Scunthorpe () is an
industrial town in
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bart ...
, in the ceremonial county of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...
, England. It is the county's third most populous settlement, after
Lincoln and
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
. It is
North Lincolnshire's most populous settlement.
The town had an estimated total population of 81,286 in 2021. An
industrial town, it is the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre and is also known as the "Industrial Garden Town". The Member of Parliament for Scunthorpe is
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
politician
Holly Mumby-Croft
Holly Mumby-Croft (born July 1985) is a British Conservative Party politician, serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Scunthorpe since 2019.
Early life
Mumby-Croft was born in Scunthorpe. She attended Sir John Nelthorpe School in Br ...
.
History

Scunthorpe as a town came into existence due to the exploitation of the local
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
resources, and subsequent formation of iron works from the 1850s onwards. The regional population grew from 1,245 in 1851 to 11,167 in 1901 and 45,840 in 1941. During the expansion Scunthorpe expanded to include the former villages of Scunthorpe,
Bottesford,
Frodingham Frodingham may refer to:
*Appleby Frodingham F.C., football club based in Appleby, near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
* Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society, based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire
* Appleby-Frodingham Steel Compan ...
,
Crosby,
Brumby
A brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although found in many areas around the country, the best-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region. Today, most of them are found in the Northern Territory, with the second ...
and
Ashby Ashby may refer to:
People
* Ashby (surname)
* Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England
* Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publ ...
. Scunthorpe became an
urban district in 1891, merged as 'Scunthorpe, Brumby and Frodingham Urban District' in 1919, and became a
municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in ...
in 1936.
Etymology
The town appears in the ''
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' (1086) as , which is from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
meaning "Skuma's homestead", a site which is believed to be in the town centre close to where the present-day Market Hill is located.
Geology

Scunthorpe is located close to an outcrop of high-lime-content
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
(~25% iron average) from a seam of the
Lias Group
The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the Low Countries and the north of Germany. It consists of marine limestones, s ...
strata which dates from the
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma  ...
period and runs north–south through Lincolnshire. Ironstone was mined by
open cast methods from the 1850s onwards, and by underground mining from the late 1930s. In the 1970s the steel industry in Scunthorpe transitioned to use of ores imported from outside the UK with higher iron content. Underground mining in the area ceased in 1981.
Scunthorpe was close to the epicentre (at
Middle Rasen) of the
2008 Market Rasen earthquake
On 27 February 2008 at 00:56:47.8s GMT an earthquake occurred at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. According to the British Geological Survey the earthquake registered a reading of 5.2 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre 2.5 miles (4&n ...
, the second largest earthquake experienced in the British Isles, which had a magnitude of 5.2. Significant shocks were felt in Scunthorpe and the surrounding North Lincolnshire area. The main 10-second quake, which struck at 00:56 GMT on 27 February 2008, at a depth of , was second only to a 1984 quake, with a magnitude of 5.4, which occurred in
North Wales
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
.
Governance

Scunthorpe forms an
unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...
in the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle ...
and unitary authority of
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bart ...
.
The town forms six of the borough's seventeen wards, namely Ashby, Brumby, Crosby & Park, Frodingham, Kingsway with Lincoln Gardens and Town. The Scunthorpe wards elect 16 of the borough's 43 councillors. As of 2018, 26 are members of the
Conservative party, and 13 are members of the
Labour party. The councillors form the
charter trustees of the Town of Scunthorpe and they continue to elect a town mayor.
North Lincolnshire Council is based in The Civic Centre off Ashby Road (former
A159) next to Festival Gardens. It was designed by Charles B. Pearson, Son and Partners and was completed in 1962. It was the home of Scunthorpe Borough Council until 1996. Briefly renamed Pittwood House, it was named after Edwin Pittwood, a local Labour politician, who worked in the opencast ironstone workings near Normanby Park. There are also offices at Church Square House near the former Scunthorpe Market. Pittwood House has since been renamed as Civic Centre due to the relocation of the Register Office from its old premises in Oswald road.
Civic history
In 1889 the area was included in the Lincolnshire,
Parts of Lindsey
The Parts of Lindsey are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it. The district's name origina ...
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although most ...
. Separate local government began in 1890 when the Scunthorpe
local board of health
Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environment ...
was formed. In 1894 the local board was replaced with an
urban district council. At the same time the neighbouring townships of Brumby and Frodingham were also constituted an
urban district. The two urban districts were amalgamated, along with the
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Crosby and Ashby in 1919 to form an enlarged Scunthorpe urban district. Scunthorpe received a charter incorporating the town as a
municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in ...
in 1936.
