Editing Doncaster

{{Short description|City in South Yorkshire, England}}
{{Hatnote|For other places with the same name, see [[Doncaster (disambiguation)]]}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Doncaster
| type = [[City status in the United Kingdom|City]]
| civil_parish  =  
| country = England
| region = Yorkshire and the Humber
| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q58900|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference = SE575032
| pushpin_map = United Kingdom Borough of Doncaster
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within [[City of Doncaster]]
| post_town = DONCASTER
| postcode_area = DN
| postcode_district = DN1-DN12
| dial_code = 01302
| metropolitan_borough = [[City of Doncaster]]
| metropolitan_county = [[South Yorkshire]]
| population = 87,455
| population_ref = (Built up area, 2021)<ref name="built2021">{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121221510/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|{{English district population|GSS=E08000017}} (Borough, {{English statistics year}})<ref>{{United Kingdom district population citation|area}}</ref>}}
| area_total_km2 = 43.5
| static_image = {{multiple images
 |perrow = 1 2 2 1
 |total_width = 250px
 |border = infobox
 |image1 =  Doncaster Racecourse 2.jpg{{!}}[[Doncaster Racecourse]]
 |image2 =  Doncaster, Minster church of St George (geograph 6371851).jpg{{!}}[[Doncaster Minster|St George's Minster]]
 |image3 =  Doncaster Market Hall (geograph 2572422).jpg{{!}}[[Doncaster Market Hall]]
 |image4 =  Doncaster Civic Offices (geograph 7292345).jpg
 |image5 =  Keepmoat Building, Doncaster Lakeside - geograph.org.uk - 2650871.jpg
 |image6 =  Cusworth Hall front.jpg{{!}}[[Cusworth Hall]]
 }}
| static_image_caption = Top to bottom, left to right: [[Doncaster Racecourse]], [[Doncaster Minster|St George's Minster]], [[Doncaster Corn Exchange|Corn Exchange]], [[Doncaster Civic Office|Civic Office]], [[Lakeside, South Yorkshire|Lakeside]] and [[Cusworth Hall]]
| constituency_westminster = 
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Doncaster Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster Central]]
| constituency_westminster2 = [[Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme]]
| constituency_westminster3 = [[Doncaster North (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster North]]
| constituency_westminster4 = [[Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (UK Parliament constituency)|Rawmarsh and Conisbrough]]
| website = {{URL|doncaster.gov.uk}}
 | parts_type               = Areas of the city
 | p1                       = [[Arksey]]
 | p2                       = [[Armthorpe]]
 | p3                       = [[Balby]]
 | p4                       = [[Barnby Dun]]
 | p5                       = [[Bentley, South Yorkshire|Bentley]]
 | p6                       = [[Bessacarr]]
 | p7                       = [[Cantley, South Yorkshire|Cantley]]
 | p8                       = [[Cusworth]]
 | p9                      = [[Edenthorpe]]
 | p10                      = [[Edlington]]
 | p11                       = [[Hexthorpe]]
 | p12                       = [[Intake, Doncaster|Intake]]
 | p13                       = [[Kirk Sandall]]
 | p14                       = [[Long Sandall]]
 | p15                       = [[Scawsby]]
 | p16                       = [[Scawthorpe]]
 | p17                          = [[Sprotbrough]]
 | p18                      = [[Warmsworth]]
 | p19                      = [[Wheatley, South Yorkshire|Wheatley]]
 | p20                      = [[Wheatley Hills]]
}}
'''Doncaster''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɒ|ŋ|k|ə|s|t|ər|,_|-|k|æ|s|-}} {{respell|DONK|ə|stər|,_|DONK|ast|ər}})<ref>BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/doncaster |website=dictionary.com |access-date=11 October 2019 |archive-date=11 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011141340/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/doncaster |url-status=live}}</ref> is a [[city status in the United Kingdom|city]] in [[South Yorkshire]], England.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Council |first=Doncaster |title=Doncaster City Status - City of Doncaster Council |url=https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/get-involved/show-your-support-for-the-doncaster-city-bid |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=www.doncaster.gov.uk |language=en |archive-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226083821/https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/get-involved/show-your-support-for-the-doncaster-city-bid |url-status=live}}</ref> Named after the [[River Don, Yorkshire|River Don]], it is the administrative centre of the [[City of Doncaster]] [[metropolitan borough]], and is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after [[Sheffield]]. Noted for its [[Horse racing in Great Britain|racing]] and [[History of rail transport in Great Britain |railway history]], it is situated in the Don Valley on the western edge of the [[Humberhead Levels]] and east of the [[Pennines]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Humberhead Levels - Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/8056/HumberheadLevelsEasternArable |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=www.historicengland.org.uk |language=en |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120152248/https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/8056/HumberheadLevelsEasternArable |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Visit Doncaster - Yorkshire's newest city |url=https://www.yorkshire.com/doncaster/ |access-date=14 November 2023 |website=www.yorkshire.com |language=en |archive-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114164937/https://www.yorkshire.com/doncaster/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It had a population of 87,455 at the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]],<ref name="built2021" /> whilst its [[urban area|built-up area]] had a population of 160,220,<ref>{{cite web |title= UNITED KINGDOM: Urban Areas in England  |url= https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/cities/englandua/?cityid=7147 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=citypopulation.de |language=en}}</ref> and the wider metropolitan borough had a population of 308,100.<ref name="borough2021">{{cite web |title=Population and household estimates, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Office for National Statistics |access-date=3 March 2024 |archive-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606233746/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwales/census2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Adjacent to Doncaster to its east is the [[Isle of Axholme]] in [[Lincolnshire]], which contains the towns of [[Haxey]], [[Epworth, Lincolnshire|Epworth]] and [[Crowle, Lincolnshire|Crowle]], and directly south is [[Harworth Bircotes]] in [[Nottinghamshire]]. Also, within the city's vicinity are [[Barnsley]], [[Wakefield]], [[Pontefract]], [[Selby]], [[Goole]], [[Scunthorpe]], [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]], [[Retford]], [[Worksop]] and [[Rotherham]], to which Doncaster is linked by road and rail.

As part of the [[Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours]], Doncaster received [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] by [[Letters Patent (United Kingdom)|Letters Patent]].<ref>{{cite news |date=19 May 2022 |title=Platinum Jubilee: Eight towns to be made cities for Platinum Jubilee |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61505857 |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=30 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530052143/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61505857 |url-status=live}}</ref> A ceremony to confer city status took place at [[Mansion House, Doncaster|Mansion House]] on 9 November 2022 as part of a tour of Yorkshire by [[King Charles III]] and [[Queen Camilla]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/News/the-king-is-coming-to-doncaster |title=The King is coming to Doncaster |website=Doncaster Council |access-date=3 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103191757/http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/News/the-king-is-coming-to-doncaster |archive-date=3 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="royal visit">{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-11-02/king-charles-to-visit-yorkshire-full-list-of-locations |title=Where will King Charles III visit during his first trip to Yorkshire as monarch? |publisher=ITV |date=2 November 2022 |access-date=3 November 2022 |archive-date=2 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102150235/https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-11-02/king-charles-to-visit-yorkshire-full-list-of-locations |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Alternative Ermine Street.JPG|right|thumb|[[Ermine Street]]'s alternative route: [[Eboracum]] ([[York]]) to Lagecium ([[Castleford]]), 21 [[Roman mile|miles]], to Danum (Doncaster), 16 miles, to Agelocum ([[Littleborough, Nottinghamshire|Littleborough]]), 21 miles, to [[Lindum Colonia|Lindum]] ([[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]]), 13 miles. A spur connected Danum with [[Calcaria]] (near [[Tadcaster]]).]]

===Roman===
Possibly inhabited earlier, Doncaster grew up on the site of a [[Roman fort]] of the 1st century CE, at a crossing of the [[River Don, South Yorkshire|River Don]]. The 2nd-century [[Antonine Itinerary]] and [[Roman withdrawal from Britain|early-5th-century]] ''[[Notitia Dignitatum]]'' (''Register of Dignitaries'') called the fort '''{{lang|la|Danum}}'''. The first section of road to the Doncaster fort had probably been built since the early 50s, while a route through the north [[Derbyshire]] hills was opened in the later 1st century, possibly by Governor [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola|Gn. Julius Agricola]] in the late 70s. Doncaster provided an alternative land route between [[Lindum Colonia|Lincoln]] and [[Eboracum|York]], while the main route [[Ermine Street]] involved parties breaking up to cross the [[Humber]] in boats. As this was not always practical, the Romans saw Doncaster as an important staging post. The [[Roman road]] appears on two routes recorded in the [[Antonine Itinerary]]. The itinerary includes the same section of road between Lincoln and York and lists three stations between these two [[Roman colonia|coloniae]]. Routes 7 and 8 (''{{lang|la|Iter}}&nbsp;VII & VIII'') are entitled "the route from York to [[Londinium|London]]".

Several areas of intense archaeological interest have been identified in the town, although many such as [[St Sepulchre Gate]] remain hidden under buildings. The Roman fort is thought to have lain on the site now taken by [[St George's Minster, Doncaster|St George's Minster]], beside the [[River Don, South Yorkshire|River Don]]. The Doncaster garrison units are named in a ''Register'' produced near the [[Roman withdrawal from Britain|end of Roman rule in Britain]]: it was the home of the Crispinian Horse, presumably named after the tribes living near [[Crispiana]] in [[Pannonia Superior]] (near present-day [[Zirc]] in western [[Hungary]]), but possibly after [[Crispus]], son of [[Constantine the Great]], who was headquartered there while his father was based in nearby [[Eboracum|York]]. The ''Register'' names the unit as under the command of the "[[Dux Britanniarum|Duke of the Britons]]".

