Scunthorpe
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Scunthorpe () is an
industrial town An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' ...
in
North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bar ...
, in the ceremonial county of
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
, England. It is the county's third most populous settlement, after
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
and
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
. It is North Lincolnshire's most populous settlement. The town had an estimated total population of 81,286 in 2021. An
industrial town An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' ...
, it is the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre and is also known as the "Industrial Garden Town". The Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe is
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
politician Holly Mumby-Croft.


History

Scunthorpe as a town came into existence due to the exploitation of the local
ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
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,
Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...
,
Brumby A brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory, with the second ...
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 publi ...
. Scunthorpe became an
urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
in 1891, merged as 'Scunthorpe, Brumby and Frodingham Urban District' in 1919, and became a
municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
in 1936.


Etymology

The town appears in the ''
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
'' (1086) as , which is from the
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
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 Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
(~25% iron average) from a seam of the
Lias Group The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the Low Countries and the north of Germany. It consists of marine limestones, sh ...
strata which dates from the
Early Jurassic The Early Jurassic Epoch (geology), Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic series (stratigraphy), Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-J ...
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 Middle Rasen is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, located about west from the town of Market Rasen. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,043. History Rasen is mentioned in ...
) 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& ...
, 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 North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
.


Governance

Scunthorpe forms an
unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unpa ...
in the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...
and unitary authority of
North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bar ...
. 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 The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, and 13 are members of the Labour party. The councillors form the
charter trustees In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established. Duties are ...
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 The Parts of Lindsey are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it. The district's name origina ...
administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
. Separate local government began in 1890 when the Scunthorpe
local board of health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...
was formed. In 1894 the local board was replaced with an
urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
council. At the same time the neighbouring townships of Brumby and Frodingham were also constituted an
urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
. The two urban districts were amalgamated, along with the parishes of Crosby and Ashby in 1919 to form an enlarged Scunthorpe urban district. Scunthorpe received a charter incorporating the town as a
municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
in 1936. Local authority boundary changes brought the town into the new county of
Humberside Humberside () was a Non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, create ...
in 1974, and a new
non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of Districts of England, local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shi ...
, 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 Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England. History Humberside was a non-metropolitan county governed by Humberside County Council and nine non-metropolitan district councils. ...
) was abolished on 1 April 1996 and succeeded by four
unitary authorities A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...
. The previous Humberside districts of
Glanford Glanford was, from 1974 to 1996, a local government district with borough status in the non-metropolitan county of Humberside, England. Creation The district was created on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reform of local government in England ...
and Scunthorpe, and that part of
Boothferry Boothferry is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire in England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Ouse where the A614 road crosses the river. It is about north-west of Goole. Boothferry is split between civil parishes; areas ...
district south of the northern boundaries of the parishes of Crowle,
Eastoft Eastoft is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated within the Isle of Axholme, north-east from Crowle, and on the A161 road.OS Explorer Map 280: Isle of Axholme, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough: (1:25 000) : T ...
, Luddington, Haldenby and Amcotts, now compose the unitary authority of
North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bar ...
. On amalgamation
charter trustees In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established. Duties are ...
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 A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
from the
College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...
. 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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
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 The Lincoln Cliff or Lincoln Edge is a portion of a major escarpment that runs north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. Towards its northe ...
) 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 The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...
, south of the Humber Estuary, west of the
Lincolnshire Wolds The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They ar ...
and north of
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
. The town is situated at the terminus of the M181, from
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
. Nearby towns and cities are Hull (18 miles northeast),
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
(20 miles west),
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
(22 miles east) and
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
(46 miles northwest). Scunthorpe is approximately east of
South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...
and south by south west to the
East Riding of 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 to t ...
.


Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Scunthorpe has an oceanic climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: 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 South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...
. Later, after the construction of the
Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway The Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway was a railway line in north Lincolnshire which commenced at an end on junction with the South Yorkshire Railway where that railway crossed the River Trent near the village of Gunhouse. This was known as Gunh ...
(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 United Steel Companies was a steelmaking, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England. History The company was registered in 1918 and the following year saw a joining together of ste ...
; the Redbourn Iron Works, part of Richard Thomas and Company of South Wales (later
Richard Thomas and Baldwins Richard Thomas and Baldwins Ltd (RTB) was a major iron, steel and tinplate producer, primarily based in Wales and formed in 1948 by the merger of Richard Thomas & Co Ltd with Baldwins Ltd. It was absorbed into British Steel Corporation in 1967. The ...
); and John Lysaght's Normanby Iron Works, part of
Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It is a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 an ...
. In 1967 all three works became part of the nationalised
British Steel Corporation British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
(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 The Port of Immingham, also known as Immingham Dock, is a major port on the east coast of England, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary in the town of Immingham, Lincolnshire. In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest p ...
. Conversion to the Linz-Donawitz process (or "basic oxygen" process) of steel making from the open hearth process 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 Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...
(2007). In 2016 the
long products In steel industry terminology long steel products or long products refers to steel products including wire, rod, rail, and bars as well as types of steel structural sections and girders. Overview The term long products may include hot rolled bar, c ...
division of Tata Steel Europe was sold to
Greybull Capital Greybull Capital LLP is a private investment company that specialises in medium- to long-term investments in UK-based companies. It was incorporated as a limited liability partnership in April 2010. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 200 ...
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 Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...
. 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 British Steel Limited is a long steel products business founded in 2016 with assets acquired from Tata Steel Europe by Greybull Capital, then acquired by Jingye Group in 2020. The primary steel production site is Scunthorpe Steelworks, wit ...
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 A monotown (a calque from Russian моногород, ''monogorod''; ''gorod'' meaning "town") is a city/town whose economy is dominated by a single industry or company. This means that most employments (except for service to residents like sch ...
, 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 A mutual organization, or mutual society is an organization (which is often, but not always, a company or business) based on the principle of mutuality and governed by private law. Unlike a true cooperative, members usually do not contribute t ...
which has its UK headquarters there. Also on the Foxhills Industrial Park is a 500,000 square foot factory occupied by
Wren Kitchens Wren Kitchens is a privately owned British designer, manufacturer, and retailer of kitchens. It has 106 stores. History Wren Kitchens was founded in 2009. The management team behind Wren traded for 10 years in the United States before the ...
, employing 350 full-time workers. 2 Sisters Food Group 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 Ericsson Mobile Platforms (EMP) was the name of a company within the Ericsson group that supplied ''mobile platforms'', i.e. the technological basis on which a cellular phone product can be built. The main office was in Lund, Sweden. EMP was one ...
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 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 Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
, Hull,
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
,
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
and at Meadowhall,
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
. 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 Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
, and an Aldi (in the former Toys R Us unit) opposite the football ground, while
Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
(formerly a
Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...
) have their store on the site of the old Scunthorpe United stadium, The Old Show Ground.
Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
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 ...
) at the Lakeside Retail Park, on the eastern entrance to the town, while
Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
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 Park, beside Glanford Park. The shopping park also includes
Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer St ...
, B&M Bargains,
Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. I ...
and Subway.


Transport

Scunthorpe railway station Scunthorpe railway station serves the town of Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, England. The station is located a short walk from the town centre, on Station Road. As one approaches the station by road, there is a pay and display car park with ...
is on the
South TransPennine TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major ci ...
Line which has trains from Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes. Scunthorpe station (SCU), has two platforms and is serviced by two train companies,
TransPennine Express TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major ci ...
and
Northern Trains Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT), after the previous operator Arriva Rail N ...
. TransPennine Express eastbound trains to Cleethorpes call at platform 1, whilst TransPennine Express westbound services to Manchester Airport and the Northern westbound stopping service to Doncaster use platform 2. The Northern service runs from Monday-Saturday, and is served by TransPennine Express at the first and last service of the day. The station is operated by TransPennine Express, and was made more accessible when lifts were added in 2019. The M180 passes south of Scunthorpe and connects to the town via the M181 and the A1077M. Before the M180 was opened in 1979, all east–west traffic took the
A18 A18 or A-18 is a three-character acronym that may refer to: * A18 road (disambiguation), in several countries * A-18 Shrike, a Curtiss Model 76A twin radial engine monoplane service test aircraft of the mid-1930s * Aero A.18, a Czech fighter aircra ...
over
Keadby Bridge Keadby Bridge, more formally known as the King George V Bridge, crosses the River Trent near Althorpe and Keadby in Lincolnshire, England. It was designed by Alfred Charles Gardner FRSE MIME. History The Scherzer rolling lift bridge carries bo ...
.
Humberside Airport Humberside Airport is an international airport at Kirmington in the Borough of North Lincolnshire, England, from three large settlements: Grimsby (east), Hull (north) and Scunthorpe (west), on the A18, the latter two places reached by lon ...
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 Stagecoach Lincolnshire is a bus company, formerly known as Lincolnshire RoadCar, which runs services throughout Lincolnshire. Stagecoach in Lincolnshire is the trading name of the Lincolnshire Road Car Company Limited, which is a subsidiary of ...
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 to th ...
operate services to Hull and
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...
.


