Gainsborough Today is a busy market town, in north Lincolnshire and along the northern border of the town is the River Trent. Gainsborough is with Rail links to Lincoln and Sheffield is within reach of most parts of the country. The NEW Doncaster Sheffield Airport is 30 minutes away by car.
The Trent is a tidal river and at certain tides the Aegir is worth watching (see attraction page for details on the Aegir)
The River used to be a thriving port and you can still see some barges going up river empty and coming back heavy laden with cargo but these days the boats are for pleasure.
The regene
ration of Gainsborough in recent year's means there has been a lot of new flats and houses' being built, and the population of Gainsborough is growing.
Marshall's Yard is a new shopping complex with a selection of shops, businesses and office space.
Built on the old Marshall's site the design has retained many of the features of Brittania works.
The town centre still has early closing day on a Wednesday, although there are a few larger shops opening all day. Market days are Tuesday and Saturdays, there is a Farmers Market on the 1st Tuesday of the month. The Market is held in the Town Centre. The summer months see entertainers, musicians and groups on a Saturday in the town centre
The Old Hall is worth a visit (see attraction page for details)
All Saints Church is open to the public there is also a Church Café that serves good reasonably priced food (see attraction page for details).
Gainsborough's claim to fame;-
St.Oggs' (courtesy of Gainsborough and District Heritage Association) www.gainsboroughheritage.com
Gainsborough was also the model setting for ‘St.Oggs', the town in George Elliot's novel ‘The Mill on The Floss'. The mill in question has since been demolished, Eliot described the town in 1860 as:-
"A vulnerable town with red fluted roofs, and broad warehouses and gables, where black ships unlade themselves of their burthens from the far north, and carry away in exchange the precious inland products, the well crushed fleeces and soft fleeces."
John Wesley preached at the Old Hall
The Pilgrims met secretly at the Old Hall before setting of to Boston ready for there trip to the Americas
Royal Connections
The Lord Burghs were the owners of The Old Hall when Henry Vlll and his 5th wife Catherine Howard stopped on there way to York in 1951.
At this time Henrys 6th wife Katherine Parr was married to Lord Burgh's eldest son Edward.
King Alfred the Great married Elswitha daughter of Ethelred, Lord of Gaini, in the Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey inAD868
In 1013 King Swegn of Denmark camped his armies at Gainsborough, leaving his son Canute in command (it is said it was the aegir that Canute tried to turn back.)King Swegn continued to conquer the country until his death in Gainsborough in1014
English Civil War
The Battle of Gainsborough was fought in1643
Early Pioneers (courtesy of Gainsborough and District Heritage Association) www.gainsboroughheritage.com
Gainsborough can boast several leading figures in British Industrial History over the centuries:-
Boat builders, ‘Smiths' were the first in the country to build steam packets which plied the Trent and Humber as early as 1815.
‘The Steam Packet Company' was founded in 1820, was the first such company in England.
1848, William Marshall established Marshall's Sons & Co. Ltd. The firm existed for 150 years expanded to c.33 acres, manufacturing and exporting products such as steam engines, diesel tractors and tea machinery worldwide. In two world wars Marshall's were engaged in munitions work, with perhaps their most famous product being the x-craft Midget Submarine. (courtesy of Gainsborough and District Heritage Association) www.gainsboroughheritage.com
William Rose invented the first automatic packaging machine in 1885 to weigh and wrap tobacco. He later founded the company Rose Brothers, which became famous in both packaging and for being amongst the early motor manufacturers. During WWII, in addition to manufacturing Bofors and Staag anti-aircraft guns, Roses were involved in the mechanisms for the bouncing bomb system for the Dambusters Raid and in the producing a late version rear gun turret for Lancaster bombers.