Doncaster

Doncaster
St Sepulchre Gate and Printing Office Street junction in Doncaster town center
Doncaster shown within South Yorkshire
Population	308,940 (2017)
OS grid reference	SE5702
Metropolitan borough	Doncaster
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DONCASTER
Postcode district	DN1-DN12
Dialling code	01302
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	__Constituency Map
	Doncaster Central
	Doncaster North
	Don Valley
Website	Doncaster Council
List of places UK England Yorkshire

Doncaster is a large town in the north of England. It is in South Yorkshire, and is a Metropolitan County (an area of dense population).

Doncaster is a large town in the United Kingdom, and has more residents than many cities. Doncaster has fought to become a city for many years, but has failed to achieve this title. Many believe this is due to its closeness to other very large cities, such as Sheffield and Leeds.

History

Doncaster is an ancient town that developed from a Roman fort called 'Danum'. It was built on a Roman road Ermine Street, which linked London to York. The fort was built where Doncaster Minster now stands.

Later Doncaster developed into a medieval township with a fortified boundary and historic gates. What remains of the gates can still be seen in the town today. Doncaster also has a market which has existed for over 750 years.

As the centuries passed, Doncaster became an important staging post on the route between London and Edinburgh. An ancient road called the Great North Road passed straight through the very centre of Doncaster, and the town grew around and along this road.

Trains

When railways were invented, Doncaster became famous for steam trains. It was an important stop for trains travelling between Scotland and London. It is still an important stop today. A big factory for making trains was built in Doncaster. Some of the finest and fastest steam trains in the world were built in Doncaster. These trains include The Flying Scotsman, The Mallard, and The Sir Nigel Gresley. The station also houses a unique Victorian themed bar on platform 3b.

Aeroplanes

Doncaster was one of the first places in the country that made aeroplanes and had an airport. The first airshow in the country was held in Doncaster in 1908.

Doncaster has an international airport which was opened in 2005. The airport is growing very fast and lots of people from across the region and across Europe now use Doncaster as a popular destination – which is something that people have already been doing for the last 2000 years.

Attractions

Doncaster is famous for horse racing. Doncaster is one of the oldest racecourses in the world. It hosts two famous horse races: The Doncaster Cup, which is the oldest horse race in the world, and the St Leger Stakes, which is the oldest classic horse race in the world. There has been horse racing in Doncaster for over 500 years. The horse racing started because of the horses that used to pull horse-drawn coaches on the Great North Road.

Famous people from Doncaster

• Louis Tomlinson
• Billy Bremner
• Brian Blessed
• Douglas Bader
• Dianna Rigg
• George Porter
• Jeremy Clarkson
• John Parr
• Kevin Keegan
• Thomas Crapper
• Tony Christie
• Tan France
• Lesley Garret
• Darren Hill
• Dominic Harrison

Influence

Doncaster is also the name of a suburb in eastern Melbourne, Australia. It is home to two state primary schools: Doncaster Gardens Primary School and Doncaster Primary School.