Visit Doncaster Places

Welcome to Visit Doncaster Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Doncaster

  

Doncaster Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Doncaster

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Doncaster history

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Roman

Doncaster grew up at the site of a Roman fort constructed in the 1st century at a crossing of the River Don . The Roman fort is believed to have been located on the site that is now covered by St George’s Minster . Doncaster provided an alternative direct land route between Lincoln and York .

Medieval

Doncaster is generally believed to be the Cair Daun listed as one of the 28 cities of Britain in the 9th-century History of the Britons . It was certainly an Anglo-Saxon burh, during which period it received its present name: “Don-” (Old English: Donne) from the settlement and river and “-caster” from an Old English adaptation of the Latin castra .

Modern

In 1605, King James I granted to William Levett of Doncaster the right to levy tolls at Friar’s and St Mary’s bridges . In 1618 the family began enforcing it but, by 1628, the populace revolted . Parliament disagreed, calling the tolls “a grievance to the subjects, both in creation and execution” Doncaster has traditionally been a prosperous area within the wapentake of Stafford and Tickhill .

Doncaster economy & business

Distribution centres

Doncaster has a number of major distribution centres, including the 420 acre Doncaster International Railport . Next, Tesco, IKEA, Amazon.com, Lidl and Faberge are also sited there . A significant proportion of fresh and frozen goods for northern supermarkets is dispatched by road from Doncaster .

Regeneration initiatives

Doncaster Lakeside, home to the Doncaster Rovers ground, has undergone modernisation . The Frenchgate Centre, a shopping centre and transport interchange, has been extended to connect with the railway station and bus station . The Waterdale area of the town centre is currently undergoing rejuvenation, with a new theatre (known as CAST) and civic offices already having been completed .

Confectionery

During the 19th and 20th century, confectioners based in Doncaster included Parkinson’s the Butterscotch inventors, Nuttalls Mintoes and Murray Mints . Parkinson’s put their 190-year-old trademark up for sale on eBay in August 2011 .

Coal and industrial expansion

River Don and Don Navigation used to transport coal from Doncaster to steel production centres at Rotherham, Scunthorpe and Sheffield . A large number of mining jobs were lost in the late 1980s, and today coal mining has ceased . Bridon Ropes supplied wire rope for the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Olympic Games .

The railways and locomotive works

During the Industrial Revolution, the Great Northern Railway established the Doncaster Locomotive and Carriage Building Works . The Doncaster Plant became famous for building LNER locomotives Flying Scotsman and Mallard . By August 2008, the whole Plant complex had been razed to make way for a large housing development .

Aviation

In 1909, Doncaster Racecourse was chosen as the venue for an airshow, after the world’s first international air display in Reims, France in 1909 . During World War I fighters based first from the racecourse, then a temporary airstrip near Finningley (later RAF Finningly and now Doncaster Sheffield Airport) and finally, in 1916, from a newly built airfield, were deployed to defend the east coast against Zeppelins .

Tractor production

In 1930, International Harvester 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 . Tractors were initially built from parts shipped from the US . The factory was purchased by ARGO SpA, an Italian-based agricultural equipment builder .

Doncaster geography / climate

Doncaster is the second-largest settlement in South Yorkshire and has the largest metropolitan district in England by area size. The borough expanded dramatically in population with the development of coal mining.

Climate

The town lies at a low elevation in the Don Valley, in the lee of the Pennines, and inland from the North Sea . The August 1990 record high of 35.5 °C (95.9 °F) is the most northerly temperature above 35 °C in the British Isles . The nearest weather station is RAF Finningley, now known as Doncaster Sheffield Airport, located about 5.5 mi (8.9 km) south-east of Doncaster .

You can visit Doncaster places with Walkfo Doncaster to hear history at Doncaster’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Doncaster has 49 places to visit in our interactive Doncaster map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Doncaster, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Doncaster places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Doncaster & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 49 audio facts unique to Doncaster places in an interactive Doncaster map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Doncaster Places Map
49 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Doncaster historic spots	Doncaster tourist destinations	Doncaster plaques	Doncaster geographic features
Walkfo Doncaster tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Doncaster

  

Best Doncaster places to visit

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Doncaster has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Doncaster’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Doncaster’s information audio spots:

Belle Vue (Doncaster) Belle Vue was a football stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, that served as the home ground of Doncaster Rovers from 1922 to 2007. The ground was renowned for having the biggest pitch in the United Kingdom, at 110 yards (100 metres) long and 72 yards (66 metres) wide.

Intake Ground The Intake Ground was the home ground of Doncaster Rovers between 1885 and 1919. It is still used today as a football field.

Lakeside Village, Doncaster Lakeside Village is an outlet shopping centre in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Remodelled in 2003, it was previously known as The Yorkshire Outlet.

Nether Hall, Doncaster Nether Hall is a large mansion in Doncaster. It is a Grade II listed building. Nether Hall was built in the 1930s and is now owned by a large estate.

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 was one of the Greater Churches Network.

Doncaster Power Station Doncaster A provided electricity to the town from 1900 to 1958, and the B station provided electricity from 1953 to 1983. The B station was located in the centre of Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

Potteric Carr Potteric Carr is a large area of land to the southeast of Doncaster, in Yorkshire, England, over 3,000 acres (12 km) in size.

Bentley railway station (South Yorkshire) Bentley railway station is a railway station that serves Bentley, South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the Wakefield Line and is managed by Northern. It was opened on 27 April 1992 by British Rail with financial assistance from the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

Don Bridge The Don Bridge is a motorway viaduct in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the largest motorway bridges in the world.

Visit Doncaster plaques