Gainsborough
Coordinates: 53°24′06″N 0°46′24″W / 53.4016, -0.7732 Gainsborough shown within Lincolnshire
Population	19,110
OS grid reference	SK815901
District	West Lindsey
Shire county	Lincolnshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GAINSBOROUGH
Postcode district	DN21
Dial code	01427
Police	Lincolnshire
Fire	Lincolnshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Gainsborough
European Parliament	East Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire

Gainsborough is a town within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The town is at the meeting point of the east-west A631, the A156 (from the south to Torksey) and A159 (from Scunthorpe). 'Thorndike Way', Gainsborough's dual carriageway which was intended to connect with the A15 at Caenby Corner currently only extends eastward to the town boundary. The town's main attractions are Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough Castle and West Lindsey Leisure Centre on The Avenue. Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 504 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 714 pixel, file size: 334 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of English administrative division used for the purposes of local government. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... The East Midlands is one of the regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. ... Constituent countries is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the former Yugoslavia[1], the Soviet Union and European institutions such as the Council of... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The DN postcode area, also known as the Doncaster postcode area[1], is a group of postal districts around Barnetby, Barrow upon Humber, Barton-upon-Humber, Brigg, Cleethorpes, Doncaster, Gainsborough, Goole, Grimsby, Immingham, Retford, Scunthorpe and Ulceby in England. ... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... Lincolnshire Police is the police force covering the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England. ... A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is an ambulance service formed in April 1999 as a result of the merging of the Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire (including Rutland) ambulance services. ... The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ... Gainsborough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places... This is a list of cities, towns and villages in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. ... West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Torksey is a small town in Lincolnshire on the eastern bank of the River Trent. ... The A159 is an A-road in Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, running between Scunthorpe and Gainsborough. ... Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire is over five hundred years old and one of the best preserved medieval manor houses in England. ...

History

Gainsborough Old Hall

Marketplace

River Trent and new Gainsborough Riverside developments

The Guildhall, offices of the West Lindsey District Council

One of the best preserved manor houses in Britain, Gainsborough Old Hall is a large 15th century timber-framed medieval strong house. Sir Thomas Burgh built it between 1460 and 1480. It boasts a magnificent Great Hall and strong brick tower. King Richard III in 1483 and King Henry VIII in 1541 both stayed at the Old Hall. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1230, 775 KB) Summary Gainsborough Old Hall. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1230, 775 KB) Summary Gainsborough Old Hall. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1218, 813 KB) Summary Gainsborough Marketplace during a market day (Tuesday). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1218, 813 KB) Summary Gainsborough Marketplace during a market day (Tuesday). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1227, 493 KB) Summary View of Gainsborough Riverside and River Trent. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1227, 493 KB) Summary View of Gainsborough Riverside and River Trent. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1233, 702 KB) Summary Gainsborough Guildhall. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1233, 702 KB) Summary Gainsborough Guildhall. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

The River Trent runs alongside Gainsborough, and recently the river banks have been renovated to provide residents and tourists with access to the riverside and a seating area to enjoy the view. The main church is All Saints. For other uses see Trent River. ... The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Saints Day, All Hallows or Hallowmas (hallows meaning saints, and mas meaning Mass), is a feast celebrated in the honour of all the saints, known and unknown. ...

Historically, Gainsborough is the "capital that never was". Sweyn Forkbeard based himself at Gainsborough after gaining the kingship in late 1013, and King Cnut allegedly performed his purposely unsuccessful attempt to turn the tide back in the River Trent at Gainsborough, but nevertheless, the town was a capital city of Mercia during the Dark Ages. Sweyn I Forkbeard (actually Svein Otto Haraldsson; in Danish, Svend Tveskæg, originally Svend Tjugeskæg or Tyvskæg) (circa 960 - February 3, 1014). ... Events Danish invasion of England under king Sweyn I. King Ethelred flees to Normandy, and Sweyn becomes king of England. ... Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Danish: Knud den Store, Norwegian: Knut den mektige, Swedish: Knut den store) (ca. ... For other uses see Trent River. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Petrarch, who conceived the idea of a European Dark Age. From Cycle of Famous Men and Women, Andrea di Bartolo di Bargillac, c. ...

The town was garrisoned for the king in January 1643 but the Royalist fortification of Newark had blocked the Great North Road to Parliamentarian traffic so Gainsborough became significant as part of a route around Newark by way of Lincoln and the line of the modern A15 road. It was in the Royalists' interests to obstruct this but holding Gainsborough also allowed them to forage in Lindsey and to harass Parliamentarians there. During 1643, this competition gave rise to the battles of Gainsborough and Winceby. Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Prince Rupert of the Rhine Cavaliers was the name used by Parliamentarians for the Royalist supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War (1642–1651). ... Newark-on-Trent the Market Place Newark (also Newark-on-Trent) is a market town in Nottinghamshire (in 1216 it was in Lincolnshire) in the East Midlands area of England, located on the River Trent, the River Devon also runs through the town. ... There are several Great North Roads: Great North Road, Australia, a historical road leading from Sydney to the Hunter Valley Great North Road, New Zealand, a road leading from Auckland to Hamilton Great North Road, Zambia, a road running north from Lusaka Great North Road, an alternate name for the... The Roundheads was the nickname given to supporters of the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War. ... Lincoln (pronounced //) is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. ... Lindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. ... The Battle of Gainsborough was a battle in the English Civil War. ... The Battle of Winceby took place in 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 6 km east of Horncastle Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, leading the Parlimentary Forces, defeated the Royalists led by Sir John Henderson. ...