Local authority boundary changes brought the town into the new county of
Humberside
Humberside () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, West ...
in 1974, and a new
non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non ...
, the Borough of Scunthorpe was formed with the same boundaries as the old municipal borough. The opening of the
Humber Bridge on 24 June 1981 provided a permanent link between North and South Humberside but did not secure Humberside's future. To the relief of its many detractors, the county of Humberside (and
Humberside County Council) was abolished on 1 April 1996 and succeeded by four
unitary authorities
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governm ...
.
The previous Humberside districts of
Glanford and Scunthorpe, and that part of
Boothferry district south of the northern boundaries of the parishes of
Crowle,
Eastoft,
Luddington, Haldenby and
Amcotts
Amcotts is a village and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England, and on the Isle of Axholme. The village is situated north-west from Scunthorpe, and on the west bank of the River Trent facing Flixborough on the ...
, now compose the unitary authority of
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bart ...
.
On amalgamation
charter trustees were formed for Scunthorpe,
and they continue to elect a town mayor.
Coat of arms
When Scunthorpe was incorporated as a borough in 1936, it also received a grant of a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...
from the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...
. These arms were transferred to the new borough council formed in 1974, and are now used by the town's charter trustees.
The green shield and golden wheatsheaf recall that the area was until recently agricultural in nature. Across the centre of the shield is a length of chain. This refers to the five villages of Crosby, Scunthorpe, Frodingham, Brumby & Ashby linking together as one. At the top of the shield are two fossils of the species ''Gryphaea incurva''. These remains of oysters, known as the "devil's toenails", were found in the rock strata from which ironstone was quarried.
The crest, on top of the helm, shows a blast furnace. This is also referred to in the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
motto: ''Refulget labores nostros coelum'' or ''The heavens reflect our labours'' popularly attributed to the glow observed in the night sky from the steelmaking activities.
Geography

Scunthorpe lies on an escarpment of ridged land (the
Lincoln Cliff
The Lincoln Cliff or Lincoln Edge is a portion of a major escarpment that runs north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. Towards its north ...
) which slopes down towards the Trent. The surrounding environs are largely low-lying hills and plains. Although the town itself is heavily industrial it is surrounded by fertile farmland and wooded areas. In terms of general location it lies a mile east of the
River Trent
The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...
, south of the
Humber Estuary
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between ...
, west of the
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They a ...
and north of
Lincoln. The town is situated at the terminus of the
M181, from
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
.
Nearby towns and cities are
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
(18 miles northeast),
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
(20 miles west),
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
(22 miles east) and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...
(46 miles northwest).
Scunthorpe is approximately east of
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
I ...
and south by south west to the
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...
.
Climate
Like most of the United Kingdom, Scunthorpe has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen: Cfb).
Average temperatures are around in the summer, and can get be as low as in the winter.
Economy
Steel industry

The Iron industry in Scunthorpe was established in the mid 19th century, following the discovery and exploitation of middle Lias ironstone east of Scunthorpe. Initially iron ore was exported to iron producers in
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
I ...
. Later, after the construction of the
Trent, Ancholme and Grimsby Railway (1860s) gave rail access to the area iron production in the area rapidly expanded using local ironstone and imported coal or coke. Rapid industrial expansion in the area led directly to the development of the town of Scunthorpe, eventually incorporating several other former hamlets and villages, in a formerly sparsely populated entirely agricultural area.
From the early 1910s to the 1930s the industry consolidated, with three main ownership concerns formed – the
Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company, part of the
United Steel Companies; the
Redbourn Iron Works
Redbourn is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, lying on Watling Street, from Harpenden, from St Albans and from Hemel Hempstead. The civil parish had a population of 5,113 according to the 2011 Census.
The three tiers ...
, part of
Richard Thomas and Company of South Wales (later
Richard Thomas and Baldwins
Richard Thomas and Baldwins Ltd (RTB) was a major iron, steel and tinplate producer, primarily based in Wales and formed in 1948 by the merger of Richard Thomas & Co Ltd with Baldwins Ltd. It was absorbed into British Steel Corporation in 1967. The ...
); and
John Lysaght's
Normanby Iron Works Normanby could be:
Places Australia
*Normanby, Queensland
*Normanby Division, a local government area in Queensland
*Shire of Normanby, a local government area in Queensland
*Normanby Island (Queensland)
* Electoral district of Normanby (disambi ...
, part of
Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.
In 1967 all three works became part of the nationalised
British Steel Corporation
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
(BSC), leading to a period of further consolidation – from the 1970s the use of local or regional ironstone diminished, being replaced by imported ore via the
Immingham Bulk Terminal. Conversion to the
Linz-Donawitz process
Basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS, BOP, BOF, or OSM), also known as Linz-Donawitz steelmaking or the oxygen converter processBrock and Elzinga, p. 50. is a method of primary steelmaking in which carbon-rich molten pig iron is made into steel. Blowin ...
(or "basic oxygen" process) of steel making from the
open hearth process
An open-hearth furnace or open hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to produce steel. Because steel is difficult to manufacture owing to its high melt ...
took place from the late 1960s onwards and was complete by the 1990s. Both the Normanby Park and the Redbourn works closed in the early 1980s.
Following privatisation in 1988 the company, together with the rest of BSC, became part of
Corus (1999), later
Tata Steel Europe
Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...
(2007). In 2016 the
long products division of Tata Steel Europe was sold to
Greybull Capital with Scunthorpe as the primary steel production site.
In 2012 the steel industry remained the major employer in the area and its largest operator was
Tata Steel Europe
Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...
. The number employed in the industry fell from 27,000 at its height to around 4,500 (excluding outside contractors) by the mid-2010s. The steel works and the former ironstone workings have both had large scale detrimental environmental effects in the district, including air pollution and subsidence.
In May 2019, after a drop in future orders, and a breakdown in rescue talks between the government and the company's owner, Greybull,
British Steel Limited entered insolvency.
Industries associated with the steelworks include metal engineering as well as a
BOC plant.
Other industries

Although the historical predominance of the steel industry made Scunthorpe a virtual
monotown, there are other industries in the town. These include food production, distribution and retailing. North of the town next a waste management firm, Bell Waste Control, which services the majority of industry in Scunthorpe and the surrounding areas. On the Foxhills Industrial Park, north of the A1077 northern bypass, are many distribution companies, notably a large building owned by the
Nisa co-operative type
mutual organisation which has its UK headquarters there. Also on the Foxhills Industrial Park is a 500,000 square foot factory occupied by
Wren Kitchens, employing 350 full-time workers.
2 Sisters Food Group
2 Sisters Food Group, a subsidiary of Boparan Holdings Ltd, is a privately owned food manufacturing company with head offices in Birmingham, England primarily focusing on private label manufacturing for retailer and food service markets. Establ ...
have a large chicken processing plant in the town. Key Country Foods produces meat products on an industrial scale. The Sauce Company produces sauces, soups and other foodstuffs for the catering and supermarket sectors.
Ericsson Mobile Platforms produces printed circuit boards for the telecommunications industry. There are a number of other firms, mostly involved in manufacturing and light engineering.
In the 2001 census 19.3% of the working age population were economically inactive.
Retail

Scunthorpe has two major shopping centres, effectively a single site: the Foundry Shopping Centre and the Parishes Centre. The former was constructed in the late 1960s/early 1970s during a wholesale reconstruction of the old town; the latter was constructed in the early part of the 2000s decade on the site of the town's old bus station. There are also many well known retailers on High Street. On 6 January 2011
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
closed their High Street store after 80 years of trading, but a new Marks and Spencer store opened near the football ground in 2014.
However the size of the remaining retail units reflects the size of the area's population and with larger shopping facilities within reasonable travelling distance in
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
,
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
,
Lincoln,
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
and at
Meadowhall,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
.
The once-thriving market, mostly under cover in market halls just to the north of the Central Library, at the eastern end of the High Street, had shrunk noticeably in the last ten years, and has now moved to the new St John's Market, close to the Bus Station. The opening date was 22 March 2019.
All of the big food retailers are represented in the area. There is a
Tesco Extra
Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
, and an Aldi (in the former Toys R Us unit) opposite the football ground, while
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company w ...
(formerly a
Safeway
Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, de ...
) have their store on the site of the old Scunthorpe United stadium, The Old Show Ground.
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
have a store at the bottom of Mortal Ash Hill (known locally as "Motlash") (
A18 road
This is a list of roads designated A18. Roads are sorted in the countries alphabetical order.
* A18 motorway (Belgium), a road connecting Bruges and Dunkirk, France
* A18 motorway (Italy), a road connecting Messina and Catania in Sicily
* A18 hi ...
) at the Lakeside Retail Park, on the eastern entrance to the town, while
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
have a store on Burringham Road. In 2011 Asda opened another store in the former Netto, on Carlton Street.