In 1971 the [[Danum shield]], a rectangular Roman shield dating to the 1st or 2nd century CE, was recovered from the site of the Danum fort.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Buckland |first1=Paul |title=A First-Century Shield from Doncaster, Yorkshire |journal=Britannia |date=1978 |volume=9 |pages=247–269 |doi=10.2307/525941 |jstor=525941 |s2cid=162342730 |issn=0068-113X}}</ref>

An inscribed altar, dedicated to the [[Matres]] by Marcus Nantonius Orbiotalus, was found at St Sepulchre Gate in 1781.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/618 |title=RIB 618. Altar dedicated to the Mother Goddesses |publisher=Roman Inscriptions of Britain |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820212632/http://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/618 |url-status=live}}</ref> This was donated to the [[Yorkshire Museum]] in 1856.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/handbooktoantiqu00welliala#page/34/mode/2up |title=Handbook of the Antiquities in the Grounds and Museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society |date=1881 |author1=[[Charles Wellbeloved]] |publisher=[[Yorkshire Philosophical Society]] |pages=34–35}}</ref>
[[File:MedievalDoncaster.gif|right|thumb|Map showing the boundary of the fortified Medieval township of Doncaster with four Gates]]

===Medieval===
Doncaster is generally identified with '''Cair Daun'''<ref>[[Nennius]] ({{abbr|attrib.|Traditional attribution}}). [[Theodor Mommsen]] ({{abbr|ed.|Editor}}). [[s:la:Historia Brittonum#VI. CIVITATES BRITANNIAE|''Historia Brittonum'', VI.]] Composed after AD 830. {{in lang|la}} Hosted at [[s:la:Main Page|Latin Wikisource]].</ref> listed as one of 28 British [[civitas|cities]] in the 9th-century ''[[Historia Brittonum|History of the Britons]]'' traditionally ascribed to [[Nennius]].<ref>David Nash Ford, [http://www.britannia.com/history/ebk/articles/nenniuscities.html The 28 Cities of Britain] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415120312/http://www.britannia.com/history/ebk/articles/nenniuscities.html |date=15 April 2016}}" at Britannia. 2000.</ref>{{refn|[[Bishop Ussher]], cited in [[John Henry Newman|Newman]]'s life of [[Germanus of Auxerre|Saint German]]<ref>{{cite book |first=John Henry |last=Newman |author-link=John Henry Newman |title=Lives of the English Saints: St. German, Bishop of Auxerre |publisher=James Toovey |location=London |year=1844 |page=92 |url=https://archive.org/stream/livesenglishsai01unkngoog#page/n102 |access-date=30 August 2018 |via=archive.org}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/yorkshireanhist00waingoog |title=Yorkshire: An historical and topographical introduction |author=John Wainwright |page=[https://archive.org/details/yorkshireanhist00waingoog/page/n63 1] |publisher=J. Blackwell |year=1829 |access-date=1 September 2011}}</ref> It was certainly an [[Anglo-Saxon]] [[burh]], and in that period received its present name: "Don-" ({{langx|ang|Donne}}) from the settlement and river and "-caster" (''{{lang|ang|-ceaster}}'') from an [[Old English]] version of the [[Latin]] ''[[castra]]'' (military camp; fort). It was mentioned in the 1003 [[Will (law)|will]] of [[Wulfric Spott]]. Shortly after the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]], [[Nigel Fossard]] refortified the town and built [[Conisbrough Castle]]. By the time of [[Domesday Book]], [[Hexthorpe]] in the [[Hundred (county division)|wapentake]] of [[Strafforth and Tickhill|Strafforth]] was said to have a church and two [[Mill (grinding)|mills]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://opendomesday.org/place/SE5703/doncaster/ |title=Open Domesday online: Hexthorpe (at Doncaster) |access-date=9 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110113703/http://opendomesday.org/place/SE5703/doncaster/ |archive-date=10 November 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The historian David Hey says these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also suggests that the street name Frenchgate indicates that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the town.<ref name="hey">{{cite book |last=Hey |first=David |title=Medieval South Yorkshire |year=2003 |publisher=Landmark Pub. |location=Ashbourne |isbn=1-84306-080-9 |oclc=54874386}}</ref> Doncaster was ceded to [[Scotland]] in the [[Treaty of Durham (1136)|Treaty of Durham]] and never formally returned to England.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11104004/Why-an-historical-anomaly-means-Bonny-Donny-could-leave-the-UK-too.html |title=Why an historical anomaly means 'Bonny Donny' could leave the UK too |date=17 September 2014 |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028025532/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11104004/Why-an-historical-anomaly-means-Bonny-Donny-could-leave-the-UK-too.html |archive-date=28 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-independence/will-bonny-donny-also-break-away-ed-milibands-constituency-doncaster-may-actually-be-owned-by-9741151.html |title=Doncaster 'may actually be owned by Scotland' |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=18 September 2014 |access-date=20 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923050827/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-independence/will-bonny-donny-also-break-away-ed-milibands-constituency-doncaster-may-actually-be-owned-by-9741151.html |archive-date=23 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

With the 13th century, Doncaster matured into a busy town. In 1194 [[Richard I of England|King Richard I]] granted it national recognition with a [[town charter]]. It suffered a disastrous fire in 1204, from which it slowly recovered. At the time, buildings were built of wood, and open fireplaces used for cooking and heating.

[[File:St Mary Magdalene Doncaster.jpg|thumb|Norman church of St Mary Magdalene, at demolition in 1846]]
In 1248, a charter was granted for [[Doncaster Market]] to be held in the area surrounding the Church of St Mary Magdalene, which was built in Norman times. In the 16th century, the church was adapted for use as the [[town hall]]. It was finally demolished in 1846.<ref name="hey" /> Some 750 years on, the market continues to operate, with busy traders located under cover, at the 19th-century [[Doncaster Corn Exchange]] building (1873).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/pmsa/doncaster/00000046.htm |title=Doncaster Metropolitan Borough |publisher=Sheffield Hallam University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104200816/http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/pmsa/doncaster/00000046.htm |archive-date=4 January 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Corn Exchange was much rebuilt in 1994 after a major fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Market Place: Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals |url=https://dmbcwebstolive01.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Planning/Documents/Built%20Environment/Conservation/Doncaster%20Market%20Place/Doncaster%20Market%20Place%20Conservation%20Area%20(page%201%20-%2049).pdf |website=Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council |access-date=8 December 2021 |archive-date=8 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208231523/https://dmbcwebstolive01.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Planning/Documents/Built%20Environment/Conservation/Doncaster%20Market%20Place/Doncaster%20Market%20Place%20Conservation%20Area%20(page%201%20-%2049).pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
During the 14th century, numerous friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm and preaching. In 1307 the [[Franciscan]] friars ([[Greyfriar]]s) arrived, as did [[Carmelites]] (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century. Other major medieval features included the Hospital of St Nicholas and the [[leper colony]] of the Hospital of St James, a [[moot hall]], a [[grammar school]] and a five-arched stone town bridge with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Bridge. By 1334, Doncaster was the wealthiest town in southern Yorkshire and the sixth in Yorkshire as a whole, even boasting its own banker. By 1379, it was recovering from the [[Black Death]], which had reduced its population to 1,500. In October 1536, the [[Pilgrimage of Grace]] ended in Doncaster. This rebellion led by the lawyer [[Robert Aske (political leader)|Robert Aske]] commanded 40,000 Yorkshire people against Henry VIII, in protest at the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. Many of Doncaster's streets are named with the suffix "-gate", after the [[old Danish]] word ''gata'', meaning street. In medieval times, craftsmen or tradesmen with similar skills tended to live in the same street. Baxter is an ancient word for baker: Baxtergate was the bakers' street. Historians believe that Frenchgate may be named after French-speaking [[Normans]] who settled there.

The medieval township is known to have been protected by earthen ramparts and ditches, with four substantial gates as entrances to the town. These were located at Hall Gate, St Mary's Bridge (old), St Sepulchre Gate and Sunny Bar. Today the gates at Sunny Bar are commemorated by huge "Boar Gates"; similarly, the entrance to St Sepulchre Gate is commemorated by white marble "Roman Gates". The boundary of the town mainly extended from the Don along a route known now Market Road, Silver Street, Cleveland Street and Printing Office Street.

===Modern===
[[File:Doncaster-population.svg|thumb|Population of Doncaster District taken from census data<ref>{{cite web |title=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Doncaster District through time Population Statistics Total Population, A Vision of Britain through Time. |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10202607/cube/TOT_POP |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005103220/http://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10202607/cube/TOT_POP |archive-date=5 October 2017}}</ref>]]
Access to the town was restricted and some officeholders secured charters to collect tolls. In 1605, [[James I of England|King James I]] granted to William [[Levett]] of Doncaster, brother of [[York]] merchant [[Percival Levett]], the right to levy tolls at Friar's and St Mary's bridges.<ref name="maine">{{cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/bub_gb_yETLcuNxk18C |title=Collections of the Maine Historical Society |date=20 May 1890 |publisher=The Society |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Having served as mayors and aldermen of Doncaster, the Levetts probably believed they could control a monopoly. In 1618 the family began enforcing it, but by 1628 the populace revolted. Capt. [[Christopher Levett]], Percival's son, petitioned Parliament to enforce the tolls, but Parliament disagreed, calling them "a grievance to the subjects, both in creation and execution," and axing the Levett monopoly.<ref name="maine" /> Doncaster's Levet Road is named after the family, as are nearby hamlets of [[Hooton Levitt]] and the largely abandoned [[Levitt Hagg]], where much of the town's early limestone was quarried.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Doncaster continued to expand, but it suffered several outbreaks of plague between 1562 and 1606. Each struck down significant numbers of victims.

