Doncaster, horses and locomotives

Doncaster is the city of horse racing and steam locomotives, in South Yorkshire, on the River Don. The urban area has more than 100,000 inhabitants and the wider borough over 300,000. It was granted city status in 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, but its history goes back much further: it was a Roman fort, a medieval market town and then one of England's great railway centres, where two of the most famous locomotives ever were built, the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard. The St Leger, the oldest of the five British classic flat races, has been run here since 1776.

Trains from London King's Cross take under two hours, and from Leeds, Sheffield and York about half an hour.

From Roman fort to railway town

The Romans built a fort here called Danum, guarding the ford over the Don on the road between Lincoln and York. In the Middle Ages Doncaster became a prosperous market town, with one of the most important fairs in the north. The turning point came in 1853, when the Great Northern Railway opened its great works here, the Plant Works: for more than a century locomotives, carriages and wagons were built and repaired there, and the town became a byword for railways. In the 20th century coal mining also grew, with many pits in the surrounding villages, almost all of which closed in the 1980s and 1990s.

What to see in Doncaster

The racecourse and the St Leger

Doncaster Racecourse, on the Town Moor, is one of the most important in the United Kingdom. In September it hosts the St Leger Festival, four days of racing that culminate in the St Leger Stakes, the oldest of the British classics, first run in 1776. In March and November the racecourse opens and closes the flat season. Even those who do not follow racing will find a festive atmosphere on race days, with smart outfits and eye-catching hats.

St George's Minster

Doncaster Minster, St George's church, is a large Gothic Revival church designed by George Gilbert Scott, built after a fire destroyed the medieval church in 1853. Its tower, more than 50 metres high, dominates the centre, and inside the highlights are the stained glass and the Victorian organ by Edmund Schulze, considered one of the finest in the country. In 2004 the church received the honorary title of minster.

The Mansion House and the centre

The Mansion House, built in 1748, is one of only three official mayoral residences in England, together with those in London and York. It is an elegant Georgian building with ballrooms and banqueting rooms, open to visitors on certain days. Nearby is Doncaster Market, one of the largest in the north, with the Victorian Corn Exchange and the fish and meat halls, which have been in use for centuries.

Danum Gallery, Library and Museum

Opened in 2021, the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum brings together the library, the town museum, the art gallery and the collections of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in a modern building. Exhibits range from Roman finds from Danum to the history of the railway, with particular attention to the locomotives built in the town, through to modern art.

The Doncaster locomotives

The Doncaster works are linked to two legends of steam. The Flying Scotsman, which left the works in 1923, was the first locomotive officially to reach 100 miles per hour, in 1934, and is today perhaps the most famous locomotive in the world, cared for by the National Railway Museum in York. The Mallard, a blue streamlined locomotive built in Doncaster in 1938, set the world speed record for a steam locomotive that year, 126 miles per hour (203 km/h), which still stands. For more, see the page on the Industrial Revolution.

Around Doncaster

• Conisbrough Castle, with one of the finest circular 12th-century keeps in England, the backdrop to Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe.
• Brodsworth Hall, an English Heritage Victorian house preserved as it was, with period furnishings, wallpaper and gardens.
• Cusworth Hall, a Georgian house on a hill with the Museum of South Yorkshire Life and a park with ponds.
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park, with polar bears, tigers, lions and lemurs in large open spaces.
• The Potteric Carr wetlands, a nature reserve with waterbirds a few minutes from the centre.

Eating and drinking

Doncaster offers traditional northern food: pies, Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips and Sunday lunch in the pubs. The market is the best place to taste local produce, Yorkshire cheeses and sweets, while the centre has historic pubs, craft breweries and restaurants of many cuisines. The town is linked to a sweet historic speciality, butterscotch, the butter and sugar sweet made here since the 19th century, which tradition says was also offered to Queen Victoria.

Famous people and sport

Doncaster is the birthplace of the actress Diana Rigg, famous for The Avengers and Game of Thrones, the television presenter Jeremy Clarkson and the singer Louis Tomlinson of One Direction; the footballer Kevin Keegan was born in the nearby village of Armthorpe. The Doncaster Rovers football team play at the Eco-Power Stadium, and the city also has a rugby team, the Doncaster Knights.

Living in Doncaster

Doncaster has some of the lowest living and housing costs in the north of England, and an excellent location: it is on the main railway line between London and Edinburgh and close to the A1 and M18 motorways, and has become a major logistics and distribution centre. The city is investing in its centre, with new cultural and residential spaces. The local airport, Doncaster Sheffield, closed in 2022 and its reopening is under discussion. For more, see the cost of living in the United Kingdom.

Getting there

• By train: from London King's Cross in under two hours on the East Coast Main Line; frequent services to Leeds, Sheffield, York, Hull and Edinburgh.
• By air: the nearest airports are Leeds Bradford, East Midlands and Manchester.
• By car: the city is served by the A1(M) and the M18.

For travel around the rest of the country see trains and transport, and for other cities British cities.

Tips for your visit

• How long: one day for the centre and the museum; add a day for Conisbrough, Brodsworth and the Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
• When to go: in September for the St Leger, booking accommodation well in advance; in spring and summer for the parks and country houses.
• A tip: Doncaster is an affordable, well-connected base for day trips to York, Sheffield and Lincoln.

Doncaster on the map

Nearby