On 24 October 2014 Marks and Spencer's returned to the town after almost a 4-year absence. The store is housed in a purpose-built location at the North Lincolnshire Shopping Park, beside Glanford Park. The shopping park also includes
Boots, B&M Bargains,
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England.
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. ...
and
Subway
Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to:
Transportation
* Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems
* Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle
* Subway (George Bush Interconti ...
.
Transport
Scunthorpe railway station is on the
South TransPennine Line which has trains from
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...
to
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then devel ...
. Scunthorpe station (SCU), has two platforms and is serviced by two train companies,
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE), legally First TransPennine Express Limited, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the TransPennine Express franchise. It runs regional and inter-city rail services between the major c ...
and
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT), after the previous operator Arriva Rail ...
. TransPennine Express eastbound trains to Cleethorpes call at platform 1, whilst TransPennine Express westbound services to Manchester Airport and the Northern westbound stopping service to Doncaster use platform 2. The Northern service runs from Monday-Saturday, and is served by TransPennine Express at the first and last service of the day. The station is operated by TransPennine Express, and was made more accessible when lifts were added in 2019.
The
M180 passes south of Scunthorpe and connects to the town via the
M181 and the
A1077M. Before the M180 was opened in 1979, all east–west traffic took the
A18 over
Keadby Bridge.
Humberside Airport is a short drive to the east along the M180. The town's bus station is off Fenton Street. The bus station is predominantly used by
Stagecoach in Lincolnshire that operate services within and out of the town along with Hornsby Travel.
East Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...
operate services to
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
and
Goole
Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire.
According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...
.
Religion

The church of St John the Evangelist, in Church Square, was completed in 1891 and consecrated on 15 April that same year. The church was built, at a cost of £20,000 (equivalent to £ as of ) on land given by
Lord St Oswald. Built of
Frodingham Frodingham may refer to:
*Appleby Frodingham F.C., football club based in Appleby, near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
* Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society, based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire
* Appleby-Frodingham Steel Compan ...
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
, and comprising a nave with five bays and a
clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper ...
, a chancel, north and south aisles, two porches and a tower, it could accommodate up to 500 worshippers. It was designed by
J. S. Crowther
Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820 – March 1893) (usually known as J. S. Crowther) was an English architect who practised in Manchester. His buildings are mainly located in Manchester, Cheshire and Cumbria.
Life and career
Crowther studie ...
in the
perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
style. The original striking clock was installed, in 1890 by
William Potts and Sons of the Guildford Clock Works in
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
. In 1897 quarter chimes were added. The peal of eight bells were hung in 1893, in memory of the Lord St Oswald. The organ, built in London, cost £1,000.
The final church service was held on 29 April 1984 and the building is now an arts centre.
There are also multiple churches including the other town church of St Lawrence. There are also two small Muslim centres.
Culture

The
North Lincolnshire Museum is on Oswald Road, near the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
. The former church of St John the Evangelist is now the 20–21 Visual Arts Centre. The
Plowright Theatre, named after
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Ton ...
, is on Laneham Street (off the west end of High Street and also near the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
). It was built in 1958 as Scunthorpe Civic Theatre. The
Baths Hall, reopened in 2011, a 1,700 capacity venue also hosts visiting musical and theatrical events.

The
Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir from Scunthorpe won the title of
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The st ...
''Choir of the Year'' 2008 at the Grand Finals on 7 December 2008 at the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
, London. The main choir is made up of 90 members aged between 9 and 19 years whilst also having two training choirs taking children as young as 3 years old. They have made several CDs, performed numerous concerts in the area and further afield, have been subject of documentaries and are internationally renowned as having travelled the world.
Scunthorpe was the setting of a
2012 Cultural Olympiad community opera called ''Cycle Song'', about past steel-worker and
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
cyclist
Lal White. It was composed by Tim Sutton and the librettist was
Ian McMillan. The
Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir, Proper Job Theatre Company and over a thousand locals participated.
Media and entertainment
Television
*
''BBC Look North'' broadcast by the BBC from Queen's Gardens in Kingston upon Hull with news offices in Grimsby, covering the East Riding of Yorkshire and North & North East Lincolnshire;
*
''Calendar'', broadcast by
ITV Yorkshire from
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
, West Yorkshire with a crew in Grimsby covering the local area.
Radio
*
BBC Radio Humberside is broadcast on 95.9 FM from Kingston upon Hull, with its coverage given to the old county of
Humberside
Humberside () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, West ...
, now including the East Riding of Yorkshire and all of North & North East Lincolnshire & all Lincolnshire at certain times. Coverage often includes broadcasts of local football team
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
.