During the [[First English Civil War]], [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] marched by [[Bridgnorth]], [[Lichfield]] and [[Ashbourne, Derbyshire|Ashbourne]] to Doncaster, where on 18 August 1645 he was met by numbers of [[Yorkshire]] gentlemen who had rallied to his cause. On 2 May 1664, Doncaster was rewarded with the title of Free Borough as a way for the King (Charles I's son, [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]]) to express gratitude for the allegiance.

Doncaster was connected to the rail network in 1848 and a plant and carriage works for [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] was constructed in the town in 1853.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=2562}}The [[Doncaster Carr rail depot]] was opened in 1876.<ref>[[Doncaster Carr rail depot#dc1927|Doncaster Carr Sheds]], LNER Magazine 1927, p.387</ref>

The area to the east of Doncaster started developing settlements where coal miners lived from the 1850s onwards, exploiting coal near [[Barnsley]]. One such settlement is Deneby.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Waller |first=Symeon Mark |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009ZITNBU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 |title=The Big Book of Doncaster History |date=30 October 2012 |publisher=Doncaster History Publishing |editor-last=Publishing |editor-first=Doncaster History |page=1697 |access-date=16 January 2022 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407143613/https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009ZITNBU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Doncaster and surrounding settlements became part of the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]] in 1899. Under the [[Local Government Act 1972]] it was drawn into a new [[metropolitan borough]] in 1974 and became part of the new county of South Yorkshire.

[[File:Cusworth Hall front.jpg|thumb|Cusworth Hall front]]
Doncaster has traditionally been prosperous within the wapentake of [[Strafforth and Tickhill|Stafford and Tickhill]].<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10417442/relationships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110113351/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10417442/relationships|date=10 November 2016}} Vision of Britain: Doncaster</ref><ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10075749] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110110654/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10075749|date=10 November 2016}} Vision of Britain: Stafford and Tickhill Wapentake.</ref> The borough was known for rich landowners and huge stately homes such as [[Brodsworth Hall]], [[Cantley Hall]], [[Cusworth Hall]], [[Hickleton Hall]], [[Nether Hall, Doncaster|Nether Hall]] and Wheatley Hall (demolished 1934). This wealth appears in the luxurious, historic gilded 18th-century [[Mansion House, Doncaster|Mansion House]] in [[High Street (Doncaster)|High Street]]. This land ownership developed over what is an ancient market place and large buildings were erected in the 19th century, including the [[Doncaster Market|Market Hall]] and [[Doncaster Corn Exchange|Corn Exchange]]. The old Doncaster Guildhall in Frenchgate was designed by John Butterfield with a [[tetrastyle]] [[portico]] and completed in 1847: it was demolished in the redevelopment of the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/retro-gallery-9-loved-and-lost-doncaster-landmarks-64954 |title=Retro Gallery: 9 loved and lost Doncaster landmarks |date=6 April 2016 |newspaper=Sheffield Telegraph |access-date=8 February 2021 |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214044718/https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/retro-gallery-9-loved-and-lost-doncaster-landmarks-64954 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:St Georges Doncaster 3.jpg|thumb|[[St George's Minster, Doncaster|St George's Minster]] is a grade I listed building and was designed by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]] in the 1850s.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1151447 |desc=Minster Church of St George |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref>]]
Perhaps the most striking building to survive is [[St George's Minster, Doncaster|St George's Minster]], built in the 19th century and promoted from a [[parish church]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doncasterminster.org/doncaster-minster-history-and-heritage/doncaster-minster-history-and-heritage.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321151404/http://www.doncasterminster.org/doncaster-minster-history-and-heritage/doncaster-minster-history-and-heritage.asp |url-status=dead |title=Doncaster Minster website |archive-date=21 March 2012}}</ref> Doncaster was already a communication centre by this time. It straddled the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|Great North Road or A1]], gaining strategic importance, as this was the main route for traffic between London and [[Edinburgh]].

==Governance and politics==
===National politics===
Doncaster is represented in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] by three [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs). [[Sally Jameson]] represents [[Doncaster Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster Central]], [[Ed Miliband]], the former [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party leader]], represents [[Doncaster North (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster North]], and [[Lee Pitcher]] represents the [[Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme]]. 

[[2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies|From 2023]], the Don Valley constituency will be renamed [[Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme]], and will cover part of [[North Lincolnshire]]. A new [[Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (UK Parliament constituency)|Rawmarsh and Conisbrough]] constituency will be created covering the south-western suburbs of Doncaster and parts of Rotherham. Doncaster Central and Doncaster North will see minor boundary changes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/2023-review-volume-three-maps/page/10/ |title=The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume three: Maps |publisher=Boundary Commission for England |access-date=15 July 2023 |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715133751/https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/2023-review-volume-three-maps/page/10/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2014, [[UKIP]] held an annual party conference at [[Doncaster Racecourse]]. UKIP party leader [[Nigel Farage]] claimed that by holding the conference in Doncaster, UKIP were "now parking our tanks on the Labour Party's lawn", referring to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] leader [[Ed Miliband]]'s [[Doncaster North (UK Parliament constituency)|Doncaster North]] constituency. Shortly afterwards in the seat, at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], UKIP won 8,928 votes to Labour's 20,708. In the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 membership referendum]], 69 per cent of Doncaster voted to leave the European Union.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politics/uk-backs-leaving-eu-as-doncaster-votes-two-to-one-to-get-out-1-7980707 |title=UK backs leaving EU as Doncaster votes two to one to get out |work=Doncaster Free Press |access-date=11 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924100043/http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politics/uk-backs-leaving-eu-as-doncaster-votes-two-to-one-to-get-out-1-7980707 |archive-date=24 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-brexit-financial-implications-of-leaving-eu-that-gave-doncaster-133m-in-funding-1-7982195 |title=Doncaster Brexit: Financial implications of leaving EU that gave Doncaster £133m in funding |work=Doncaster Free Press |access-date=11 September 2016 |url-status=live |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924101759/http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-brexit-financial-implications-of-leaving-eu-that-gave-doncaster-133m-in-funding-1-7982195}}</ref>

[[File:The soon to be completed Doncaster Civic offices on Waterdale (geograph 3130578).jpg|thumb|[[Doncaster Civic Office]]]]

===Local politics===
Doncaster forms part of the [[South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority|South Yorkshire Combined Authority]], which elects a [[Mayor of South Yorkshire|mayor]] every four years.

Additionally, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is one of twelve districts in the United Kingdom to have a [[directly elected mayors in England and Wales|directly elected mayor]], currently [[Ros Jones]], who was re-elected in 2025.

===City status===
The local authority applied several times, unsuccessfully, for [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]]. Its borough population of greater than 300,000 is larger than that of many cities' such as [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[Southampton]] and [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]. On 28 October 2021, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council announced its bid for Doncaster City for the Queen's [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Platinum Jubilee]]. This has been supported by the Doncaster Labour Group and the Doncaster Conservative Association. All three MPs for Doncaster expressed support for city status, with [[Don Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Don Valley]]'s [[Nick Fletcher (politician)|Nick Fletcher]] speaking for it in Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/i/status/1463845236426391553 |title=Nick Fletcher MP's Speech on Doncaster City Status |work=Nick Fletcher MP |access-date=25 November 2021 |archive-date=7 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407143625/https://twitter.com/i/status/1463845236426391553 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Alongside seven other areas, Doncaster was announced to have succeeded in its bid to gain city status on 20 May 2022 as part of the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II]]. The city status applies to the whole metropolitan borough rather than just the built up area of Doncaster. Doncaster formally received the [[Letters Patent (United Kingdom)|letters patent]] and became a city when a ceremony took place on 9 November 2022 as part of a royal visit.<ref name="royal visit" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Platinum Jubilee: Eight new cities created in Queen's honour |last=O'Connor |first=Mary |date=20 May 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61505857 |website=BBC News |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519233708/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61505857 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster City Status Naming |url=https://www.visitdoncaster.com/news/doncaster-city-status-naming/ |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908004657/https://www.visitdoncaster.com/news/doncaster-city-status-naming/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Doncaster was an [[ancient parish]], which was subdivided into six [[Township (England)|townships]]: [[Balby]] with [[Hexthorpe]], Langthwaite with [[Tilts]], [[Long Sandall]], [[Loversall]], [[Wheatley, South Yorkshire|Wheatley]] and a Doncaster township covering the central part of the parish, including the town. Such townships were also made [[civil parish]]es in 1866.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Ancient Parish / Civil Parish / Township |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10417442 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=13 March 2024 |archive-date=13 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313081113/https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10417442 |url-status=live}}</ref> Doncaster was also an [[ancient borough]], with its earliest known charter dating from 1194.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Borough Charter of King Richard I, 2 May 1194 |url=https://library.doncaster.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=e1005682-ad9b-4fff-ab0d-e32fcd7a4d1e&groupId=10158 |website=Doncaster Library |access-date=13 March 2024 |archive-date=13 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313075611/https://library.doncaster.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=e1005682-ad9b-4fff-ab0d-e32fcd7a4d1e&groupId=10158 |url-status=live}}</ref> The borough just covered the Doncaster township, although it exerted some authority over a surrounding rural area known as the soke.<ref>{{cite book |title=Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3 |date=1835 |page=1493 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3FTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1493 |access-date=13 March 2024 |archive-date=25 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325063559/https://books.google.com/books?id=N3FTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1493 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The borough was reformed to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1914 when it absorbed Balby with Hexthorpe and Wheatley. By 1927 the borough was considered large enough to run its own county-level services, and so it was made a [[county borough]], independent from [[West Riding County Council]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10136283&c_id= |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=13 March 2024 |archive-date=13 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313081114/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10136283&c_id= |url-status=live}}</ref>

The county borough was abolished in 1974 and replaced by the larger [[Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster]], which also took in the abolished [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban district]]s of [[Adwick le Street]], [[Bentley with Arksey]], [[Conisbrough Urban District|Conisbrough]], [[Mexborough]], [[Tickhill]], the [[rural district]]s of [[Doncaster Rural District|Doncaster]] and [[Thorne Rural District|Thorne]], and (from Nottinghamshire) the parish of [[Finningley]] and part of the parish of [[Harworth]] (the latter being added to the parish of [[Bawtry]]).<ref>{{cite legislation UK |type=act |act=Local Government Act 1972 |year=1972 |chapter=70 |access-date=10 March 2024}}</ref> The borough was raised to city status in 2022.

