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Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A predominantly industrial town, the town is the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre and is also known as the "Industrial Garden Town". It is the third largest settlement in Lincolnshire, after Lincoln and Grimsby. The Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe is Conservative politician
Holly Mumby-Croft Holly Mumby-Croft (born July 1985) is a British Conservative Party politician, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Scunthorpe since 2019. Early life Mumby-Croft was born in Scunthorpe. She attended Sir John Nelthorpe School in Brig ...
.


History

Scunthorpe as a town came into existence due to the exploitation of the local ironstone resources, and subsequent formation of iron works from the 1850s onwards. The regional population grew from 1,245 in 1851 to 11,167 in 1901 and 45,840 in 1941. During the expansion Scunthorpe expanded to include the former villages of Scunthorpe, Bottesford,
Frodingham Frodingham may refer to: *Appleby Frodingham F.C., football club based in Appleby, near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England * Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society, based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire * Appleby-Frodingham Steel Compan ...
, Crosby, Brumby and
Ashby Ashby may refer to: People * Ashby (surname) * Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England * Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publ ...
. Scunthorpe became an urban district in 1891, merged as 'Scunthorpe, Brumby and Frodingham Urban District' in 1919, and became a municipal borough in 1936.


Etymology

The town appears in the '' Domesday Book'' (1086) as , which is from the Old Norse meaning "Skuma's homestead", a site which is believed to be in the town centre close to where the present-day Market Hill is located.


Geology

Scunthorpe is located close to an outcrop of high-lime-content ironstone (~25% iron average) from a seam of the Lias Group strata which dates from the Early Jurassic period and runs north–south through Lincolnshire. Ironstone was mined by open cast methods from the 1850s onwards, and by underground mining from the late 1930s. In the 1970s the steel industry in Scunthorpe transitioned to use of ores imported from outside the UK with higher iron content. Underground mining in the area ceased in 1981. Scunthorpe was close to the epicentre (at Middle Rasen) of the
2008 Market Rasen earthquake On 27 February 2008 at 00:56:47.8s GMT an earthquake occurred at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. According to the British Geological Survey the earthquake registered a reading of 5.2 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre 2.5 miles (4&n ...
, the second largest earthquake experienced in the British Isles, which had a magnitude of 5.2. Significant shocks were felt in Scunthorpe and the surrounding North Lincolnshire area. The main 10-second quake, which struck at 00:56 GMT on 27 February 2008, at a depth of , was second only to a 1984 quake, with a magnitude of 5.4, which occurred in North Wales.


Governance

Scunthorpe forms an unparished area in the borough and unitary authority of North Lincolnshire. The town forms six of the borough's seventeen wards, namely Ashby, Brumby, Crosby & Park, Frodingham, Kingsway with Lincoln Gardens and Town. The Scunthorpe wards elect 16 of the borough's 43 councillors. As of 2018, 26 are members of the Conservative party, and 13 are members of the Labour party. The councillors form the charter trustees of the Town of Scunthorpe and they continue to elect a town mayor. North Lincolnshire Council is based in The Civic Centre off Ashby Road (former A159) next to Festival Gardens. It was designed by Charles B. Pearson, Son and Partners and was completed in 1962. It was the home of Scunthorpe Borough Council until 1996. Briefly renamed Pittwood House, it was named after Edwin Pittwood, a local Labour politician, who worked in the opencast ironstone workings near Normanby Park. There are also offices at Church Square House near the former Scunthorpe Market. Pittwood House has since been renamed as Civic Centre due to the relocation of the Register Office from its old premises in Oswald road.