*
Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire
Greatest may refer to:
* ''Greatest!'', a 1959 album by Johnny Cash
* ''Bee Gees Greatest'', a 1979 album by Bee Gees
* ''Greatest'' (The Go-Go's album), 1990
* ''Greatest'' (Duran Duran album), 1998
* Greatest (song), a song by Eminem
* "Greate ...
broadcasts on 102.2FM from Lincoln, covering the whole of Lincolnshire including the Scunthorpe area.
*
Viking FM
Viking FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Sheffield, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
As of September 2022, the st ...
broadcasts its breakfast show on 96.9 FM from
Leeds
Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...
, having some of its coverage given to North Lincolnshire, which includes Scunthorpe.
Print
The local newspaper is the ''
Scunthorpe Telegraph'' (formerly the ''Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph'') with an online version at ''www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk''.
Venues

Scunthorpe has a leisure centre (
The Pods) next to Pittwood House, museum, galleries, craft centres, several clubs, pubs and bars, a
Vue multiplex cinema adjacent to the bus station. The
Baths Hall in Doncaster Road was a popular music venue, before it was closed because of the costs of bringing the building up to scratch, and dealing with industrial contamination on site. The Labour Council prevented the Baths from being demolished in 2007 and commenced a major rebuild of the venue, which has involved demolishing all but the facade of the building. The building re-opened in November 2011.
Education
Scunthorpe's primary schools include Berkeley Primary School, Outwood Juniors Academy Brumby, Crosby Primary School, Frodingham Infant School, Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue, Oasis Academy Parkwood, St Augustine Webster's Catholic Voluntary Academy, St Bernadette's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy, St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, Scunthorpe CofE Primary School, The Grange primary, Oakfield Primary School and Westcliffe Primary School.

Secondary schools within Scunthorpe include
Outwood Academy Brumby on Cemetery Road, and
Outwood Academy Foxhills
Outwood Academy Foxhills is a mixed secondary school located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England.
History Secondary modern school
The school opened as Foxhills Secondary School in January 1951, with room for 400 children, with nine cla ...
on Foxhills Road.
Frederick Gough School is to the south of the town in
Bottesford.
Melior Community Academy
Melior Community Academy is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The school is sponsored by the School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA).
The school started as Thomas Sump ...
, to the east of the town, was formed by the merger of South Leys Business & Enterprise College on Enderby Road with Thomas Sumpter School.
St Bede's Catholic Voluntary Academy
St Bede's Catholic Voluntary Academy (formerly St Bede's Catholic School) is a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school located in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England.
History
Work on the £100,000 school was meant to start September 1956. Th ...
on Collum Avenue is the main
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
secondary school for the area, while the
St Lawrence Academy on Doncaster Road is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
secondary school; it was formerly known as High Ridge Specialist Sports College and became the town's first academy in September 2008.
Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire opened in 2015 and is a
university technical college
A university technical college (UTC) is a type of specialist secondary school in England that is led by a sponsor university and has close ties to local business and industry. These university and industry partners support the curriculum developm ...
for pupils aged 14 to 19. St Hugh's Communication and Interaction Specialist College is a school for pupils aged 11–19 with moderate to complex learning needs associated with physical and social problems.
Scunthorpe has two study support centres, Study United FC and Study Heslam, set up with funding from the government's
Playing for Success scheme. These are based at Glanford Park, the home of Scunthorpe United Football Club and Heslam Park, home of Scunthorpe rugby and cricket clubs.
Further education
John Leggott Sixth-Form College (JLC) is on West Common Lane and
North Lindsey College is close by on Kingsway (A18). Scunthorpe's only university is UCNL, which offers undergraduate courses to approximately 1,500 students.
Law and order
The area is served by
Humberside Police. According to
Home Office data the area has crime rates higher than the national average, especially in the categories of violence against the person, sexual offences, burglary and theft of motor vehicles.
Sport
Football

The town has a former
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
club,
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
(nicknamed "The Iron") who play at
Glanford Park. For most of its existence in the professional game (since only 1950) it has been in the lower leagues of the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
. At the end of the 2006–07 season they won promotion to the
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
as champions of
League One, amassing a total of 91 points, being promoted at home to
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. ...
: having been top since January: despite being outsiders for a considerable amount of that time, and being promoted with 3 games to spare. This being the first time they have played at this level for 44 years. This was to last just one season as the club were relegated on 12 April 2008, with three games to spare, away to
Crystal Palace. However, they returned to the Championship after one season, winning the League One playoffs in May 2009. At the end of the 2021–22 season, Scunthorpe for the first time
got relegated from the Football League, and as a consequence play in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
as of 2022–23.