==Geography==
[[File:Doncaster St Sepulchre Gate and Printing Office Street.JPG|thumb|St Sepulchre Gate and Printing Office Street]]
[[File:Doncaster Skyline.JPEG|thumb|Doncaster skyline with [[St George's Minster, Doncaster|St George's Minster]] in the foreground]]
===Urban===
{| class="wikitable"
!Place!!Distance!!Direction!!Relation
|-
|[[London]]||{{Convert|146|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from City of London to Doncaster |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-city-of-london-to-doncaster |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221455/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-city-of-london-to-doncaster |url-status=live}}</ref>||South||Capital city of the United Kingdom
|-
|[[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]]||{{Convert|36|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Hull |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Hull-to-Doncaster |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221457/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Hull-to-Doncaster |url-status=live}}</ref>||East||Nearby city
|-
|[[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]]||{{Convert|32|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Lincoln |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Doncaster-to-Lincoln-2 |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221455/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Doncaster-to-Lincoln-2 |url-status=live}}</ref>||South east||Nearby city
|-
|[[York]]||{{Convert|30|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from York to Doncaster |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Doncaster-to-york |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221456/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-Doncaster-to-york |url-status=live}}</ref>||North||Nearby city; historic [[county town]] of Yorkshire
|-
|[[Wakefield]]||{{Convert|19|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Wakefield |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-wakefield |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221500/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-wakefield |url-status=live}}</ref>||North west||Nearby city
|-
|[[Sheffield]]||{{Convert|17|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Sheffield |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-sheffield |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221458/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-sheffield |url-status=live}}</ref>||South west||Largest city in county; within combined authority area
|-
|[[Barnsley]]||{{Convert|15|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Barnsley |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-barnsley |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221456/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-barnsley |url-status=live}}</ref>||West||Within combined authority area
|-
|[[Rotherham]]||{{Convert|11|miles|km}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Distance from Doncaster to Rotherham |url=https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-rotherham |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Distance Calculator |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129221456/https://www.distancecalculator.net/from-doncaster-to-rotherham |url-status=live}}</ref>||South west||Within combined authority area
|}
Doncaster is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire and the largest metropolitan district in England by [[List of English districts by area|area]]. It expanded dramatically in population with the development of coal mining. Closure of coal mines in the 1970s and early 1980s caused economic difficulties; the town then developed its [[service industry]], drawing on the good communication links with the rest of the UK.

The Doncaster skyline is overlooked by the minster in the middle of the city. The [[Frenchgate Shopping Centre]] is in a similar position in the skyline, along with the Doncaster College Hub building.

After the old Doncaster College and surrounding buildings were demolished, the new [[Doncaster Civic Office]] designed by Cartwright Pickard was built for the [[City of Doncaster Council]] at a cost of £20{{nbsp}}million and completed in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/6892 |title=Doncaster Civic Office |publisher=AJ Buildings Library |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209152535/https://www.ajbuildingslibrary.co.uk/projects/display/id/6892 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Topography===
Doncaster lies in a [[upland and lowland|lowland]] valley in southern Yorkshire. To the west are low rolling hills eventually reaching the [[Pennines]]. To the east are the low-lying [[Isle of Axholme]] and [[Humberhead Levels]]. The south is relatively low-lying, with a large forested area including [[Sherwood Forest]] in [[Nottinghamshire]]. The [[Vale of York]] lies to the north. The floodplains of the River Don lie to Doncaster's north-east; this area is regularly flooded, notably in 2007 and 2019.

===Conservation===
====Nature reserves====
[[Thorne and Hatfield Moors]], east of Doncaster, is the largest area of low-lying peat bog in the United Kingdom. It is protected as a national nature reserve.

[[Potteric Carr]], including [[Potteric Carr Nature Reserve]], lies to the south.

====Green belt====
{{further|South and West Yorkshire Green Belt}}
Doncaster is within a [[Green belt (United Kingdom)|green belt]] that extends into the surrounding counties. First defined in 1966,<ref name="belt1" /> the policy is controlled throughout the town by the [[local planning authority]], City of Doncaster Council. It reduces [[urban sprawl]], prevent areas in the conurbation from further convergence, protects outlying communities, encourages [[brownfield]] reuse, and protects nearby countryside by restricting development in the designated areas and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building.<ref name="belt1">{{cite web |last1=Council |first1=Doncaster |title=Green Belt review – Doncaster Council |url=http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/green-belt-review |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322143508/http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/green-belt-review |archive-date=22 March 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

It surrounds the side of the urban area west of the East Coast Line, preventing suburbs such as [[Sprotbrough]], [[New Edlington]], [[Old Edlington]], [[Scawsby]] and [[Rossington|New Rossington]] merging. As a result, open rural land can be very close to the town centre at some points (for example the wide undeveloped valley of the River Don is adjacent to the town centre), while at other points the urban sprawl rolls on for up to five miles. Another aim of the green belt is to encourage recreation and leisure interests,<ref name="belt1" /> with rural landscape features, greenfield areas and facilities including the River Don and valley west of Hexthorpe; Hexthorpe Park; [[Cusworth Hall]], museum and country park; Potteric Carr and Huxter Well Marsh; and the [[Trans Pennine Trail]].

===Climate===
Doncaster has a [[maritime climate]] lacking extreme temperatures, like much of the British Isles. Its low elevation in the Don Valley, in the lee of the Pennines, and inland from the North Sea, mean daytime summer temperatures are no lower than parts of South East England, despite the more northerly location. The nearest weather station is RAF Finningley, now known as [[Doncaster Sheffield Airport]], about {{cvt|5.5|mi|km}} to the south-east of Doncaster city centre and at a similar elevation.

The Doncaster area is about as far north as the {{cvt|22|C|F}} average July maximum temperature isotherm reaches. The nearby town of Bawtry, slightly further south, still holds the UK's September monthly record high temperature of {{cvt|35.6|C|F}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.torro.org.uk/site/maxtemps.php |title=Bawtry Maximum |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117053706/http://www.torro.org.uk/site/maxtemps.php |archive-date=17 January 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> set in 1906. Typically, the warmest day of the year reaches {{cvt|29.1|C|F}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=5&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TXx&stationid=2119 |title=Annual average maximum |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161720/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=5&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=TXx&stationid=2119 |archive-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> and 12 or 13 days report a daytime maximum of {{cvt|25.1|C|F}} or above.

The lowest known temperature is {{cvt|-13.5|C|F}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=18&year=1981&indexid=TNn&stationid=2119 |title=1981 Minimum |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161727/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/monitordetail.php?seasonid=18&year=1981&indexid=TNn&stationid=2119 |archive-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> set during December 1981. Online records only go back to 1960, and lower temperatures may have been recorded earlier. During the 1971–2000 period, an average of 51.9 nights of the year recorded an air frost.