Civic history

In 1889 the area was included in the Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey administrative county. Separate local government began in 1890 when the Scunthorpe local board of health was formed. In 1894 the local board was replaced with an urban district council. At the same time the neighbouring townships of Brumby and Frodingham were also constituted an urban district. The two urban districts were amalgamated, along with the
parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Crosby and Ashby in 1919 to form an enlarged Scunthorpe urban district. Scunthorpe received a charter incorporating the town as a municipal borough in 1936. Local authority boundary changes brought the town into the new county of Humberside in 1974, and a new non-metropolitan district, the Borough of Scunthorpe was formed with the same boundaries as the old municipal borough. The opening of the Humber Bridge on 24 June 1981 provided a permanent link between North and South Humberside but did not secure Humberside's future. To the relief of its many detractors, the county of Humberside (and Humberside County Council) was abolished on 1 April 1996 and succeeded by four unitary authorities. The previous Humberside districts of Glanford and Scunthorpe, and that part of Boothferry district south of the northern boundaries of the parishes of Crowle, Eastoft, Luddington, Haldenby and
Amcotts Amcotts is a village and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England, and on the Isle of Axholme. The village is situated north-west from Scunthorpe, and on the west bank of the River Trent facing Flixborough on the ...
, now compose the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire. On amalgamation charter trustees were formed for Scunthorpe, and they continue to elect a town mayor.


Coat of arms

When Scunthorpe was incorporated as a borough in 1936, it also received a grant of a coat of arms from the College of Arms. These arms were transferred to the new borough council formed in 1974, and are now used by the town's charter trustees. The green shield and golden wheatsheaf recall that the area was until recently agricultural in nature. Across the centre of the shield is a length of chain. This refers to the five villages of Crosby, Scunthorpe, Frodingham, Brumby & Ashby linking together as one. At the top of the shield are two fossils of the species ''Gryphaea incurva''. These remains of oysters, known as the "devil's toenails", were found in the rock strata from which ironstone was quarried. The crest, on top of the helm, shows a blast furnace. This is also referred to in the Latin motto: ''Refulget labores nostros coelum'' or ''The heavens reflect our labours'' popularly attributed to the glow observed in the night sky from the steelmaking activities.


Geography

Scunthorpe lies on an escarpment of ridged land (the Lincoln Cliff) which slopes down towards the Trent. The surrounding environs are largely low-lying hills and plains. Although the town itself is heavily industrial it is surrounded by fertile farmland and wooded areas. In terms of general location it lies a mile east of the River Trent, south of the
Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...
, west of the Lincolnshire Wolds and north of Lincoln. The town is situated at the terminus of the M181, from Sheffield. Nearby towns and cities are
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
(18 miles northeast), Doncaster (20 miles west), Grimsby (22 miles east) and York (46 miles northwest). Scunthorpe is approximately east of South Yorkshire and south by south west to the East Riding of Yorkshire.


Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Scunthorpe has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
( Köppen: Cfb). Average temperatures are around in the summer, and can get be as low as in the winter.


Economy


Steel industry

The Iron industry in Scunthorpe was established in the mid 19th century, following the discovery and exploitation of middle Lias ironstone east of Scunthorpe. Initially iron ore was exported to iron producers in South Yorkshire. Later, after the construction of the Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway (1860s) gave rail access to the area iron production in the area rapidly expanded using local ironstone and imported coal or coke. Rapid industrial expansion in the area led directly to the development of the town of Scunthorpe, eventually incorporating several other former hamlets and villages, in a formerly sparsely populated entirely agricultural area. From the early 1910s to the 1930s the industry consolidated, with three main ownership concerns formed – the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company, part of the United Steel Companies; the
Redbourn Iron Works Redbourn is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, lying on Watling Street, from Harpenden, from St Albans and from Hemel Hempstead. The civil parish had a population of 5,113 according to the 2011 Census. The three tiers ...
, part of Richard Thomas and Company of South Wales (later Richard Thomas and Baldwins); and
John Lysaght John Lysaght and Co. was an iron and steel company established in Bristol, England, and with later operations in Wolverhampton, Newport, and Scunthorpe. The company was acquired by GKN in 1920. The founder John Lysaght (1832–1895) was bor ...
's
Normanby Iron Works Normanby could be: Places Australia *Normanby, Queensland *Normanby Division, a local government area in Queensland *Shire of Normanby, a local government area in Queensland *Normanby Island (Queensland) * Electoral district of Normanby (disambi ...
, part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. In 1967 all three works became part of the nationalised British Steel Corporation (BSC), leading to a period of further consolidation – from the 1970s the use of local or regional ironstone diminished, being replaced by imported ore via the Immingham Bulk Terminal. Conversion to the
Linz-Donawitz process Basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS, BOP, BOF, or OSM), also known as Linz-Donawitz steelmaking or the oxygen converter processBrock and Elzinga, p. 50. is a method of primary steelmaking in which carbon-rich molten pig iron is made into steel. Blowin ...
(or "basic oxygen" process) of steel making from the
open hearth process An open-hearth furnace or open hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to produce steel. Because steel is difficult to manufacture owing to its high melt ...
took place from the late 1960s onwards and was complete by the 1990s. Both the Normanby Park and the Redbourn works closed in the early 1980s. Following privatisation in 1988 the company, together with the rest of BSC, became part of Corus (1999), later Tata Steel Europe (2007). In 2016 the long products division of Tata Steel Europe was sold to Greybull Capital with Scunthorpe as the primary steel production site. In 2012 the steel industry remained the major employer in the area and its largest operator was Tata Steel Europe. The number employed in the industry fell from 27,000 at its height to around 4,500 (excluding outside contractors) by the mid 2010s. The steel works and the former ironstone workings have both had large scale detrimental environmental effects in the district, including air pollution and subsidence. In May 2019, after a drop in future orders, and a breakdown in rescue talks between the government and the company's owner, Greybull, British Steel Limited entered insolvency. Industries associated with the steelworks include metal engineering as well as a BOC plant.


Other industries

Although the historical predominance of the steel industry made Scunthorpe a virtual monotown, there are other industries in the town. These include food production, distribution and retailing. North of the town next a waste management firm, Bell Waste Control, which services the majority of industry in Scunthorpe and the surrounding areas. On the Foxhills Industrial Park, north of the A1077 northern bypass, are many distribution companies, notably a large building owned by the Nisa co-operative type mutual organisation which has its UK headquarters there. Also on the Foxhills Industrial Park is a 500,000 square foot factory occupied by Wren Kitchens, employing 350 full-time workers.
2 Sisters Food Group 2 Sisters Food Group, a subsidiary of Boparan Holdings Ltd, is a privately owned food manufacturing company with head offices in Birmingham, England primarily focusing on private label manufacturing for retailer and food service markets. Establ ...
have a large chicken processing plant in the town. Key Country Foods produces meat products on an industrial scale. The Sauce Company produces sauces, soups and other foodstuffs for the catering and supermarket sectors. Ericsson Mobile Platforms produces printed circuit boards for the telecommunications industry. There are a number of other firms, mostly involved in manufacturing and light engineering. In the 2001 census 19.3% of the working age population were economically inactive.


Retail

Scunthorpe has two major shopping centres, effectively a single site: the Foundry Shopping Centre and the Parishes Centre. The former was constructed in the late 1960s/early 1970s during a wholesale reconstruction of the old town; the latter was constructed in the early part of the 2000s decade on the site of the town's old bus station. There are also many well known retailers on High Street. On 6 January 2011
Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
closed their High Street store after 80 years of trading, but a new Marks and Spencer store opened near the football ground in 2014. However the size of the remaining retail units reflects the size of the area's population and with larger shopping facilities within reasonable travelling distance in Grimsby,
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
, Doncaster, Lincoln, Leeds and at Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield. The once-thriving market, mostly under cover in market halls just to the north of the Central Library, at the eastern end of the High Street, had shrunk noticeably in the last ten years, and has now moved to the new St John's Market, close to the Bus Station. The opening date was 22 March 2019. All of the big food retailers are represented in the area. There is a Tesco Extra, and an Aldi (in the former Toys R Us unit) opposite the football ground, while Sainsbury's (formerly a Safeway) have their store on the site of the old Scunthorpe United stadium, The Old Show Ground. Morrisons have a store at the bottom of Mortal Ash Hill (known locally as "Motlash") (
A18 road This is a list of roads designated A18. Roads are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * A18 motorway (Belgium), a road connecting Bruges and Dunkirk, France * A18 motorway (Italy), a road connecting Messina and Catania in Sicily * A18 hi ...
) at the Lakeside Retail Park, on the eastern entrance to the town, while Asda have a store on Burringham Road. In 2011 Asda opened another store in the former Netto, on Carlton Street. On 24 October 2014 Marks and Spencer's returned to the town after almost a 4-year absence. The store is housed in a purpose built location at the North Lincolnshire Shopping Centre, beside Glanford Park. Debenhams, Boots, B&M Bargains, Costa Coffee and
Subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Interconti ...
have also opened stores at the centre.