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
ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
, and comprising a nave with five bays and a clerestory, 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 – 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 studied ...
in the
perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...
style. The original striking clock was installed, in 1890 by William Potts and Sons of the Guildford Clock Works in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
. 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 North Lincolnshire Museum (formerly known as Scunthorpe Museum) is a local museum in the town of Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire, England. Overview The museum is on Oswald Road, near the Scunthorpe railway station. It is run by North Linco ...
is on Oswald Road, near the
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
. The former church of St John the Evangelist is now the 20–21 Visual Arts Centre. The
Plowright Theatre The Plowright Theatre, is a live entertainment venue on Laneham Street in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It is owned and run by North Lincolnshire Council. It is the Sister Venue to the Baths Hall located on Doncaster Road in Scunthorpe. The P ...
, named after
Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony ...
, is on Laneham Street (off the west end of High Street and also near the
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
). It was built in 1958 as Scunthorpe Civic Theatre. The
Baths Hall The Baths Hall is an entertainment venue in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. It hosts many types of entertainment, including live music, dance and comedy. History Situated at 59 Doncaster Road, the Scunthorpe building is a former public ...
, reopened in 2011, a 1,700 capacity venue also hosts visiting musical and theatrical events. The
Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir (SCJC) is a choir from Scunthorpe, England, conducted by Daniel Fields. Formed almost 100 year ago, the choir is supported by the Co-operative Group. The membership of approximately 200 children is divided int ...
from Scunthorpe won the title of BBC Radio 3 ''Choir of the Year'' 2008 at the Grand Finals on 7 December 2008 at the Royal Festival Hall, 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 Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
cyclist Lal White. It was composed by Tim Sutton and the librettist was Ian McMillan. The
Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir (SCJC) is a choir from Scunthorpe, England, conducted by Daniel Fields. Formed almost 100 year ago, the choir is supported by the Co-operative Group. The membership of approximately 200 children is divided int ...
, 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 ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network. Until 1974, this was prima ...
from
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, West Yorkshire with a crew in Grimsby covering the local area.


Radio

*
BBC Radio Humberside BBC Radio Humberside is the BBC's local radio station serving East Yorkshire and North & North East Lincolnshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Queen's Gardens in Hull. According to RAJAR, the statio ...
is broadcast on 95.9 FM from Kingston upon Hull, with its coverage given to the old county of
Humberside Humberside () was a Non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, create ...
, 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. * Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire 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 s ...
broadcasts its breakfast show on 96.9 FM from
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, having some of its coverage given to North Lincolnshire, which includes Scunthorpe.


Print

The local newspaper is the ''
Scunthorpe Telegraph The ''Scunthorpe Telegraph'' is a local paid-for newspaper published and distributed weekly in Scunthorpe, England. It was launched on 8 September 1937. Prior to the ''Scunthorpe Telegraph''s launch, the town was served by the '' Grimsby Evening ...
'' (formerly the ''Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph'') with an online version at ''www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk''.


