Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
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Gainsborough is a town in Lincolnshire, England. The West Lindsey Council headquarters are based in Gainsborough.
The town's main attractions are Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough Castle and West Lindsey Leisure Centre.
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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.
Plans to expand Gainsborough as a new town, linked with Sheffield, never came to fruition, so it remains a small market town. The River Trent runs right alongside Gainsborough, and recently the river banks have been renovated to provide residents and tourist with access to the riverside and a sitting area to enjoy the view. The main church is All Saints.
Historically, Gainsborough is the 'capital that never was.' King Cnut allegedly performed his 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. During the post-WWI years, money poured into the area, and residents from London's East End, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool and other towns were lured here by the promise of jobs in a new boom town. However, the jobs eventually disappeared, leaving Gainsborough with a high unemployment rate and a population of first and second generation town dwellers stranded in a rural backwater with little and low paid work, moulding the town into what it is today, a town that has more the feel of an urban inner city than a rural market town (c.f. with Grantham or Louth).
Industry
Gainsborough has a long-standing history with industry. The town was the manufacturing base of Marshalls, 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 Beaumont St, demolished a large section of the Works to create its large store around 5 years ago. Dransfield is in the process of remodeling about 9 acres (36,000 m²) of the site to include a shopping area and a new heritage museum. There is a Morrisons on Heapham Rd South.
Another area of Gainsborough’s industry is Roses. They produced seaside Rock making machines along with packaging machines. These included cigarette making machines and bread-slicing and wrapping machines. The proper name of the firm is Rose Bros., after William German and Walter, the co-founders.
Today Gainsborough has a wide variety of industrial companies, including the european leader in exhaust systems, one of the world leaders in golf products and the world's biggest manufacturer of novelty products. The town also has welcomed steel works and pet food suppliers.
Gainsborough is also famed as Britain’s most inland port and so has a long history with river trade — the town’s Trent bridge prevents most barges from go beyond it and so many have to offload their goods at the town. There is currently one wharf in the town — mainly a source of wood.
The biggest web design firm in Gainsborough is Firepages who make ecommerce and static sites throughout the UK. It is hoped that with the arrival of new business and families into the town over the following years that more 'new media' jobs will be created.
Sport and Entertainment
The town is home to Gainsborough Trinity F.C., a semi-professional football club playing at the sixth level of English football. During a brief spell at the start of the 20th Century, the club was professional and a member of The Football League. The town is also the birthplace of the alternative/ska band St. John's Wood, whose album It's Monday and I Love You is currently a massive hit on the underground scene.
Education
The town has one of the top state schools in the country — Queen Elizabeth High School (selective from 11-18) on Morton Terrace, whilst the Castle Hills Community Arts College on The Avenue recently achieved the status of performing arts college for the second time. The Middlefield School of Technology is on Middlefield Lane. The town has links with the John Leggott Sixth Form College in Scunthorpe, which enrolls many international students. Gainsborough College focuses on vocational education.
Gainsborough is thought by many scholars to be the basis for the fictional St Ogg's in George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss.