Discover Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed%5E_-_geograph.org.uk_-_541801.jpg
Author: Steve F


Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the largest and main town within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. Popularly known as Donny, it is about 32 km (20 mi) to the northeast of Sheffield. The population of Doncaster is around 70,000 people (2012 estimate).

Doncaster derived its name from the River Don that flows through it. Its history can be traced to the Roman occupation during the 1st century AD, when a military installation was established there called Caer Daun. The name evolved to Danum and then suffixed with "caster", meaning military camp.

After the Romans withdrew from the area, it was taken over by the Anglo Saxons, and became a burh or fortified town. The town was refortified following Norman Conquest, when Conisbrough Castle was built. By the 12th century, Doncaster has grown into a bustling town. It was granted a town charter in 1194 by King Richard I. This was followed by a market charter in 1248. That market still exists to this day, 750 years after it began.

St George's Minster, Doncaster: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doncaster_Skyline.JPEG
Author: Harleyamber


During medieval times, the town of Doncaster had a series of earthen ramparts and ditches to protect it. Entry into town is limited to four gates, named Hall Gate, St Mary's Bridge, St Sepulchre Gate and Sunny Bar. During the First English Civil War, Doncaster was rewarded the title of Free Borough for its support to King Charles I.

The 18th century was a prosperous time for Doncaster, as reflected in the many opulent homes erected during that period. It developed as an industrial center from the late 18th to the 20th century, and today has an economy based on distribution, communication and confectionery.

Conisbrough Castle, Doncaster: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conisbrough_Castle_Doncaster_winter_time.jpg
Author: Rich@rd

Visiting Doncaster

From London, take the A1(M) motorway until Junction 36, then head northeast on the A630 road to enter Doncaster.

Places of Interest in Doncaster

Doncaster is on the Map of cities in England

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Map of Ceremonial Counties of England

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.