Typically 106.9 days<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR1&stationid=2119 |title=1971–2000 Wetdays |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161734/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR1&stationid=2119 |archive-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> of the year report 1 mm or more of rainfall. Total annual precipitation is slightly below {{cvt|560|mm|0}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR&stationid=2119 |title=1971-00 Rainfall |access-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161752/http://eca.knmi.nl/utils/calcdetail.php?seasonid=0&periodid=1971-2000&indexid=RR&stationid=2119 |archive-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> which is comparable to the driest parts of the UK, due to Doncaster's location in the [[rain shadow]] of the Pennines.
{{Weather box|location = Doncaster ([[Doncaster Sheffield Airport|DSA]]){{efn|Weather station is located {{convert|6|mi|0|abbr=out}} from the Doncaster town centre.}}, elevation: {{cvt|12|m|ft|0}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–2000
| width = auto
| collapsed =
| metric first = y
| single line = y
| Jan record high C = 14.5
| Feb record high C = 17.9
| Mar record high C = 23.6
| Apr record high C = 22.7
| May record high C = 28.4
| Jun record high C = 32.1
| Jul record high C = 32.2
| Aug record high C = 35.5
| Sep record high C = 27.3
| Oct record high C = 27.7
| Nov record high C = 18.5
| Dec record high C = 15.5
| Jan high C = 7.6
| Feb high C = 8.4
| Mar high C = 10.9
| Apr high C = 13.7
| May high C = 16.9
| Jun high C = 19.8
| Jul high C = 22.3
| Aug high C = 21.9
| Sep high C = 18.9
| Oct high C = 14.6
| Nov high C = 10.4
| Dec high C = 7.8
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 4.5
| Feb mean C = 5.0
| Mar mean C = 6.9
| Apr mean C = 9.2
| May mean C = 12.0
| Jun mean C = 15.0
| Jul mean C = 17.2
| Aug mean C = 16.9
| Sep mean C = 14.4
| Oct mean C = 11.0
| Nov mean C = 7.2
| Dec mean C = 4.7
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 1.4
| Feb low C = 1.5
| Mar low C = 2.8
| Apr low C = 4.6
| May low C = 7.1
| Jun low C = 10.2
| Jul low C = 12.1
| Aug low C = 11.8
| Sep low C = 9.9
| Oct low C = 7.3
| Nov low C = 3.9
| Dec low C = 1.6
| year low C = 
| Jan record low C = -13.3
| Feb record low C = -10.3
| Mar record low C = -9.3
| Apr record low C = -5.4
| May record low C = -3.5
| Jun record low C = -0.6
| Jul record low C = 3.2
| Aug record low C = 3.7
| Sep record low C = -1.1
| Oct record low C = -3.6
| Nov record low C = -7.5
| Dec record low C = -13.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 42.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 35.5
| Mar precipitation mm = 32.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 42.5
| May precipitation mm = 40.9
| Jun precipitation mm = 64.6
| Jul precipitation mm = 55.6
| Aug precipitation mm = 54.3
| Sep precipitation mm = 51.8
| Oct precipitation mm = 56.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 56.5
| Dec precipitation mm = 49.6
| year precipitation mm = 
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 10.0
| Feb precipitation days = 8.9
| Mar precipitation days = 8.4
| Apr precipitation days = 8.4
| May precipitation days = 8.6
| Jun precipitation days = 9.8
| Jul precipitation days = 9.8
| Aug precipitation days = 9.4
| Sep precipitation days = 8.6
| Oct precipitation days = 10.1
| Nov precipitation days = 11.3
| Dec precipitation days = 10.4
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan sun = 59.8
| Feb sun = 80.9
| Mar sun = 117.6
| Apr sun = 158.5
| May sun = 195.6
| Jun sun = 176.8
| Jul sun = 192.5
| Aug sun = 178.8
| Sep sun = 137.7
| Oct sun = 99.9
| Nov sun = 64.6
| Dec sun = 53.9
| year sun = 
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcx0qr7rt |title=Doncaster 1991–2020 averages |access-date=4 January 2022 |publisher=Met Office |archive-date=11 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411111843/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcx0qr7rt |url-status=live}}</ref>
| source 2 = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute|KNMI]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eca.knmi.nl/indicesextremes/customquerytimeseriesplots.php?optionSelected=station&processtext1=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait...&countryselect=All+countries%7C**&stationselect=FINNINGLEY%5Bgb%5D%7C2119&categoryselect=All+categories%7C**&indexselect=All+indices%7C**&seasonselect=ANNUAL%7C0&processtext2=Your+query+is+being+processed.+Please+wait... |title=Doncaster extreme values |access-date=5 November 2017 |publisher=[[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]]}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
}}

==Demography==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Doncaster 1801–2015<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Page |editor1-first=William |title=The Victoria history of the county of York. vol 3 |date=1907 |publisher=Constable & Co |location=London |page=547|oclc=500092527}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Administrative unit Doncaster MB/CB Local Government District |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10136283/cube/TOT_POP |website=visionofbritain.org.uk |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Census 1981 [Great Britain], Key statistics for urban areas, Cities and towns: laid before Parliament pursuant to section 4 (1) Census Act 1920 |date=1984 |publisher=HM Stationery office |location=London |isbn=0-11-691061-5 |page=24}}</ref>
!1801
!1811
!1821
!1831
!1841
!1851
!1861
!1871
!1881
!1891
!1901
!1911
!1921
!1931
!1939
!1951
!1961
!1981
!2011
!2021
|-
|5,697
|6,935
|8,544
|10,801
|10,455
|12,052
|16,406
|18,768
|21,139
|25,933
|28,932
|30,516
|54,064
|63,316
|73,527
|82,054
|86,322
|76,042
|109,805
|308,000
|}
[[File:Towerblocks, Doncaster (geograph 2407419).jpg|thumb|right|Tower blocks in Doncaster]]

In the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]] the town of Doncaster (identified as the "built-up area subdivision") had a population of 109,805,<ref>{{NOMIS2011 |id=E35001159 |title=Doncaster Built-up area sub division |access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref> while the wider "[[urban area|Built-up area]]" had a population of 158,141.<ref>{{NOMIS2011 |id=E34004696 |title=Doncaster Built-up area |access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref> The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster had a 2011 population of 302,402,<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=E08000017|title=Doncaster Local Authority}}</ref> while a 2021 estimate was 308,000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How the population changed in Doncaster, Census 2021 - ONS |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E08000017/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=www.ons.gov.uk |language=en |archive-date=5 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905024154/https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E08000017/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2011 census figure makes Doncaster's population very slightly larger than that of [[Rotherham]] (pop 109,691).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/doncaster-e08000017#sthash.EMGn7Toh.dpbs |title=Doncaster - UK Census Data 2011 |access-date=16 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316184711/http://ukcensusdata.com/doncaster-e08000017#sthash.EMGn7Toh.dpbs |archive-date=16 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks201ew |title=KS201EW (Ethnic group) - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics |access-date=16 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022095240/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks201ew |archive-date=22 October 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Doncaster compared 2011 !! Doncaster !! [[Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster]]
|-
|White British ||84.9% ||91.8%
|-
|Asian ||5.3% ||2.5%
|-
|Black ||1.3% ||0.8%
|}

==Economy==
[[File:Panorama of Market Place, Doncaster.jpg|thumb|Doncaster Market Place Panoramic]]
[[File:Doncaster Town Center.JPG|thumb|The High Street in Doncaster city centre]]
Doncaster emerged as an industrial centre in the late 18th to 20th centuries. Its communications, particularly its waterways, meant that it became extremely busy and experienced migration to its centre. Underneath Doncaster lies a huge natural resource by way of deep seam coal.

===Distribution centres===
Doncaster's proximity to major urban centres and motorway/rail infrastructure gives it a number of major distribution centres, including the 420-acre [[Doncaster International Railport]], which dispatches goods to Europe. It also has large warehousing and logistic capabilities for retailers such as [[Next (clothing)|Next]], [[Tesco]], [[IKEA]], [[Amazon.com]], Lidl and [[House of Fabergé|Faberge]]. A marked proportion of fresh and frozen goods for northern supermarkets is dispatched by road from Doncaster.

===Regeneration initiatives===
[[File:Frenchgate south entrance.jpg|thumb|right|[[Frenchgate Centre|Frenchgate]] shopping centre]]
[[File:The New Doncaster College - geograph.org.uk - 426787.jpg|thumb|[[Doncaster College]]]]
On 5 March 2004, Doncaster was granted [[Fairtrade Town]] status. Over the last few years the [[Doncaster Lakeside]], as home to the Doncaster Rovers ground, has undergone modernisation. Doncaster has a bowling alley and a cinema near Lakeside. The Dome, opened in 1989 by [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]], contains a swimming pool, gym, ice rink and café.

The [[Frenchgate Centre]] is a shopping centre and transport interchange. Opened in June 2006,<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Transport Interchange |url=http://www.doncaster-interchange.co.uk/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=www.doncaster-interchange.co.uk |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308115641/http://www.doncaster-interchange.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> it connects with the railway and bus stations.
Lakeside Village, a retail outlet with some 45 retail shops and restaurants lies along the [[A6182]] dual carriageway. The Waterdale area of the town centre is currently undergoing rejuvenation, with a new theatre (known as CAST), new civic offices and a new public square having been completed on the site of the Waterdale car park. The old council house and civic theatre have been demolished and new housing is being built in the town itself, opposite Doncaster Racecourse, and in out-of-town suburbs.

===Confectionery===
During the 19th and 20th centuries, confectioners based in Doncaster included [[Parkinson's Doncaster Butterscotch Company|Parkinson's]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doncasterbutterscotch.com/ |title=Official Website of Parkinson's confectionery – The confectioners. Traditional Doncaster Butterscotch, Toffee, Fudge |publisher=doncasterbutterscotch.com |access-date=23 April 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213165122/http://www.doncasterbutterscotch.com/ |archive-date=13 December 2007}}</ref> the [[Butterscotch]] inventors, Nuttalls Mintoes<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.townfield.doncaster.sch.uk/pages/danum/doncaster_museum.htm |title=Doncaster Museum |publisher=townfield.doncaster.sch.uk |access-date=23 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822205617/http://www.townfield.doncaster.sch.uk/pages/danum/doncaster_museum.htm |archive-date=22 August 2010}}</ref> and Murray Mints. In August 2011, Parkinson's put its 190-year-old trademark up for sale on eBay.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120760820909 |title=Parkinson's Doncaster Butterscotch – inc trademark |publisher=eBay |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928030048/http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120760820909 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Coal and industrial expansion===
The waterways, [[River Don, South Yorkshire|River Don]] and Don Navigation were used to transport coal from Doncaster to the steel production centres at [[Rotherham]], [[Scunthorpe]] and [[Sheffield]].

A large number of mining jobs were lost in the late 1980s. Today coal mining has ceased.