Transport

Scunthorpe railway station lies on the South TransPennine Line which has trains from
Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...
to
Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...
. Scunthorpe station (SCU), has two platforms and runs three different services. Platform 1 serves the TransPennine Express Cleethorpes route, whilst Platform 2 serves the TransPennine Express Manchester Airport route, and the Northern Doncaster route. The Northern train is the local stopping service, which runs from Monday-Saturday, and is served by TransPennine Express at the first and last service of the day. For local people traveling to Doncaster, it is often preferred to use the TransPennine Express services, as they go direct into Doncaster, and do not rely upon the 1980s pacer trains that Northern run today. The station is operated by TransPennine Express, and was made more accessible when lifts were added in 2019. The town lies five miles (8 km) north of the M180, and the M181 terminates Glanford Park, on the outskirts of the town. Before this motorway was opened in 1979, all the east–west goods traffic took the A18 to Grimsby. Humberside Airport is a short drive to the east along the M180. The town's bus station is off Fenton Street. The bus station is predominantly used by Stagecoach in Lincolnshire that operate services within and out of the town along with Hornsby Travel.
East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...
operate services to
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
and Goole.


Religion

The church of St John the Evangelist, in Church Square, was completed in 1891 and consecrated on 15 April that same year. The church was built, at a cost of £20,000 (equivalent to £ as of ) on land given by Lord St Oswald. Built of
Frodingham Frodingham may refer to: *Appleby Frodingham F.C., football club based in Appleby, near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England * Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society, based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire * Appleby-Frodingham Steel Compan ...
ironstone, and comprising a nave with five bays and a
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
, a chancel, north and south aisles, two porches and a tower, it could accommodate up to 500 worshippers. It was designed by
J. S. Crowther Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820 â€“ March 1893) (usually known as J. S. Crowther) was an English architect who practised in Manchester. His buildings are mainly located in Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria. Life and career Crowther studie ...
in the perpendicular style. The original striking clock was installed, in 1890 by William Potts and Sons of the Guildford Clock Works in Leeds. In 1897 quarter chimes were added. The peal of eight bells were hung in 1893, in memory of the Lord St Oswald. The organ, built in London, cost £1,000. The final church service was held on 29 April 1984 and the building is now an arts centre. There are also multiple churches including the other town church of St Lawrence. There are also two small Muslim centres.


Culture

The North Lincolnshire Museum is on Oswald Road, near the railway station. The former church of St John the Evangelist is now the 20–21 Visual Arts Centre. The Plowright Theatre, named after Joan Plowright, is on Laneham Street (off the west end of High Street and also near the railway station). It was built in 1958 as Scunthorpe Civic Theatre. The Baths Hall, reopened in 2011, a 1,700 capacity venue also hosts visiting musical and theatrical events. The Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir from Scunthorpe won the title of
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
''Choir of the Year'' 2008 at the Grand Finals on 7 December 2008 at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
, London. The main choir is made up of 90 members aged between 9 and 19 years whilst also having two training choirs taking children as young as 3 years old. They have made several CDs, performed numerous concerts in the area and further afield, have been subject of documentaries and are internationally renowned as having travelled the world. Scunthorpe was the setting of a
2012 Cultural Olympiad The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the United Kingdom that accompanied the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympi ...
community opera called ''Cycle Song'', about past steel-worker and Olympic cyclist Lal White. It was composed by Tim Sutton and the librettist was Ian McMillan. The Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir, Proper Job Theatre Company and over a thousand locals participated.