Venues

Scunthorpe has a leisure centre (
The Pods The Pods is a leisure centre in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The leisure centre offers a wide range of modern facilities, including two swimming pools, a gym, a café and a Sports Hall. The leisure centre is located in the town's C ...
) next to Pittwood House, museum, galleries, craft centres, several clubs, pubs and bars, a
Vue Vue or VUE may refer to: Places * Vue, Loire-Atlantique, a commune in France * The Vue, a skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina Arts, entertainment and media * Vue (band), a rock and roll band from San Francisco, California * Vue Cinemas, a c ...
multiplex cinema adjacent to the bus station. The
Baths Hall The Baths Hall is an entertainment venue in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. It hosts many types of entertainment, including live music, dance and comedy. History Situated at 59 Doncaster Road, the Scunthorpe building is a former public ...
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 on Foxhills Road.
Frederick Gough School Frederick Gough School is a community secondary school in Scunthorpe, England, for approximately 1,300 pupils aged from 11 to 16. History Grammar school For two years, before it opened, the selected group of 110 were taught at Riddings Seconda ...
is to the south of the town in Bottesford. Melior Community Academy, 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
secondary school for the area, while the St Lawrence Academy on Doncaster Road is a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
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 Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire is a mixed University Technical College in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. It opened in September 2015 as Humber UTC and caters for students aged 13 to 19 (year 9 to year 13). The school's site is ...
opened in 2015 and is a
university technical college A university technical college (UTC) is a type of specialist secondary school in England that is led by a sponsor university and has close ties to local business and industry. These university and industry partners support the curriculum developm ...
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 ''Playing for Success'' was an initiative in England funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which aimed to raise literacy, numeracy and ICT standards amongst demotivated KS2 and KS3 pupils by holding out-of-school-hours stud ...
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 North Lindsey College is a further education college in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England, situated on the A18. Structure North Lindsey College is an associate college of the University of Lincoln providing a range of further education an ...
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 Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing The East Riding of Yorkshire including Hull and northern parts of Lincolnshire including Grimsby and Scunthorpe. The chief constable since 2017 is Lee Freeman. Histor ...
. 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 former Football League club, Scunthorpe United (nicknamed "The Iron") who play at
Glanford Park Glanford Park is a football stadium in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England, and is the current home of team Scunthorpe United. Opened in 1988 at a construction cost of £2.5 million, it was the first new purpose-built Football League stadi ...
. For most of its existence in the professional game (since only 1950) it has been in the lower leagues of the
English 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 Engl ...
. At the end of the 2006–07 season they won promotion to the Football League Championship as champions of
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
, amassing a total of 91 points, being promoted at home to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
: 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 Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
. 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 The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
as of 2022–23. England stars Kevin Keegan and
Ray Clemence Raymond Neal Clemence, (5 August 1948 – 15 November 2020) was an England international football goalkeeper and part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. He is one of only 31 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances, and holds the ...
both played for Scunthorpe United in the early 1970s before being signed for
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, where they made their names. Former
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
cricket captain Ian Botham played a number of games for the club, being a resident of nearby Epworth 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 The Scunthorpe & District Football League is a football league formed in 1921 catering for clubs in and around Scunthorpe, England. It is not a formal member of the English football pyramid The English football league system, also known as the ...
.


Rugby

Scunthorpe Rugby Club Scunthorpe Rugby Club is an English rugby union team based in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. The club runs six senior sides, a ladies team, a colts and under 18s team and a full set of junior teams. The club currently plays in Regional 1 North Eas ...
play in the
National League 2 North National League 2 North is one of three, level four leagues in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the northern half of England, the North. The remainder of England is covered by the two counte ...
, the fourth tier of the
English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...
. 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 Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
also at Heslam Park.


Motorsports

Scunthorpe also has a
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...
team known as the
Scunthorpe Scorpions The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1972, at three different venues. History 1972–1978 The original Scunthorpe side were known as Scunthorpe Saints from 19 ...
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 Tai Woffinden (born 10 August 1990) is a British speedway rider. He is a three-time World Champion (2013, 2015 and 2018). Early life Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe, the son of former speedway rider Rob Woffinden. Although born in the Unite ...
was born in Scunthorpe, riding for the Scunthorpe Scorpions in his youth. It runs at the
Eddie Wright Raceway The Eddie Wright Raceway is a British race track in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It is primarily used for motorcycle speedway, but also occasionally hosts stock car racing. History The track is located on Normanby Road in Scunthorpe. In 200 ...
, which is a mile north of the town on Normanby Road (B1430). The
Eddie Wright Raceway The Eddie Wright Raceway is a British race track in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It is primarily used for motorcycle speedway, but also occasionally hosts stock car racing. History The track is located on Normanby Road in Scunthorpe. In 200 ...
is also host to the sport of stock car racing, 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 The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1972, at three different venues. History 1972–1978 The original Scunthorpe side were known as Scunthorpe Saints from 19 ...
– Premier League team *
Scunthorpe Saints The Scunthorpe Scorpions are a speedway team in the British SGB Championship. They have raced at various times since 1972, at three different venues. History 1972–1978 The original Scunthorpe side were known as Scunthorpe Saints from 197 ...
– 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, 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 The Pods is a leisure centre in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The leisure centre offers a wide range of modern facilities, including two swimming pools, a gym, a café and a Sports Hall. The leisure centre is located in the town's C ...
, a leisure centre 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 dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used fo ...
, 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
parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...
s. One in
Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
and another at
Normanby Hall Normanby Hall is a classic English mansion, located near the village of Burton-upon-Stather, north of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. History The present hall was built in 1825–30 to the designs of Robert Smirke for Sir Robert Sheffie ...