[[Rockware Glass]] is a specialist glass manufacturer. A production facility for chemical [[polymers]] was built in Wheatley Hall Road. It changed hands during its existence, until [[DuPont]] closed it in the mid-1990s.

Steel foundries, rolling mills and wire mills were built close to the railways that brought steel from Rotherham and Sheffield. [[Bridon Ropes]] produces wire rope, including the ropes used at coal mines to haul coal and miners. It is claimed to be the largest wire rope manufacturing plant in Europe. Bridon supplied wire rope for the [[Olympic Stadium (London)|Olympic Stadium]] for the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Olympic Games]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wireropeexchange.com/news/view/206/bridon-helps-raise-the-roof-on-the-2012-olympic-stadium |title=Bridon helps raise the roof on the 2012 Olympic Stadium |date=7 January 2010 |publisher=Wire Rope Exchange |access-date=23 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927201230/http://wireropeexchange.com/news/view/206/bridon-helps-raise-the-roof-on-the-2012-olympic-stadium |archive-date=27 September 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[First World War|First]] and [[Second World War]]s, the town became involved in munitions manufacture.

===The railways and locomotive works===
{{Main|Doncaster Works}}
During the [[Industrial Revolution]], the [[Great Northern Railway (England)|Great Northern Railway]] established the Doncaster Locomotive and Carriage Building Works; this was to meet Doncaster's communication needs, the necessity to transport coal quickly and efficiently, and due to Doncaster's expertise in specialist metal products. An extensive housing programme was undertaken for the increased population. The Chairman of the Great Northern, anxious about the workers and their families' spiritual welfare, persuaded the directors to contribute towards the building of St James's Church, which became known as the ''Plant Church''; the railway also built St James's School. 

The Doncaster Plant became famous for building [[London & North Eastern Railway|LNER]] locomotives ''[[LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman|Flying Scotsman]]'' and ''[[LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard|Mallard]]'', as well as many thousands more locomotives.<ref>{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Edgar J. |title=The Railway Workshops of Britain, 1823–1986 |year=1988 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |isbn=0-333-39431-3 |oclc=59095511}}</ref> By August 2008, most of the plant complex had been razed to make way for a very large housing development. As of 2023, the owner of what remains of the plant, [[Wabtec]], performs the overhaul, maintenance and refurbishment of rail vehicles and associated components.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wabtec UK Ltd |work=Doncaster Chamber |date=2023 |access-date=12 December 2023 |url=https://business.doncaster-chamber.co.uk/list/member/wabtec-uk-limited-778 |quote=}}</ref>

[[File:Doncaster station geograph-3849456-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|right|Doncaster railway station]]
Today, [[Doncaster railway station]] is a principal stop and interchange on the [[East Coast Main Line]]; it is linked directly to towns and cities across the UK. 

[[Doncaster PSB]] is one of the largest signalling centres on the UK network, controlling hundreds of route-miles of railway. [[Doncaster International Railport]] and [[Doncaster iPort]] are important road-rail intermodal terminals. The rail freight company [[DB Cargo UK]] has its headquarters in Doncaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.dbcargo.com/rail-uk-en/ourcompany/About_DB_Cargo_UK/history.html |title=Our History |publisher=DB Cargo UK |date=11 April 2016 |access-date=1 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202012458/http://uk.dbcargo.com/rail-uk-en/ourcompany/About_DB_Cargo_UK/history.html |archive-date=2 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Also nearby is one of the two ''National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure'' campuses that specialises in courses relating to the railways and transport systems.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doncaster Campus |url=https://www.nchsr.ac.uk/locations/doncaster-campus/ |access-date=23 September 2020 |website=NCATI |date=15 February 2017 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921130438/https://www.nchsr.ac.uk/locations/doncaster-campus/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Aviation===
{{Main|RAF Doncaster}}
[[File:Robin Hood Airport, Finningley - geograph.org.uk - 915175.jpg|thumb|right|[[Doncaster Sheffield Airport]]]]
In 1909, [[Doncaster Racecourse]] was chosen as the venue for an airshow, after the world's first international air display in [[Reims]], France in 1909. Around a dozen aviators were present, the most famous being [[Léon Delagrange]] and [[Roger Sommer (aviator)|Roger Sommer]]. [[Samuel Cody]] (no relation to [[Buffalo Bill|William F. Cody]]) in an attempt to win a prize offered by the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' for the first British pilot in a British aeroplane to fly a circular mile signed British [[naturalisation]] papers in front of the crowd with the band playing both ''[[God Save the Queen|God Save the King]]'' and the ''[[Star Spangled Banner]]''. Unfortunately, he crashed his aeroplane on the first day of the meeting and made no significant flights.

During the [[First World War]], fighters based first on the racecourse, then at a temporary airstrip near Finningley (later [[RAF Finningley]] and now [[Doncaster Sheffield Airport]]) and finally, in 1916, on a newly built airfield alongside the racecourse, were deployed to defend the east coast against [[Zeppelin]]s. On several occasions fighters took off to search for intruders but none were ever seen. The [[Royal Flying Corps]] station trained pilots for the war in France. Within months of the war ending the station was put up for sale and two of its three Belfast hangars, the same type that now forms the basis for the [[Royal Air Force Museum]] at [[Hendon]], were sold to a Sheffield motor manufacturing company for storage and assembly at [[Finningley]]. The third of the hangars stayed in place, mainly housing buses, until the 1970s, when it was knocked down and replaced with modern buildings.

In 1920, the government asked local authorities to assist in forming a chain of airfields for civil air services. Doncaster, with expert advice from [[Alan Cobham]], opened its aviation centre on 26 May 1934. Development of the airfield continued and on 1 July 1936 an international service was opened to [[Amsterdam]]. On 1 November 1938, after discussions with the [[Air Ministry]], [[No. 616 Squadron RAF|616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron]] of the [[Auxiliary Air Force|Royal Auxiliary Air Force]] was formed. Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939 the squadron went to its battle station and played a part in the [[Battle of Britain]]. After the departure of 616 squadron, its place was taken by the formation of [[No. 271 Squadron RAF|271 (Transport) Squadron]] composed mainly of requisitioned civilian aircraft and obsolescent twin-engined bombers. 616 squadron was the first Allied jet fighter squadron, equipped with the [[Gloster Meteor]], famed for using their wingtips to throw German [[V-1 flying bomb]]s off course. In 1944, after being equipped with American-made [[Douglas DC-3]] Dakotas, the squadron moved south to take part in [[Operation Overlord]] and later in the airborne invasion at [[Arnhem]], where [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[David Lord (officer)|David Lord]] was awarded a [[Posthumous recognition|posthumous]] [[Victoria Cross]].

After the war the airfield reverted to civilian flying, and finally closed in 1992.

===Tractor production===
[[File:Ploughing - geograph.org.uk - 280384.jpg|thumb|Ploughing by tractor]]
In 1930, [[International Harvester]] (IH) started the production of agricultural implements at a factory on Wheatley Hall Road and later at another in the Carr Hill area of Doncaster. The first tractor built at the factory was a [[Farmall M]], which came off the production line on 13 September 1949.<ref>The Roar of Dust and Diesel ''A story of International Harvester Doncaster'', by Mike Teanby, published by Japonica Press (2004), {{ISBN|1-904686-06-0}}</ref> Tractors were initially built from parts shipped from the US. The Wheatley Hall Road factory was extended after the war with a new [[foundry]] to make the heavy castings. The factory started Crawler tractor production in 1953. By 1960, the factory was making a range of tractors from scratch, designed specifically for British and European markets and sold under the 'McCormick International' name. Assembly moved in 1965 to the Carr Hill plant. In 1983, tractor production was moved to IH's other Doncaster factory at Wheatley Hall. In 1985, International Harvester sold its agricultural division to Tenneco, Inc. which then merged it with its subsidiary J.I. Case to form [[Case IH]], which continued to design and build its European tractor range in Doncaster, but shutting the [[David Brown Ltd.]] tractor factory near [[Huddersfield]]. The 350,000th tractor came off the production line in 1999.

In 2000, the factory was purchased by [[ARGO SpA]], an Italian-based agricultural equipment builder. Doncaster was the sole production site of the [[McCormick Tractors]] brand, and the factory employed around 380 people (although about 1,100 people are employed in the worldwide McCormick group). In December 2006, the parent company, ARGO Spa, announced that the Doncaster facility would close in 2007, with the loss of around 325 jobs. The announcement was made only a week before Christmas. Sixty-one years of tractor production in Doncaster ended in 2007.

==Culture and tourism==
[[File:Mansion House and New Betting Room, Doncaster, Nathaniel Whittock & John Rogers, published by I.T. Hinton, London, 1829.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mansion House, Doncaster|''The Mansion House and New Betting Room'']], Doncaster, engraved by John Rogers after a drawing by [[Nathaniel Whittock]], published by Isaac Taylor Hinton,<ref>Brother of [[John Howard Hinton]].</ref> London, 1829. The architect was [[James Paine (architect)|James Paine]], 1746–1748.]]

[[Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery]] opened as the town's main museum in 1964. It covers natural history, archaeology, local history and fine and decorative art.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitdoncaster.co.uk/Tourism/places_to_visit/Museum.asp |title=places to visit in Doncaster |website=visitdoncaster.co.uk |access-date=23 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102164021/http://www.visitdoncaster.co.uk/Tourism/places_to_visit/Museum.asp |archive-date=2 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It has a major exhibition of silverware and trophies won at [[Doncaster Racecourse]]. It also houses the Regimental Museum of the [[King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry]].
[[File:Hear me roar (Unsplash).jpg|thumb|[[Yorkshire Wildlife Park]]]]
Doncaster is home to [[Yorkshire Wildlife Park]], which has over 400 animals and over 70 different species, including the only polar bears in England .

