders' consultative committee had been set up and was require to be involved in strategic decisions of the company; it appears that Allport considered this to be an infringement of his role. Edward William Watkin took over in his place on 1 January 1854. He had been

8800-406: The post until 1 January 1850. Allport's appointment at what seemed to some to be a high salary caused some shareholder disquiet. The Great Northern Railway was building its main line in stages, and on 4 September 1849 it opened its Doncaster-Retford line. At Retford the GNR trains used the MS&LR station until its own station there was opened. This took place on 1 August 1852 after completion of

8910-458: The proposed widened lines between Ardwick junction and London Road. The MS&L were to vacate the original pair of tracks and be given the exclusive use of the two new lines on the northern side, except in the case of accidents, and have access across the LNWR to the MSJ&;AR line. Although this seemed to be agreed smoothly enough with the LNWR, that company later used its primacy at London Road and

9020-410: The rail network in 1848 and a plant and carriage works for Great Northern Railway was constructed in the town in 1853. The Doncaster Carr rail depot was opened in 1876. The area to the east of Doncaster started developing settlements where coal miners lived from the 1850s onwards, exploiting coal near Barnsley . One such settlement is Deneby. Doncaster and surrounding settlements became part of

9130-528: The rest of the UK. The Doncaster skyline is overlooked by the minster in the middle of the city. The Frenchgate Shopping Centre is in a similar position in the skyline, along with the Doncaster College Hub building. After the old Doncaster College and surrounding buildings were demolished, the new Doncaster Civic Office designed by Cartwright Pickard was built for Doncaster Council at a cost of £20 million and completed in 2012. Doncaster lies in

9240-494: The right to levy tolls at Friar's and St Mary's bridges. Having served as mayors and aldermen of Doncaster, the Levetts probably believed they could control a monopoly. In 1618 the family began enforcing it, but by 1628 the populace revolted. Capt. Christopher Levett , Percival's son, petitioned Parliament to enforce the tolls, but Parliament disagreed, calling them "a grievance to the subjects, both in creation and execution," and axing

9350-470: The route via Retford and the Great Northern Railway, in the same journey time as formerly via the LNWR. Of course much mineral traffic followed this transfer. Some of the track between Wadsley Bridge and Oughty Bridge still had the original stone-block sleepered track, and this had to be hastily modernised. (At the beginning of 1858 an inspection indicated that the last of the stone block sleepers in

9460-648: The site of the Waterdale car park. The old council house and civic theatre have been demolished and new housing is being built in the town itself, opposite Doncaster Racecourse, and in out-of-town suburbs. During the 19th and 20th centuries, confectioners based in Doncaster included Parkinson's the Butterscotch inventors, Nuttalls Mintoes and Murray Mints. In August 2011, Parkinson's put its 190-year-old trademark up for sale on eBay. The waterways, River Don and Don Navigation were used to transport coal from Doncaster to

9570-545: The stations at Dog Lane, Hazlehead, Oxspring and Thurgoland were closed to passenger traffic as from 1 November 1847. One new station was provided, at Dinting, at the Glossop branch junction. The original Dinting station was closed after an interval. In its first year of operation, the MS&LR had paid a 5% dividend on ordinary stock. This fell to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 % for the first half of 1848, since when there were no further payments for six years. Progress continued on building

9680-403: The steel production centres at Rotherham , Scunthorpe and Sheffield . Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway ( MS&LR ) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsby . It pursued

9790-460: The street name Frenchgate indicates that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the town. Doncaster was ceded to Scotland in the Treaty of Durham and never formally returned to England. With the 13th century, Doncaster matured into a busy town. In 1194 King Richard I granted it national recognition with a town charter . It suffered a disastrous fire in 1204, from which it slowly recovered. At

9900-546: The time, buildings were built of wood, and open fireplaces used for cooking and heating. In 1248, a charter was granted for Doncaster Market to be held in the area surrounding the Church of St Mary Magdalene, which was built in Norman times. In the 16th century, the church was adapted for use as the town hall . It was finally demolished in 1846. Some 750 years on, the market continues to operate, with busy traders located under cover, at

10010-437: The total UK freight tonnage with potential for significantly more. This line is therefore a very important route for freight and extra capacity is needed to allow rail to grow with the port. Humber International Terminal stage 2 was completed in 2006 which has doubled the amount of coal the port can handle. The route from Doncaster to Immingham via Scunthorpe is a key artery for rail freight services conveying approximately 20% of

10120-510: The total rail freight volume moved in the UK, it includes: Services on the Doncaster to Goole/Hull via Thorne line, which normally amount to eight trains per day, are also affected by these trains. Totals: 68 freight trains per day, journey each way = 136 paths There are three tracks between Brocklesby and Wrawby, two in the Doncaster direction and one in the Immingham direction. The line speed also restricts capacity, between Ulceby and Doncaster

10230-686: The town, although many such as St Sepulchre Gate remain hidden under buildings. The Roman fort is thought to have lain on the site now taken by St George's Minster , beside the River Don . The Doncaster garrison units are named in a Register produced near the end of Roman rule in Britain : it was the home of the Crispinian Horse, presumably named after the tribes living near Crispiana in Pannonia Superior (near present-day Zirc in western Hungary ), but possibly after Crispus , son of Constantine

10340-474: The urban area west of the East Coast Line, preventing suburbs such as Sprotbrough , New Edlington , Old Edlington , Scawsby and New Rossington merging. As a result, open rural land can be very close to the town centre at some points (for example the wide undeveloped valley of the River Don is adjacent to the town centre), while at other points the urban sprawl rolls on for up to five miles. Another aim of

