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Home > Welcome > Contents > WXYZ > Worksop |
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The
town of Worksop is situated at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest
within the county of Nottinghamshire, England.
Latitude/Longitude 53º 19’N, 1º 7’W (UK Map Grid Reference SK 588802) |
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Two principal roads
provide access to the town. The A60 is the main route for traffic heading
north/south, and the A57 for traffic heading east/west.
Both of these roads connect with motorways and major trunk roads. |
Nearby towns include
Retford [8 miles/13km], Mansfield [13 miles/21km], Chesterfield [15
miles/25km], Doncaster [19 miles/31km], Sheffield [19 miles/31km], Nottingham
[35 miles/56km]
WORKSOP’S HERITAGE (1)The town’s history dates back to Anglo-Saxon times; there was already a well-established settlement by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. The Norman baronial family of Lovetot built a castle here and also founded the Augustinian priory (1103 AD). Worksop was granted a royal charter in 1296. |
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For centuries Worksop
remained a small market town, its day-today life revolving around its agricultural
surroundings. Even the town’s industries - malting, milling, timberwork
- were mostly linked to agriculture.
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Worksop’s growth was boosted by the building of the Chesterfield Canal (completed in 1777) and the arrival of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1849, which attracted trade, commerce and people into the town. |
WORKSOP’S HERITAGE (2)The town’s commercial and industrial prominence continued to grow throughout the nineteenth century, with the sinking of mines to exploit rich coal seams. Collieries were also established within a few miles of Worksop, and a cluster of new villages sprang up to house miners’ families. |
In 1801 Worksop’s
population had been 3,263, but by 1901 it had risen to more than 16,000.
New streets, churches, schools and commercial facilities followed, and
a new system of local government evolved; the Local Board of Health (established
1852) was replaced by Worksop Urban District Council (in 1894), and in
1931 the town became a borough in its own right on receiving its charter
of incorporation. Worksop is now jointly administered by Nottinghamshire
County Council, and Bassetlaw
District Council which was founded 1974 and has its headquarters in
the town. more
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Although the coal
industry has declined, Worksop’s businesses have continued to develop and
expand, and the town has several estates dedicated to industrial and commercial
enterprises. Worksop’s thriving businesses now include wholesale/retail
distribution (employing 21.0% of the total workforce), food/drink manufacturing
(8.9%), in addition to transport, electronics, engineering, production
of clothing/textiles, and a wide range of products for industrial and domestic
use.
The town’s population is now almost 40,000 (mid 1997 estimate). |
| Situated at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest, Worksop is often referred to as “Gateway to The Dukeries” an area so called from the number of ducal residences in the vicinity (Welbeck, Thoresby, Clumber, Worksop, Rufford). Large areas of the forest were claimed as these noble house were built, and parks created and landscaped for their owners. more |
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Copies of
the dukes’ heraldic crests were created from coloured stone and set in
Bridge Street in Worksop’s town centre, along with the heraldic symbols
of Lion and Unicorn.
Whilst much of Worksop’s town centre has changed, some buildings still exist from hundreds of years ago, and a traditional open-air market is still held on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. |