Media and entertainment


Television

* ''BBC Look North'' broadcast by the BBC from Queen's Gardens in Kingston upon Hull with news offices in Grimsby, covering the East Riding of Yorkshire and North & North East Lincolnshire; * ''Calendar'', broadcast by ITV Yorkshire from Leeds, West Yorkshire with a crew in Grimsby covering the local area.


Radio

* BBC Radio Humberside is broadcast on 95.9 FM from Kingston upon Hull, with its coverage given to the old county of Humberside, now including the East Riding of Yorkshire and all of North & North East Lincolnshire & all Lincolnshire at certain times. Coverage often includes broadcasts of local football team
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
. * Lincs FM broadcasts on 102.2FM from Lincoln, covering the whole of Lincolnshire including the Scunthorpe area. *
Viking FM Viking FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Sheffield, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. As of September 2022, the st ...
broadcasts its breakfast show on 96.9 FM from Leeds, having some of its coverage given to North Lincolnshire, which includes Scunthorpe.


Print

The local newspaper is the '' Scunthorpe Telegraph'' (formerly the ''Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph'') with an online version at ''www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk''.


Venues

Scunthorpe has a leisure centre ( The Pods) next to Pittwood House, museum, galleries, craft centres, several clubs, pubs and bars, a Vue multiplex cinema adjacent to the bus station. The Baths Hall in Doncaster Road was a popular music venue, before it was closed because of the costs of bringing the building up to scratch, and dealing with industrial contamination on site. The Labour Council prevented the Baths from being demolished in 2007 and commenced a major rebuild of the venue, which has involved demolishing all but the facade of the building. The building re-opened in November 2011.


Education

Scunthorpe's primary schools include Berkeley Primary School, Outwood Juniors Academy Brumby, Crosby Primary School, Frodingham Infant School, Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue, Oasis Academy Parkwood, St Augustine Webster's Catholic Voluntary Academy, St Bernadette's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy, St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, Scunthorpe CofE Primary School, The Grange primary, Oakfield Primary School and Westcliffe Primary School. Secondary schools within Scunthorpe include Outwood Academy Brumby on Cemetery Road, and
Outwood Academy Foxhills Outwood Academy Foxhills is a mixed secondary school located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. History Secondary modern school The school opened as Foxhills Secondary School in January 1951, with room for 400 children, with nine cla ...
on Foxhills Road. Frederick Gough School is to the south of the town in Bottesford.
Melior Community Academy Melior Community Academy is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The school is sponsored by the School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA). The school started as Thomas Sump ...
, to the east of the town, was formed by the merger of South Leys Business & Enterprise College on Enderby Road with Thomas Sumpter School.
St Bede's Catholic Voluntary Academy St Bede's Catholic Voluntary Academy (formerly St Bede's Catholic School) is a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. History Work on the £100,000 school was meant to start September 1956. Th ...
on Collum Avenue is the main Roman Catholic secondary school for the area, while the St Lawrence Academy on Doncaster Road is a Church of England secondary school; it was formerly known as High Ridge Specialist Sports College and became the town's first academy in September 2008. Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire opened in 2015 and is a university technical college for pupils aged 14 to 19. St Hugh's Communication and Interaction Specialist College is a school for pupils aged 11–19 with moderate to complex learning needs associated with physical and social problems. Scunthorpe has two study support centres, Study United FC and Study Heslam, set up with funding from the government's Playing for Success scheme. These are based at Glanford Park, the home of Scunthorpe United Football Club and Heslam Park, home of Scunthorpe rugby and cricket clubs.


Further education

John Leggott Sixth-Form College (JLC) is on West Common Lane and North Lindsey College is close by on Kingsway (A18). Scunthorpe's only university is UCNL, which offers undergraduate courses to approximately 1,500 students.


Law and order

The area is served by Humberside Police. According to Home Office data the area has crime rates higher than the national average, especially in the categories of violence against the person, sexual offences, burglary and theft of motor vehicles.