10450-447: The warmest day of the year reaches 29.1 °C (84.4 °F) and 12 or 13 days report a daytime maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above. The lowest known temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F), set during December 1981. Online records only go back to 1960, and lower temperatures may have been recorded earlier. During the 1971–2000 period, an average of 51.9 nights of the year recorded an air frost. Typically 106.9 days of

10560-427: The whole metropolitan borough rather than just the built up area of Doncaster. Doncaster formally received the letters patent and became a city when a ceremony took place on 9 November 2022 as part of a royal visit. Doncaster was an ancient parish , which was subdivided into six townships : Balby with Hexthorpe , Langthwaite with Tilts , Long Sandall , Loversall , Wheatley and a Doncaster township covering

10670-459: The year report 1 mm or more of rainfall. Total annual precipitation is slightly below 560 mm (22 in), which is comparable to the driest parts of the UK, due to Doncaster's location in the rain shadow of the Pennines. In the 2011 census the town of Doncaster (identified as the "built-up area subdivision") had a population of 109,805, while the wider " Built-up area " had a population of 158,141. The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster had

10780-479: Was Edward Watkin , a dynamic leader who sometimes allowed personal vanity to drive his priorities. Watkin was determined that the MS&LR should get its own route to London, and this became the scheme for the London Extension, a fearfully expensive project that risked alienating friendly companies. The London extension scheme changed the character of the MS&LR completely and dominated its final years. In 1897

10890-579: Was a prime seaport with a huge volume of international and coastwise trade, and was consequently of strategic importance for railways in the region. The MS&LR reached as far west as Manchester, and was joint owner of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway. The MS&LR began to consider how it might reach Liverpool without dependency of the LNWR, which was generally hostile and obstructive. The St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway had been built to convey minerals south from St Helens to

11000-430: Was abolished in 1974 and replaced by the larger Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster , which also took in the abolished urban districts of Adwick le Street , Bentley with Arksey , Conisbrough , Mexborough , Tickhill , the rural districts of Doncaster and Thorne , and (from Nottinghamshire) the parish of Finningley and part of the parish of Harworth (the latter being added to the parish of Bawtry ). The borough

11110-403: Was an exceptionally hostile partner, and in later years the MS&LR allied itself with the Great Northern Railway. Passenger traffic, especially around Manchester, was also an important business area, and well-patronised express trains to London were run in collaboration with the GNR. Nevertheless, the MS&LR was never greatly profitable. For many years its General Manager, and then chairman,

11220-484: Was anxious to secure the commitment of the LNWR to the project, partly to disarm LNWR plans to build their own line there. The L&YR had at first expressed preparedness to support the line, but in negotiations which dragged into 1858 the L&YR as clearly determined to keep the LNWR out, and the L&YR withdrew. Accordingly, on 30 June 1862 the OA&;GBR was leased to the MS&LR and LNWR. Each subscribed £50,000. By

11330-467: Was at last completed, opening in three stages, from 15 May 1854 to 12 February 1857. The Birley coal branch, turning west from Woodhouse and 2 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles in length, was brought into use in June 1855. The MS&LR opened a branch to Hyde from Newton , on the main line on 1 March 1858. Newton station had been called Newton & Hyde (now Hyde North), and an omnibus service to Hyde itself had been operated at one time. (The Hyde station

11440-529: Was completed during 1849, except for the new station at Sheffield (still under construction), the Leverton branch (as the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Extension Railway was now called) and certain dock works at Grimsby. There was an impressive succession of openings: the Barnetby-Lincoln line was opened on 1 February 1849, and the section from Sheffield to Beighton, where a junction was made with the Midland Railway,

11550-499: Was donated to the Yorkshire Museum in 1856. Doncaster is generally identified with Cair Daun listed as one of 28 British cities in the 9th-century History of the Britons traditionally ascribed to Nennius . It was certainly an Anglo-Saxon burh , and in that period received its present name: "Don-" ( Old English : Donne ) from the settlement and river and "-caster" ( -ceaster ) from an Old English version of

11660-480: Was neutralised. Huish attempted further duplicity in trying to agree a sharing of traffic with the Great Northern Railway, but that company saw the danger and refused. The MS&LR decided to sever all agreements with the LNWR, and to form an alliance with the Great Northern Railway. The process to conclude these things took some time, but it resulted in transfer of the Manchester to London express passenger service to

11770-496: Was now complete. As well as enabling a busy local passenger service, in time the MSJ&AR line formed a strategic link, later enabling the MS&LR to pass Manchester and penetrate westwards. In May 1849, George Hudson , the so-called Railway King, had fallen from power as his underhand methods were exposed. The politics of the large railway companies shifted considerably, as Hudson's successors, particularly Captain Mark Huish of

11880-470: Was opened on 12 February 1849. MS&LR passenger trains ran through to Eckington on the Midland Railway from Beighton. A triangular junction was formed at New Holland, leading to a branch to Barton on Humber, opened on 1 March 1849. On 2 April 1849 the section between Brigg and Gainsborough was opened. There was a triangular junction at Ulceby: the eastern side of the triangle had been in use since before July 1848. The final link, from Woodhouse junction, on

11990-458: Was raised to city status in 2022. Doncaster is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire and the largest metropolitan district in England by area . It expanded dramatically in population with the development of coal mining. Closure of coal mines in the 1970s and early 1980s caused economic difficulties; the town then developed its service industry , drawing on the good communication links with

12100-471: Was very commodious; the Bridgehouses station was converted to a goods depot. The second bore of the Woodhead tunnel opened for traffic on 2 February 1852; its beneficial effect on train operating was felt immediately, and the removal of the pilot engine alone saved £800 a year. On 18 March 1852 a banquet was held at Grimsby to celebrate the completion of the MS&LR's dock; it entered public use in May and

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