Industry

Gainsborough has a long-standing history with industry. The town was the manufacturing base of Marshall's, a major boiler manufacturer. The company occupied Britannia Works, the biggest in Europe when built. The site has now been split among many different companies, Tesco and Dransfield. The remainder of the site is occupied by local companies. Tesco, on Beaumont Street, demolished a large section of the works to create its large store around five years ago. Dransfield is in the process of remodelling about nine acres (36,000 m²) of the site to include a shopping area and a new heritage museum. The site, name 'Marshalls Yard' opened during Easter 2007 and shops are continuing to open for the remainder of the year. There is a Morrison's on Heapham Road South, and Co-ops' in the Lindsey Centre in the town centre and at Morton on Queensway. Tesco plc is a UK-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. ... Morrisons store in Morecambe, Lancashire Morrisons is the 4th largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ... In the UK, the Co-Op refers to supermarkets, convenience stores, funeral directors, a small number of department stores and other businesses owned by a variety of independent Co-operative societies but largely marketed and operated in a co-ordinated way. ...

Another area of Gainsborough’s industry is Rose's. They produced seaside rock making machines along with packaging machines. These included cigarette making machines and bread-slicing and wrapping machines. The proper name of the firm is Rose Bros., after William German and Walter, the co-founders. Some rock confectionery (Sticky, Sydney) Rock is a type of stick-shaped boiled sugar confectionery most usually flavoured with peppermint. ...

Gainsborough is the home of two of the largest Jokes and Novelties manufacturers in the UK: Smiffy's (also known as Smiths of Gainsborough), and Pam's of Gainsborough, a smaller company. Smiffy's are also the only wigmaker left in the UK. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A novelty is a small manufactured adornment, especially a personal adornment. ... A wig is a head of hair—human, horse-hair or synthetic—worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. ...

Gainsborough is also famed as Britain’s most inland port and so has a long history with river trade — the town’s Trent Bridge prevents most barges from go beyond it and so many have to offload their goods at the town. There is currently one wharf in the town — mainly a source of wood.

West Burton Power Station is three miles to the south-west of the town, near to the railway to Retford. At the East Trent Junction, on the east side on the railway bridge over the Trent, the railway line from Retford (and Sheffield) and Doncaster, the line splits into two - for Grimsby and Lincoln. The two respective railway stations in Gainsborough are Gainsborough Central on Spring Gardens near the town centre (for the Grimsby line) and Lea Road (for Lincoln) on Lea Road (A156) to the south of the town. At the equivalent West Trent Junction, on the other side of the river in Nottinghamshire, the lines from Doncaster and Sheffield meet. The bridge over the Trent carries four possible routes of trains (Sheffield or Doncaster to Lincoln or Grimsby). Retford is a market town in northeastern Nottinghamshire, England in the district of Bassetlaw and is 31 miles from the county town of Nottingham. ... Grimsby (also known as Great Grimsby, after its Parliamentary constituency title[1]) is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. ... Lincoln (pronounced //) is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. ... The stations sign Gainsborough Central railway station is a train station in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. ... Gainsborough Lea Road railway station is the major station in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Doncaster is a town in the English county of South Yorkshire, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. ... Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. ...

Sport and entertainment

The town is home to Gainsborough Trinity F.C., a semi-professional football club playing at the sixth level of English football. During a brief spell at the start of the 20th century, the club was professional and a member of The Football League. Gainsborough Trinity are an English football club, based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... The Football League is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales, and is the oldest such competition in world football. ...

The second weekend in June sees the town play host to the Gainsborough Riverside Festival, an annual arts/heritage event which has run since 2001. Gainsborough Riverside Festival is an annual community Arts/Heritage event that runs on the second weekend of June in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire on the banks of the River Trent. ...

Education

The town has one of the top state schools in the country, Queen Elizabeth High School (selective state grammar school from 11-18) on Morton Terrace (A159) next to the railway line, whilst the Castle Hills Community Arts College, on The Avenue next to the leisure centre and the other side of the railway, recently achieved the status of performing arts college for the second time. The Middlefield School of Technology is on Middlefield Lane, next to Thorndike Way. The town has links with the John Leggott Sixth Form College in Scunthorpe, which enrols many international students. Gainsborough College on Acland Street focuses on vocational education. Queen Elizabeths High School is an 11-18 co-educational grammar school, based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. ... Grammar school can refer to various types of schools in different English-speaking countries. ... John Leggott College is a sixth form college on West Common Lane, in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, UK. It is situated near to North Lindsey College. ... Scunthorpe (popularly known as Scunny or Sunny Scunny) is a town in North Lincolnshire, England, and the historic county of Lincolnshire. ...

Gainsborough is thought by many scholars to be the basis for the fictional St Ogg's in George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss. George Eliots birthplace at South Farm, Arbury Mary Anne Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist. ... The Mill on the Floss is a novel by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), first published in three volumes in 1860. ...

External links

• Town Council
• Town history
• The church
• Gainsborough Standard newspaper
• Choral Society
• Trinity Arts Centre
• Gainsborough Riverside Festival
• Visit Gainsborough