England stars
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...
and
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal Clemence, (5 August 1948 – 15 November 2020) was an England international football goalkeeper and part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. He is one of only 31 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances, and holds the ...
both played for
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
in the early 1970s before being signed for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, where they made their names. Former
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
cricket captain
Ian Botham
Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser.
Hailed as on ...
played a number of games for the club, being a resident of nearby
Epworth Epworth originally referred to Epworth, Lincolnshire, a town in England that was the birthplace of John Wesley and Charles Wesley, early leaders of the Methodist religious movement. The town's name has since been used for other places and instituti ...
at that time and in an attempt to keep fit during the winter months. The team mascot is called the "Scunny Bunny".
Semi-professional sides within the Town or greater town boundaries include
Appleby Frodingham and
Bottesford Town, Local teams play in the
Scunthorpe & District Football League.
Rugby
Scunthorpe Rugby Club play in the
National League 2 North
National League 2 North is one of three, level four leagues in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the northern half of England, the North. The remainder of England is covered by the two counte ...
, the fourth tier of the
English rugby union system
Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system.
Women's Rugby union in England cons ...
. Their home ground is at Heslam Park, close to Brumby on Ashby Road.
Scunthorpe Barbarians
{{Infobox rugby league club
, clubname = Scunthorpe Barbarians
, image =
, fullname = ''Scunthorpe Barbarians Rugby League Football Club''
, emblem =
, colours = Black shirts with white shoulders and underarm panels, black shorts
, founded ...
play
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
also at Heslam Park.
Motorsports
Scunthorpe also has a
speedway team known as the
Scunthorpe Scorpions who compete in the British Premier League, the sport's second tier in Britain.
The speedway team has been running since 2005 and won a grand slam of the Conference League trophies in both 2006 and 2007 before claiming the Premier League title in 2012, alongside this Speedway world champion
Tai Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe, riding for the Scunthorpe Scorpions in his youth. It runs at the
Eddie Wright Raceway, which is a mile north of the town on Normanby Road (B1430).
The
Eddie Wright Raceway is also host to the sport of
stock car racing, the town has featured stock car racing at two other venues in its past, 2009 saw a return to the town of the oval racing sport
*
Scunthorpe Scorpions – Premier League team
*
Scunthorpe Saints – National League (formerly Conference League) team
Athletics
The Appleby-Frodingham Athletic Club uses the site near the Civic Centre for many types of sport. They have a clubhouse and also use Brumby Hall next-door. The site includes a 3G football pitch and an artificial Astro hockey pitch, along with several grass football pitches and an area for cricket. There is also the Scunthorpe and District Athletics Club. They train at Quibell Park Stadium, Scunthorpe's athletic track on Brumby Wood Lane named after
David Quibell
David John Kinsley Quibell, 1st Baron Quibell (21 December 1879 – 16 April 1962) was a British builder, contractor and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician.
Background and education
David John Kinsley Quibell was the first born child of ...
, the town's former Labour MP. Around the running track is
cycle trackused by Polytechnic Cycle Club.
The leisure centre was on Carlton Street opposite th
bus stationvia
footbridge After The Pods opened this was demolished. Th
Scunthorpe Anchorswimming club are based at the Riddings Pool on Enderby Road next to South Leys School.
The Pods, a
leisure centre
A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where peopl ...
near Central Park, opened in 2011 costing an estimated £21 million. Facilities include an 8 lane 25m pool and a separate shallow pool, a state of the art gym, a
dance studio
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose.
Overview
A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used f ...
, a large sports hall with climbing wall, a creche and a cafe.
As part of the project, Central Park is being improved. These expensive improvements are also in their final stage. North Lincolnshire Council's website regularly show photographs and videos of how the work is progressing.
Scunthorpe has two
parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior p ...
s. One in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
and another at
Normanby Hall
American Football
The
Scunthorpe Alphas
The Scunthorpe Alphas are an American football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England that competes in the BAFA National Leagues NFC 2 South. The club play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium and were formed in late 2018 by a ...
who were formed in 2018 play their home games at
Quibell Park Stadium
Quibell Park Stadium is a stadium in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, owned by North Lincolnshire Council, primarily used for athletics, cycling, and American football. The stadium consists of a velodrome, an athletics track, and a sports f ...
and for 2021 will complete in the
BAFA National Leagues
The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales ...