Sport


Football

The town has a
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
club,
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
(nicknamed "The Iron") who play at Glanford Park. For most of its existence in the professional game (since only 1950) it has been in the lower leagues of the English Football League. At the end of the 2006–07 season they won promotion to the
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
as champions of League One, amassing a total of 91 points, being promoted at home to Huddersfield Town: having been top since January: despite being outsiders for a considerable amount of that time, and being promoted with 3 games to spare. This being the first time they have played at this level for 44 years. This was to last just one season as the club were relegated on 12 April 2008, with three games to spare, away to Crystal Palace. However, they returned to the Championship after one season, winning the League One playoffs in May 2009. At the end of the 2021–22 season, Scunthorpe for the first time got relegated from the Football League, and as a consequence play in the National League as of 2022-23. England stars
Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...
and Ray Clemence both played for
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
in the early 1970s before being signed for Liverpool, where they made their names. Former England cricket captain
Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...
played a number of games for the club, being a resident of nearby
Epworth Epworth originally referred to Epworth, Lincolnshire, a town in England that was the birthplace of John Wesley and Charles Wesley, early leaders of the Methodist religious movement. The town's name has since been used for other places and instituti ...
at that time and in an attempt to keep fit during the winter months. The team mascot is called the "Scunny Bunny". Semi-professional sides within the Town or greater town boundaries include Appleby Frodingham and Bottesford Town, Local teams play in the Scunthorpe & District Football League.


Rugby

Scunthorpe Rugby Club play in the National League 2 North, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system. Their home ground is at Heslam Park, close to Brumby on Ashby Road.
Scunthorpe Barbarians {{Infobox rugby league club , clubname = Scunthorpe Barbarians , image = , fullname = ''Scunthorpe Barbarians Rugby League Football Club'' , emblem = , colours = Black shirts with white shoulders and underarm panels, black shorts , founded ...
play rugby league also at Heslam Park.


Motorsports

Scunthorpe also has a speedway team known as the Scunthorpe Scorpions who compete in the British Premier League, the sport's second tier in Britain. The speedway team has been running since 2005 and won a grand slam of the Conference League trophies in both 2006 and 2007 before claiming the Premier League title in 2012, alongside this Speedway world champion Tai Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe, riding for the Scunthorpe Scorpions in his youth. It runs at the Eddie Wright Raceway, which is a mile north of the town on Normanby Road (B1430). The Eddie Wright Raceway is also host to the sport of
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
, the town has featured stock car racing at two other venues in its past, 2009 saw a return to the town of the oval racing sport * Scunthorpe Scorpions – Premier League team * Scunthorpe Saints – National League (formerly Conference League) team


Athletics

The Appleby-Frodingham Athletic Club uses the site near the Civic Centre for many types of sport. They have a clubhouse and also use Brumby Hall next-door. The site includes a 3G football pitch and an artificial Astro hockey pitch, along with several grass football pitches and an area for cricket. There is also the Scunthorpe and District Athletics Club. They train at Quibell Park Stadium, Scunthorpe's athletic track on Brumby Wood Lane named after
David Quibell David John Kinsley Quibell, 1st Baron Quibell (21 December 1879 – 16 April 1962) was a British builder, contractor and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. Background and education David John Kinsley Quibell was the first born child of ...
, the town's former Labour MP. Around the running track is
cycle track
used by Polytechnic Cycle Club. The leisure centre was on Carlton Street opposite th
bus station
via
footbridge
After The Pods opened this was demolished. Th
Scunthorpe Anchor
swimming club are based at the Riddings Pool on Enderby Road next to South Leys School. The Pods, a
leisure centre A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...
near Central Park, opened in 2011 costing an estimated £21 million. Facilities include an 8 lane 25m pool and a separate shallow pool, a state of the art gym, a dance studio, a large sports hall with climbing wall, a creche and a cafe. As part of the project, Central Park is being improved. These expensive improvements are also in their final stage. North Lincolnshire Council's website regularly show photographs and videos of how the work is progressing. Scunthorpe has two parkruns. One in Central Park and another at Normanby Hall


American Football

The Scunthorpe Alphas who were formed in 2018 play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium and for 2021 will complete in the
BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. ...
Division Two. The town's previous American football side was the Scunthorpe Steelers who folded in 1990.