The [[South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum]] (formerly AeroVenture) is based on the old site of [[RAF Doncaster]] at Doncaster Lakeside. The [[The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft|Trolleybus Museum]] in the nearby village of [[Sandtoft, Lincolnshire|Sandtoft]] specialises in preserving [[trolleybus]]es, and claims to have the largest collection of them in Europe, with over 60 examples. Markham Grange Steam Museum, in a garden centre in the nearby village of [[Brodsworth]], has a private collection of steam engines. Ashworth Barracks Museum is a military museum in [[Balby]] telling the story of the men awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. It also houses a First World War exhibit including a "Weekers Helmet", one of only two known that exist in the UK.

Since 1973, Doncaster has been the home of the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association (DYJA). Founded by John Ellis, DYJA has been a training ground for generations of amateur and professional jazz musicians including, [[Andy Cato]] (of [[Groove Armada]]), [[Dennis Rollins|Denis Rollins]], [[John Escreet]], Nadim Teimoori and Reuben Fowler.

In 1956, Tish the goldfish was won at a funfair in Doncaster. Tish lived till the age of 43 becoming the world's oldest known goldfish.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hoe |first=Danielle |date=23 May 2020 |title=7 bizarre facts you never knew about Doncaster |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/7-bizarre-facts-you-never-18246737 |access-date=21 October 2020 |website=YorkshireLive |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620220558/https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/7-bizarre-facts-you-never-18246737 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Theatre and cinemas===
*Cast is a £22&nbsp;million venue opened officially on Monday 2 September 2013. Cast includes a 620-seat auditorium, a flexible studio space, drama studio, dance studio, education and ancillary space, and a large foyer with a café. Its director was Kully Thiarai, formerly of the [[Contact Theatre]], Manchester.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/sheffield-theatre/news/09-2013/new-22m-arts-venue-opens-in-doncaster_31769.html |title=New £22m arts venue opens in Doncaster |date=2 September 2013 |work=What's on Stage |access-date=30 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206110701/http://www.whatsonstage.com/sheffield-theatre/news/09-2013/new-22m-arts-venue-opens-in-doncaster_31769.html |archive-date=6 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*The Doncaster Little Theatre is a 99-seat community theatre which puts on 12 of its own in-house shows including a pantomime, along with two Afternoon Cabarets a month during the day. Hire companies also use the theatre space for their own shows.
*The town has an 11-screen multiplex [[Vue Cinemas|Vue]] which was expanded as part of a £5&nbsp;million upgrade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wearedoncaster.co.uk/developments-in-doncaster/herten-triangle/ |title=Herten Triangle |publisher=Business Doncaster |access-date=15 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016081257/https://wearedoncaster.co.uk/developments-in-doncaster/herten-triangle/ |archive-date=16 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*The six-screen Savoy Cinema opened in May 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New cinema complex |publisher=City of Doncaster Council |url=https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/new-cinema-complex |access-date=4 August 2023 |archive-date=4 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804104825/https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/new-cinema-complex |url-status=live}}</ref>
*Events and concerts take place at [[Doncaster Racecourse]] and [[The Dome Leisure Centre]].

===Nightlife===
The Silver Street, Cleveland Street and High Street areas have over 40 bars and clubs within a 2–3-minute walk of each other and other bars can be found on Priory Walk, Lazarus Court, Bradford Row and around the Market Place. Various restaurants serving food from around the world can also be found in the city centre, especially in the Netherhall and Copley Road areas.

==Transport==
===Railway===
[[File:Doncaster Station - geograph.org.uk - 827198.jpg|thumb|right|Station frontage]]

[[Doncaster railway station]] is a major interchange station and principal stop on the [[East Coast Main Line]], serving this important [[railway town]]. It has nine platforms in use.

The station is served by seven [[train operating companies]]: 
* [[CrossCountry]] operates services between [[Reading railway station|Reading]], {{rws|Birmingham New Street}} and [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle]]<ref>{{Cite web |work=CrossCountry |title=Timetables |date=21 May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/train-timetables |quote= |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121114722/https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/travel-updates-information/train-timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[East Midlands Railway]] runs trains to [[Lincoln railway station|Lincoln]] and [[Peterborough railway station|Peterborough]]<ref>{{Cite web |work=East Midlands Railway |title=Timetables |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables |archive-date=12 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912211655/https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Grand Central (train operating company)|Grand Central]] operates services between {{rws|Bradford Interchange}} and {{rws|London King's Cross}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Central timetables |work=Grand Central |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.grandcentralrail.com/travelling-with-gc/timetables |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922144424/https://www.grandcentralrail.com/travelling-with-gc/timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Hull Trains]] runs services between [[Hull railway station|Hull]], [[Beverley railway station|Beverley]] and London King's Cross<ref>{{Cite web |work=Hull Trains |title=Timetables |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.hulltrains.co.uk/travel-information/timetables |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922144407/https://www.hulltrains.co.uk/travel-information/timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[London North Eastern Railway]] operates inter-city trains to London King's Cross, [[Leeds railway station|Leeds]], {{rws|Bradford Forster Square}}, Hull, [[York railway station|York]], Newcastle, [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Edinburgh]] and [[Glasgow Central railway station|Glasgow]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our timetables |work=LNER |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-later/timetables/ |archive-date=22 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922141135/https://www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/travelling-later/timetables/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Northern Trains|Northern]] operates stopping services to [[Sheffield station|Sheffield]], Leeds and Hull<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern |work=Northern Railway |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables |archive-date=5 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705171120/https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[TransPennine Express]] operates a route between [[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool]], [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester Piccadilly]] and [[Cleethorpes railway station|Cleethorpes]].<ref>{{Cite web |work=TransPennine Express |title=Timetables |date=21 May 2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/timetables |archive-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416155909/https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/timetables |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Road===
Doncaster sits on the [[European route E15]] and is the starting point of [[European route E13]]. The E13 connects Doncaster, [[Sheffield]] and [[Nottingham]] to London. In the United Kingdom, European route designators are not displayed on road signs. The intended motorway design is evidenced in road maps. The M1 was extended northward to [[Leeds]], which is why the E13 starts at Doncaster and follows the path of the M18 and the M1.

Doncaster is situated on the [[A1 road (Great Britain)#A1(M)|A1(M)]] and [[M18 motorway (Great Britain)|M18]] motorways, within 20 minutes of the key [[M1 motorway|M1]] and [[M62 motorway|M62]] motorways.
The {{cvt|15|mi|km|adj=on}} A1(M) motorway bypass cost £6&nbsp;million and was opened by [[Ernest Marples]] in 1961. The former route is now the [[A638 road|A638]] and partly the [[A614 road|A614]] to [[Blyth, Nottinghamshire|Blyth]].

===Buses===
Bus services in the area are operated predominantly by [[First South Yorkshire]] and [[Stagecoach East Midlands]]. Routes connect the city with [[Barnsley]], [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]], [[Retford]], [[Scunthorpe]] and [[Worksop]]. Long-distance [[National Express Coaches|National Express]] coach routes travel to [[Birmingham Coach Station|Birmingham]], [[Hull Paragon Interchange|Hull]], [[Victoria Coach Station|London]] and [[Newcastle Coach Station|Newcastle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doncaster Town Centre Bus Services |work=Bus Times |date=2023 |access-date=23 September 2023 |url=https://bustimes.org/localities/doncaster-town-centre |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016144808/https://bustimes.org/localities/doncaster-town-centre |url-status=live}}</ref>

New developments include campus facilities for [[Doncaster College]] and the [[Frenchgate Interchange]], a unification of bus and railway stations with the [[Frenchgate Centre]]. The extension to the shopping centre and the new bus station opened on 8 June 2006, when all Doncaster bus routes started to use the station.

===Air===
Until 2022, Doncaster was a European hub with an international airport. [[Doncaster Sheffield Airport]] opened in 2005, handling its last passenger flight in November 2022 after the [[Peel Group]] cited it was unlikely to return to profitability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-09-26/bosses-confirm-closure-of-doncaster-sheffield-airport |title=Bosses confirm closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport |date=26 September 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926103742/https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2022-09-26/bosses-confirm-closure-of-doncaster-sheffield-airport |url-status=live}}</ref> The airport was closed in 2023, it was largely confirmed before the announcement as a result of the [[Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)|Civil Aviation Authority]] downgrading the surrounding airspace.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63833361 |title=Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Airspace to be downgraded |work=BBC News |date=2 December 2022 |access-date=3 December 2022 |archive-date=3 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203233550/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-63833361 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cycling===
[[Cycling in South Yorkshire|Cycling in Doncaster]] is increasingly popular. Its situation on the [[Trans Pennine Trail]] means it is connected to other surrounding towns. Additionally, cycle lanes are being installed across the borough allowing for safer road commuter cycling.

==Media==
===Television===
Doncaster is served by [[BBC Yorkshire]] from Leeds which broadcasts the flagship nightly news programme [[BBC Look North (Yorkshire and North Midlands)|Look North]]. [[ITV Yorkshire]] is the local [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] franchise.

===Radio===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2024}}
Doncaster is served by several commercial and community radio stations. For 22 years, [[Trax FM]] was arguably the most popular station based in the city. It was rebranded as [[Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire|Greatest Hits Radio South Yorkshire]] in 2020, along with numerous other stations in the region. [[TX1 Radio]] was set up following the closure of Trax FM and broadcasts exclusively on [[Digital radio in the United Kingdom|DAB radio]] to Doncaster and Bassetlaw.