American Football

The
Scunthorpe Alphas The Scunthorpe Alphas are an American football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England that competes in the BAFA National Leagues NFC 2 South. The club play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium and were formed in late 2018 by a ...
who were formed in 2018 play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium and for 2021 will complete in the BAFA National Leagues 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's obscenity filter (among others) refused to accept the name of the town due to its embedded word ' cunt'. Some online forums such as
Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. U ...
forums displayed the name as Scumthorpe, while
Fark Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. The site receives many story submissions per day and approximately 100 of them are public ...
would display it as Scoonthorpe. This form of censorship over-reach is known in the computing world as the
Scunthorpe problem The Scunthorpe problem is the unintentional blocking of websites, e-mails, forum posts or search results by a spam filter or search engine because their text contains a string (or substring) of letters that appear to have an obscene or otherwise ...
.


Notable people

*
Roy Axe Royden Axe (September 1937 – 5 October 2010) was a British car designer. Early life and career Axe was born in Scunthorpe and attended Scunthorpe Grammar School (now St Lawrence Academy). Axe began his career in 1959 with the Rootes Group ...
, car designer for Chrysler and
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US ...
was born in Scunthorpe * Darren Bett, television weather presenter * Ryan J. Brown, actor and screenwriter * James Cobban, English educator and headmaster, as well as a prominent lay leader in the Church of England * Richard G. Compton, Oxford professor, was born in Scunthorpe *
Neil Cox Neil James Cox (born 8 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was last in charge of EFL League Two side Scunthorpe United. A defender capable of playing at centre or right-back, he made over 500 appearances i ...
Manager of Scunthorpe United FC * Howard Devoto, singer with the Buzzcocks and Magazine *
Kevin Doyle Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Eng ...
, actor who has appeared in '' Coronation Street'' and ''
Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...
'' * Stephen Fretwell, singer-songwriter * Jeff Hall, English footballer who played as a right back for Birmingham City and England *
Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captai ...
, golfer, was born in Scunthorpe *
Dave Ladley Dave Ladley (born 29 September 1975) is an English darts player that competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. Career Ladley joined the PDC in 2002, and qualified for the 2004 UK Open, where he lost to Barrie Bates in the second rou ...
, professional darts player * Reece Mastin, singer and winner of The X Factor (Australia season 3), 2011 X-Factor Australia, was born in Scunthorpe * Iain Matthews, singer with Fairport Convention * Rob McElnea, 500cc grand prix rider, team manager of the Virgin Mobile Yamaha team * Ross McLaren (actor), Ross McLaren, actor, was born in Scunthorpe * Graham Oates (footballer, born 1943), Graham Oates, is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. * Alfie Moore (comedian), Alfie Moore, comedian. * John Osborne (writer), John Osborne, writer. Creator of Sky 1 sitcom ''After Hours (2015 British TV series), After Hours'' as well as six half-hour Radio 4 storytelling shows. * Dame
Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony ...
, 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 (British TV series), The X Factor'', ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' and ''Dancing on Ice'' * Martin Simpson, guitarist and singer-songwriter, was born in Scunthorpe * Sam Slocombe, professional football player for Notts County F.C. and formerly of local side Scunthorpe United, was born in the town * Liz Smith (actress), Liz Smith, actress * Andy Stevenson (footballer), Andy Stevenson, footballer * Graham Taylor, former England national football team, England manager grew up in the town. *Brian Tierney (medievalist), Brian Tierney, published historian and medievalist * Alan Walker (musicologist), Alan Walker, musicologist and biographer of Franz Liszt, was born in Scunthorpe * Albert White (cyclist), Albert 'Lal' White, Olympic cycling silver medallist at the 1920 Antwerp games. Was the subject of the opera: Cycle Song. *
Tai Woffinden Tai Woffinden (born 10 August 1990) is a British speedway rider. He is a three-time World Champion (2013, 2015 and 2018). Early life Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe, the son of former speedway rider Rob Woffinden. Although born in the Unite ...
, 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, Scunthorpe Museum Society, 1980). * Armstrong, M. Elizabeth (ed.), ''An Industrial Island: A History of Scunthorpe'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Museum, 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, Scunthorpe Museum and Art Gallery, 1974). * Knell, Simon J., ''The Natural History of the Frodingham Ironstone'' (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Museum, 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 of the Institute of British Geographers, 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. * Eric Tonks, 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 Company, 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 Scunthorpe, Towns in Lincolnshire Unparished areas in Lincolnshire Local Government Districts created by the Local Government Act 1858 Borough of North Lincolnshire