GAINSBOROUGH, LINCOLNSHIRE

'Gainsborough' is a town within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The town is at the meeting point of the east-west A631, the A156 (from the south to Torksey) and A159 (from Scunthorpe). 'Thorndike Way', Gainsborough's dual carriageway which was intended to connect with the A15 at Caenby Corner currently only extends eastward to the town boundary.
The town's main attractions are Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough Castle and West Lindsey Leisure Centre on ''The Avenue''.

Contents

History

Industry

Sport and entertainment

Education

External links

History

One of the best preserved manor houses in Britain, Gainsborough Old Hall is a large 15th century timber-framed medieval strong house. Sir Thomas Burgh built it between 1460 and 1480. It boasts a magnificent Great Hall and strong brick tower. King Richard III in 1483 and King Henry VIII in 1541 both stayed at the Old Hall.
The River Trent runs alongside Gainsborough, and recently the river banks have been renovated to provide residents and tourists with access to the riverside and a seating area to enjoy the view. The main church is All Saints.
Historically, Gainsborough is the "capital that never was". Sweyn Forkbeard based himself at Gainsborough after gaining the kingship in late 1013, and King Cnut allegedly performed his purposely unsuccessful attempt to turn the tide back in the River Trent at Gainsborough, but nevertheless, the town was a capital city of Mercia during the Dark Ages.
The town was garrisoned for the king in January 1643 but the Royalist fortification of Newark had blocked the Great North Road to Parliamentarian traffic so Gainsborough became significant as part of a route around Newark by way of Lincoln and the line of the modern A15 road. It was in the Royalists' interests to obstruct this but holding Gainsborough also allowed them to forage in Lindsey and to harass Parliamentarians there. During 1643, this competition gave rise to the battles of Gainsborough and Winceby.

Industry

Gainsborough has a long-standing history with industry. The town was the manufacturing base of Marshall's, a major boiler manufacturer. The company occupied Britannia Works, the biggest in Europe when built. The site has now been split among many different companies, Tesco and Dransfield. The remainder of the site is occupied by local companies. Tesco, on the corner of ''Trinity Street'' and Colville Terrace, demolished a large section of the works to create its large store around five years ago. Dransfield is in the process of remodelling about nine acres (36,000 m²) of the site to include a shopping area and a new heritage museum. The site, name 'Marshalls Yard' opened during Easter 2007 and shops are continuing to open for the remainder of the year. There is a Morrison's on ''Heapham Road South'', and Co-ops' in the Lindsey Centre in the town centre and at