[[BBC Radio Sheffield]] and [[Hits Radio South Yorkshire]] (formerly Hallam FM) also broadcast to the city.

[[Sine FM]] is a community radio station broadcasting to Doncaster's [[central business district]] and inner suburbs on FM. [[TMCR 95.3]] is a community radio station based in Thorne serving North East Doncaster on FM.

===Print media===
The ''[[Doncaster Free Press]]'' is a weekly newspaper distributed across the greater Doncaster region. Doncaster has its own edition of the ''[[Sheffield Star]]'' printed daily. ''[[The Yorkshire Post]]'' is the local daily broadsheet newspaper from Leeds. The ''Dearne Valley Weekender'' is a weekly newspaper targeted towards the [[Dearne Valley]], which includes some parts of South West Doncaster, although it is widely available across the town.

==Sport==

===Racecourse===
{{Main|Doncaster Racecourse}}
[[File:Doncaster Racecourse 2.jpg|thumb|Doncaster Racecourse]]
From around the 16th century, Doncaster embraced the wealthy [[stagecoach]] trade. This led to horse breeding in Doncaster, which in turn led to the start of [[Horse racing|horseraces]] there. The earliest important race in Doncaster's history was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest continuing regulated horserace in the world.

===Rugby football===
[[File:Keepmoat1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Doncaster Community Stadium]]]]
Founded in 1951, [[Doncaster R.L.F.C.|Doncaster]] (formerly known as Doncaster Dragons RLFC and Doncaster Lakers) have played consistently in rugby league's [[RFL Championship|National League One]] and its successor the [[Championship (rugby league)|RFL Championship]], with its home at the [[Eco-Power Stadium]].

[[Doncaster Knights]] currently play in rugby union's [[RFU Championship]], with their home at [[Castle Park rugby stadium|Castle Park]].

===Football===
[[File:Ricky Lambert.jpg|thumb|Doncaster Rovers vs Bristol Rovers in the [[2007 Football League Trophy Final]]]]
Doncaster's only fully professional football club, [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]], play at the [[Eco-Power Stadium]]. The city is also home to a number of non-league clubs, playing at smaller grounds based in the various suburbs. Clubs in the city are usually affiliated to the [[Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association|Sheffield and Hallamshire FA]].

Doncaster is also home to one of England's most successful and historic [[Women's association football|women's]] clubs, [[Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C.|Doncaster Rovers Belles]], who play fixtures between the [[Eco-Power Stadium]] and [[Thorne Colliery F.C.|Chesterfield Poultry Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Charlesworth |first1=Ricky |title=Doncaster Rovers Belles' 'new era' sees club return to Eco-Power Stadium |url=https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster-rovers-belles-new-era-sees-club-return-to-eco-power-stadium-4694564 |access-date=14 September 2024 |work=[[Doncaster Free Press]] |date=8 July 2024 |archive-date=9 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709015719/https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster-rovers-belles-new-era-sees-club-return-to-eco-power-stadium-4694564 |url-status=live}}</ref> The club had, until recent years, a long tradition of providing [[England women's national football team|England internationals]] and was a founder member of the [[Women's Super League|FA WSL]].<ref>{{cite web |title=WHO ARE YA?! |url=https://www.wsc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Who_are_ya__Doncaster_Belles.pdf |access-date=6 September 2023 |publisher=[[When Saturday Comes]] |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906010617/https://www.wsc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Who_are_ya__Doncaster_Belles.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Doncaster also played host to England's women for their multi-record breaking [[England 20–0 Latvia|20–0 win]] over Latvia in a [[2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D|European qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wrack |first1=Suzanne |title=Ellen White breaks record as merciless England thrash Latvia 20–0 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/nov/30/england-women-latvia-world-cup-2023-qualifier-match-report |access-date=6 September 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 November 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222044425/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/nov/30/england-women-latvia-world-cup-2023-qualifier-match-report |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Others===
[[Motorcycle speedway|Speedway]] racing was staged at [[Doncaster Greyhound Stadium]] in 1969 and 1970. The team was known as the [[Doncaster Stallions|Stallions]] and then the Dragons. The team raced in the British League Second Division.

Doncaster has a men's basketball team called the Doncaster Danum Eagles who compete in National League Division 2. Doncaster additionally has an American football team called the Doncaster Mustangs, who are in Division 1 of the British American Football League.

The town also has regular involvement in the [[Tour de Yorkshire]] cycling event, having the finish line of stage two, of the [[2016 Tour de Yorkshire]] hosted in Doncaster, as well as the finish line of stage one of the [[2018 Tour de Yorkshire]] hosted in the town as well.

==International links==
Doncaster is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*[[Avion, Pas-de-Calais|Avion]], [[Hauts-de-France]], France<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |publisher=Archant Community Media Ltd |location=England |access-date=11 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>
*[[Herten]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.herten.de/leben-in-herten/staedtepartnerschaften-patenschaften/index.html |title=Städtepartnerschaften |publisher=Rathaus Stadt Herten |location=Herten, Germany |language=de |access-date=30 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120903134022/http://www.herten.de/leben-in-herten/staedtepartnerschaften-patenschaften/index.html |archive-date=3 September 2012}}</ref>
*[[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], [[Greater London]], England
*[[Gliwice]], [[Silesian Voivodeship]], Poland
*[[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]], [[North Carolina]], United States<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scawilmington.org/Barbados.html |title=Sister Cities |publisher=Sister Cities Association of Wilmington |access-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928162103/http://www.scawilmington.org/Barbados.html |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Several roads in the Lakeside area are named after Doncaster's twin towns, such as Gliwice Way, Herten Way, Wilmington Drive and Carolina Way, named after the state where Wilmington lies.

Doncaster was formerly twinned with [[Ozyorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast]], Russia. This ceased following the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politics/doncaster-cuts-ties-with-russian-twin-town-of-ozyorsk-as-mansion-house-lights-up-for-ukraine-3591070 |title=Doncaster cuts ties with Russian twin-town of Ozyorsk as Mansion House lights up for Ukraine &#124; Doncaster Free Press |access-date=15 April 2022 |archive-date=24 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324055134/https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politics/doncaster-cuts-ties-with-russian-twin-town-of-ozyorsk-as-mansion-house-lights-up-for-ukraine-3591070 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:John McLaughlin Blue Note 2016.JPG|180px|thumb|John McLaughlin]]
{{main|List of people from Doncaster}}
:''See [[:Category:People from Doncaster]]''
* [[Emma Chambers]], actress, famous for her role of [[List_of_The_Vicar_of_Dibley_characters#Alice_Horton|Alice Horton]] in ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' and Honey Thacker in ''[[Notting Hill (film)|Notting Hill]]''.
* [[Roy Clarke]], a writer, famous for his ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' and ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]''.
* [[Jeremy Clarkson]], famous for being the presenter of ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' and face of the show ''[[The Grand Tour]]''.
* [[Derek Cook]], racing driver
* [[David Firth (animator)|David Firth]], animator and filmmaker.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://secretmanchester.com/salad-fingers-manchester-live-show/ |title=David Firth's Salad Fingers Is Coming To Manchester For A Live Show |date=25 February 2020 |website=Secret Manchester |access-date=28 May 2022 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022181319/https://secretmanchester.com/salad-fingers-manchester-live-show/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Tan France]], one of the hosts of ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye]]''.
* [[Kelly Harrison]], actress
* [[Reg Hollingworth]], footballer
* [[Thomas Howes (actor)|Thomas Howes]], known for playing the role of [[William Mason (Downton Abbey)|William Mason]] in the famous British TV series ''[[Downton Abbey]]''.
* [[Kevin Keegan]], football manager and former player.
* [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]], highly reputed guitarist and frontman of [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]]
* [[Danny Schofield]], a professional football coach and a former player.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ball |first1=Lucy |title=12 famous people who are all from Doncaster |url=https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/12-famous-people-who-are-all-doncaster-1384665 |website=Doncester Free Press |access-date=5 February 2020 |archive-date=22 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422065433/https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/12-famous-people-who-are-all-doncaster-1384665 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Sarah Stevenson]], 2011 world champion of [[Taekwondo]].
* [[Louis Tomlinson]], English singer, songwriter and model, member of boy band [[One Direction]]
* [[James Toseland]], a former motorcyclist, currently vocalist in a band with his own name.
* [[Diana Rigg]], actress
* [[Danny Rose (footballer, born 1990)|Danny Rose]], former English football player at club and international level.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dave |last=Flett |title=Rose rasper lifts Rankine |url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/8105479.Rose_rasper_lifts_Rankine/ |newspaper=The Press |location=York |date=17 April 2010 |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=8 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008153826/http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/8105479.Rose_rasper_lifts_Rankine/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Andrew White (presenter)|Andrew White]], presenter and producer of ''[[Walks Around Britain (TV series)|Walks Around Britain]]'' and writer of ''The Walker Mysteries'' novels.
* [[Yungblud]], singer, songwriter and musician.

==See also==
{{Portal|Yorkshire}}
*[[Listed buildings in Doncaster (Town Ward)]]
*[[Doncaster Education City]]
*[[Trolleybuses in Doncaster]]
*[[Doncaster Caledonian Society]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Doncaster}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Doncaster}}

{{South Yorkshire}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Doncaster| ]]
[[Category:Towns in South Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Railway towns in England]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in South Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in South Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster]]
[[Category:Cities in Yorkshire and the Humber]]