Essential Hotels > England > Lincolnshire > Scunthorpe

Much of Scunthorpe’s life and history is wrapped up in the all-important metal steel; indeed it is the UK’s largest steel processing centre, a factor that it is well known for. The capital of North Lincolnshire, Scunthorpe is situated between Doncaster and Grimsby from west to east and between Hull and Lincoln from north to south. Thanks to its intensely industrial past and present the settlement has come to be known as the Industrial Garden Town.

Somewhere in the region of 72,000 people live in Scunthorpe and in the 1970s a third of the town’s population were employed by the steel industry. It is thought that the area was settled long ago in the year 2,000BC and it was a largely agricultural town until iron was later discovered. Even today, plenty of agricultural land and woodland still surrounds this Lincolnshire town. During the Roman occupation ironstone was mined but it was then forgotten about until the 19th century. It was rediscovered in 1859 though and the Trent ironworks were built three years later with others following in subsequent years. The discovery led to much population growth as workers headed to the region for employment. A number of the mines later closed down in 1981.

In the 1086 Domesday Book the settlement appeared as Escumetorp, an Old Norse name meaning Skuma’s homestead, giving further evidence as to its past. At one time the town was made up of five smaller villages, namely Scunthorpe, Frodingham, Crosby, Ashby and Brumby; however they joined together as of the year 1936. Two 20th century Scunthorpe events are also of note: firstly, the Flixborough disaster of 1974 which saw a chemical plant explosion and secondly the 2008 earthquake which, at 5.2 on the Richter scale, is one of the UK’s most significant quakes.

Several famous names are associated with the town of Scunthorpe and its surroundings. John Wesley was born in nearby Epworth and Ashby Wesleyan Methodist Church stands as a reminder of the great preacher and evangelist’s role in the country. Other notable past residents are former cricketer Ian Botham and former England football manager Graham Taylor.

In the centre of Scunthorpe there are two shopping centres called the Parish and the Foundry while there is also a market and Ravendale Street with its cafes and restaurants. Other attractions and places to visit in the town include the Visual Arts Centre, the nearby Normanby Hall, Central Park and the North Lincolnshire Museum.