Division Two. The town's previous American football side was the Scunthorpe Steelers who folded in 1990.
Internet obscenity filters
In 1996 there was controversy when
AOL's
obscenity
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be u ...
filter (among others) refused to accept the name of the town due to its embedded word '
cunt'. Some online forums such as
Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. ...
forums displayed the name as Scumthorpe, while
Fark
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. The site receives many story submissions per day and approximately 100 of them are public ...
would display it as Scoonthorpe. This form of censorship over-reach is known in the computing world as the
Scunthorpe problem
The Scunthorpe problem is the unintentional blocking of websites, e-mails, forum posts or search results by a spam filter or search engine because their text contains a string (or substring) of letters that appear to have an obscene or otherwise ...
.
Notable people
*
Roy Axe, car designer for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automot ...
and
Rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, U ...
was born in Scunthorpe
*
Darren Bett, television weather presenter
*
Ryan J. Brown
Ryan J. Brown (born 29 August 1991) is an English screenwriter, born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Brown is the writer and creator of BBC comedy-horror series ''Wreck''.
Education and career
Brown studied at Goldsmiths and Moun ...
, actor and screenwriter
*
James Cobban
Sir James Macdonald Cobban (14 September 1910 – 19 April 1999) was an English educator and headmaster, as well as a prominent lay leader in the Church of England. He was the headmaster of Abingdon School from 1947 to 1970 and is largely cre ...
, English educator and headmaster, as well as a prominent lay leader in the Church of England
*
Richard G. Compton
Richard Guy Compton FRSC MAE (born 10 March 1955 in Scunthorpe, UK) is Professor of Chemistry and Aldrichian Praelector at Oxford University, United Kingdom. He is a Tutorial Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford and has a large research group ...
, Oxford professor, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Neil Cox Manager of Scunthorpe United FC
*
Howard Devoto
Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After ...
, singer with the
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independe ...
and
Magazine
*
Kevin Doyle, actor who has appeared in ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...
'' and ''
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on ...
''
*
Stephen Fretwell, singer-songwriter
*
Jeff Hall, English footballer who played as a right back for Birmingham City and England
*
Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup capta ...
, golfer, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Dave Ladley, professional darts player
*
Reece Mastin, singer and winner of
2011 X-Factor Australia, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthe ...
, singer with
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started ...
*
Rob McElnea
Rob McElnea (born 12 December 1959) is a British former professional motorcycle road racer. At the peak of his career he raced six seasons in the MotoGP, then named 500cc Grand Prix Championship. He also competed for five years in the World S ...
, 500cc grand prix rider, team manager of the
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Ara ...
Yamaha team
*
Ross McLaren, actor, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Graham Oates, is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.
*
Alfie Moore, comedian.
*
John Osborne
John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play '' Look Back in Anger'' tr ...
, writer. Creator of Sky 1 sitcom ''
After Hours'' as well as six half-hour Radio 4 storytelling shows.
* Dame
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Ton ...
, award-winning actress, born in nearby Brigg, attended
Scunthorpe Grammar School
The St Lawrence Academy (formerly High Ridge School) is a coeducational Church of England secondary school with academy status, in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The Academy teaches GCSEs and BTECs, and has specialisms in sports and ...
*
David Plowright, television executive and producer
*
Jake Quickenden, former contestant on ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' and ''
Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their pr ...
''
*
Martin Simpson, guitarist and singer-songwriter, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Sam Slocombe
Sam Oliver Slocombe (born 5 June 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Notts County. He began his career with Bottesford Town in the Northern Counties East Football League. In 2008, he moved to his hometown ...
, professional football player for
Notts County F.C. and formerly of local side
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
, was born in the town
*
Liz Smith, actress
*
Andy Stevenson, footballer
*
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln ...
, former
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
manager grew up in the town.
*
Brian Tierney, published historian and medievalist
*
Alan Walker, musicologist and biographer of
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
, was born in Scunthorpe
*
Albert 'Lal' White, Olympic cycling silver medallist at the 1920 Antwerp games. Was the subject of the opera: Cycle Song.
*
Tai Woffinden, speedway world champion
Twinned municipalities
*
Clamart
Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbani ...
, France
*
Lüneburg
Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also calle ...
, Germany
*
Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (), often referred to as Ostrowiec, is a city in southeastern Poland, in the historical region of Lesser Poland, with 66,258 residents (as of 2021). The town is one of historic centers of Polish industry and metallurgy, a ...
, Poland
See also
*
Queen Bess, Scunthorpe, Grade-II listed public house
References
Bibliography
;General history
* Ambler, R. W. (ed.), ''Workers and Community: The People of Scunthorpe in the 1870s: A Study Based on the 1871 Census Returns'' (Scunthorpe:
Scunthorpe Museum Society, 1980).
* Armstrong, M. Elizabeth (ed.), ''An Industrial Island: A History of Scunthorpe'' (Scunthorpe:
Scunthorpe Borough Museum and Art Gallery, 1981).
* Cooke, Reg, and Kathleen Cooke, ''Scunthorpe'', Images of England series (Stroud: Chalford Publishing, 1997).
* Creed, Rupert, and Averil Coult, ''Steeltown: The Real Life Drama of the Men and Women Who Built an Industry'' (Beverley: Hutton Press, 1990).
* Dudley, H. E., ''History and Antiquities of the Scunthorpe and Frodingham District'' (Scunthorpe: W. H. & C. H. Caldicott, 1931).
* Ellis, Stephen, and Dave R. Crowther (eds.), ''Humber Perspectives: A Region Through the Ages'' (Kingston-upon-Hull: Hull University Press, 1990).
* Holm, Stuart (ed.), ''The Heavens Reflect Our Labours'' (Scunthorpe:
Scunthorpe Museum and Art Gallery, 1974).
* Knell, Simon J., ''The Natural History of the Frodingham Ironstone'' (Scunthorpe:
Scunthorpe Museum and Art Gallery, 1988).
* Lewis, Peter, and Philip N. Jones, ''Industrial Britain: The Humberside Region'' (Newton Abbot:
David & Charles
David & Charles Ltd is an English publishing company. It is the owner of the David & Charles imprint, which specialises in craft and lifestyle publishing.
David and Charles Ltd acts as distributor for all David and Charles Ltd books and cont ...
, 1970).
* McEntee-Taylor, Carole, ''A History of Women's Lives in Scunthorpe'' (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2019).
* Pocock, D. C. D., "Iron and steel at Scunthorpe", ''East Midlands Geographer'', no. 19 (vol. 3, part 3) (1963), pp. 124–138.
* Pocock, D. C. D.
"Stages in the development of the Frodingham ironstone field" ''
Transactions and Papers of the Institute of British Geographers'', no. 35 (1964), pp. 105–118.
* Pocock, D. C. D.
"Specialised industrial towns as service centres: a comparison of Scunthorpe and Corby" ''
Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers'', no. 40 (1966), pp. 97–109.
* Pocock, D. C. D., "Landownership and urban growth in Scunthorpe", ''East Midland Geographer'', vol. 5 (1970), 52–61.
*
Tonks, Eric S., ''The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands: History, Operation and Railways, Part VIII, South Lincolnshire'' (Cheltenham: Runpast, 1991).
* Walshaw, G. R., and C. A. J. Behrendt, ''The History of Appleby-Frodingham'' (London:
Appleby-Frodingham Steel Co., 1950).
* Wheeler, P. T., "Ironstone working between Melton Mowbray and Grantham", ''East Midland Geographer'', vol. 4, no. 4 (1967), pp. 239–250.
* Wright, Neil R., ''Lincolnshire Towns and Industry, 1700–1914'', History of Lincolnshire Series, no. 11 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the
Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1982).
* Wright, Neil R. "The varied fortunes of heavy and manufacturing industry 1914–1987", in Dennis Mills (ed.), ''Twentieth Century Lincolnshire'', History of Lincolnshire, no. 12 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the
Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1989), pp. 74–102.
* Wright, Neil R., ''Lincolnshire’s Industrial Heritage: A Guide'' (Lincoln:
Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 2004).
;Other
* Ginns, Arthur, ''Jubilee History of the Scunthorpe Mutual Co-Operative and Industrial Society'' (Manchester: Co-operative Printing Society Ltd, 1924).
* Hutchison, I. M., ''Superstores: The Impact on Shopping Patterns within the Scunthorpe Are''a (Scunthorpe: Scunthorpe Borough Council, n.d.).
* Staff, John, ''From Nuts to Iron: The Official History of Scunthorpe United F.C., 1899–2012'' (Harefield: Yore Publications, 2012).
External links
*
North Lincolnshire CouncilScunthorpe – The Heavens Reflect Our Labours Documentary on Scunthorpe history made by local schoolchildren
Pathe newsreel, 1958, Queen visits Lincoln, Scunthorpe, GrimsbyScunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir
{{Authority control
Towns in Lincolnshire
Unparished areas in Lincolnshire
Local Government Districts created by the Local Government Act 1858
Borough of North Lincolnshire