Internet obscenity filters

In 1996 there was controversy when
AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017â ...
's
obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...
filter (among others) refused to accept the name of the town due to its embedded word '
cunt ''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United Stat ...
'. Some online forums such as Ultimate Guitar forums displayed the name as Scumthorpe, while Fark would display it as Scoonthorpe. This form of censorship over-reach is known in the computing world as the Scunthorpe problem.


Notable people

* Roy Axe, car designer for
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
and Rover was born in Scunthorpe *
Darren Bett Darren Victor Bett (born 1968 in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire) is an English weather forecaster for the BBC, broadcasting on television and radio. Bett is a main weather presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live and also appears on the BBC News Channel, BBC Wo ...
, television weather presenter *
Ryan J. Brown Ryan J. Brown (born 29 August 1991) is an English screenwriter, born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Brown is the writer and creator of BBC comedy-horror series ''Wreck''. Education and career Brown studied at Goldsmiths and Moun ...
, actor and screenwriter *
James Cobban Sir James Macdonald Cobban (14 September 1910 – 19 April 1999) was an English educator and headmaster, as well as a prominent lay leader in the Church of England. He was the headmaster of Abingdon School from 1947 to 1970 and is largely cre ...
, English educator and headmaster, as well as a prominent lay leader in the Church of England *
Richard G. Compton Richard Guy Compton FRSC MAE (born 10 March 1955 in Scunthorpe, UK) is Professor of Chemistry and Aldrichian Praelector at Oxford University, United Kingdom. He is a Tutorial Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford and has a large research group ...
, Oxford professor, was born in Scunthorpe * Neil Cox Manager of Scunthorpe United FC *
Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After M ...
, singer with the
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
and
Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
* Kevin Doyle, actor who has appeared in ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'' and '' Downton Abbey'' *
Stephen Fretwell Stephen Fretwell (born 10 November 1981) is an English singer-songwriter. Biography Fretwell attended St. Augustine Webster Primary School in Scunthorpe and St. Bede's Catholic School in Ashby before furthering his study at John Leggott Colleg ...
, singer-songwriter * Jeff Hall, English footballer who played as a right back for Birmingham City and England * Tony Jacklin, golfer, was born in Scunthorpe * Dave Ladley, professional darts player * Reece Mastin, singer and winner of 2011 X-Factor Australia, was born in Scunthorpe * Iain Matthews, singer with
Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...
* Rob McElnea, 500cc grand prix rider, team manager of the Virgin Mobile Yamaha team * Ross McLaren, actor, was born in Scunthorpe * Graham Oates, is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. * Alfie Moore, comedian. *
John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...
, writer. Creator of Sky 1 sitcom '' After Hours'' as well as six half-hour Radio 4 storytelling shows. * Dame Joan Plowright, award-winning actress, born in nearby Brigg, attended Scunthorpe Grammar School * David Plowright, television executive and producer * Jake Quickenden, former contestant on '' The X Factor'', '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' and ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...
'' * Martin Simpson, guitarist and singer-songwriter, was born in Scunthorpe *
Sam Slocombe Sam Oliver Slocombe (born 5 June 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Notts County. He began his career with Bottesford Town in the Northern Counties East Football League. In 2008, he moved to his hometown ...
, professional football player for Notts County F.C. and formerly of local side
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
, was born in the town * Liz Smith, actress * Graham Taylor, former England manager grew up in the town. * Brian Tierney, published historian and medievalist *
Alan Walker Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian music producer and DJ primarily known for the critically acclaimed single " Faded" (2015), which was certified platinum in 14 countries. He has also made several songs including ...
, musicologist and biographer of
Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
, was born in Scunthorpe * Albert 'Lal' White, Olympic cycling silver medallist at the 1920 Antwerp games. Was the subject of the opera: Cycle Song. * Tai Woffinden, speedway world champion


Twinned municipalities

* Clamart, France * Lüneburg, Germany * Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland


See also

* Queen Bess, Scunthorpe, Grade-II listed public house


References


Bibliography

;General history * Ambler, R. W. (ed.), ''Workers and Community: The People of Scunthorpe in the 1870s: A Study Based on the 1871 Census Returns'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Museum Society, 1980). * Armstrong, M. Elizabeth (ed.), ''An Industrial Island: A History of Scunthorpe'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Borough Museum and Art Gallery, 1981). * Cooke, Reg, and Kathleen Cooke, ''Scunthorpe'', Images of England series (Stroud: Chalford Publishing, 1997). * Creed, Rupert, and Averil Coult, ''Steeltown: The Real Life Drama of the Men and Women Who Built an Industry'' (Beverley: Hutton Press, 1990). * Dudley, H. E., ''History and Antiquities of the Scunthorpe and Frodingham District'' (Scunthorpe: W. H. & C. H. Caldicott, 1931). * Ellis, Stephen, and Dave R. Crowther (eds.), ''Humber Perspectives: A Region Through the Ages'' (Kingston-upon-Hull: Hull University Press, 1990). * Holm, Stuart (ed.), ''The Heavens Reflect Our Labours'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Museum and Art Gallery, 1974). * Knell, Simon J., ''The Natural History of the Frodingham Ironstone'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Museum and Art Gallery, 1988). * Lewis, Peter, and Philip N. Jones, ''Industrial Britain: The Humberside Region'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1970). * McEntee-Taylor, Carole, ''A History of Women's Lives in Scunthorpe'' (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2019). * Pocock, D. C. D., "Iron and steel at Scunthorpe", ''East Midlands Geographer'', no. 19 (vol. 3, part 3) (1963), pp. 124–138. * Pocock, D. C. D.
"Stages in the development of the Frodingham ironstone field"
'' Transactions and Papers of the Institute of British Geographers'', no. 35 (1964), pp. 105–118. * Pocock, D. C. D.
"Specialised industrial towns as service centres: a comparison of Scunthorpe and Corby"
'' Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers'', no. 40 (1966), pp. 97–109. * Pocock, D. C. D., "Landownership and urban growth in Scunthorpe", ''East Midland Geographer'', vol. 5 (1970), 52–61. * Tonks, Eric S., ''The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands: History, Operation and Railways, Part VIII, South Lincolnshire'' (Cheltenham: Runpast, 1991). * Walshaw, G. R., and C. A. J. Behrendt, ''The History of Appleby-Frodingham'' (London: Appleby-Frodingham Steel Co., 1950). * Wheeler, P. T., "Ironstone working between Melton Mowbray and Grantham", ''East Midland Geographer'', vol. 4, no. 4 (1967), pp. 239–250. * Wright, Neil R., ''Lincolnshire Towns and Industry, 1700–1914'', History of Lincolnshire Series, no. 11 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1982). * Wright, Neil R. "The varied fortunes of heavy and manufacturing industry 1914–1987", in Dennis Mills (ed.), ''Twentieth Century Lincolnshire'', History of Lincolnshire, no. 12 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1989), pp. 74–102. * Wright, Neil R., ''Lincolnshire’s Industrial Heritage: A Guide'' (Lincoln: Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 2004). ;Other * Ginns, Arthur, ''Jubilee History of the Scunthorpe Mutual Co-Operative and Industrial Society'' (Manchester: Co-operative Printing Society Ltd, 1924). * Hutchison, I. M., ''Superstores: The Impact on Shopping Patterns within the Scunthorpe Are''a (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Borough Council, n.d.). * Staff, John, ''From Nuts to Iron: The Official History of Scunthorpe United F.C., 1899–2012'' (Harefield: Yore Publications, 2012).


External links

*
North Lincolnshire Council

Scunthorpe – The Heavens Reflect Our Labours
Documentary on Scunthorpe history made by local schoolchildren
Pathe newsreel, 1958, Queen visits Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Grimsby

Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir
{{Authority control Towns in Lincolnshire Unparished areas in Lincolnshire Local Government Districts created by the Local Government Act 1858 Borough of North Lincolnshire