Coordinates: 53°36′30″N 0°57′30″W / 53.6083°N 0.9583°W / 53.6083; -0.9583

Thorne
Thorne  Thorne shown within South Yorkshire
Population	16,592
OS grid reference	SE6891212950
Parish	Thorne
Metropolitan borough	Doncaster
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Doncaster
Postcode district	DN8
Dialling code	01405
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Doncaster North
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Thorne is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 16,592.^[1]

[edit] Geography

It lies east of the River Don, on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, and is located at approximately 53°36′30″N 0°57′30″W / 53.60833°N 0.95833°W / 53.60833; -0.95833, at an elevation of around 5 metres above sea level, on the Yorkshire side of the border with Lincolnshire. The civil parish of Thorne also takes in the village of Moorends to the north.

The town is served by two railway stations: Thorne North, and Thorne South; as well as Junction 6 of the M18 and junction 1 of the M180. The A614 runs through the town, crossing the canal.

[edit] History

The land which is now Thorne was once inhabited by Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age people. It became a permanent settlement around AD700, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

The main industries in the town have traditionally been coal mining and farming, although many residents now commute to Doncaster.

[edit] Places of interest

Brass Band concerts are held in the park during the summer months, which is also the location for the annual Thorne Festival. The area now has its very own Community Radio station, TMCR 95.3.

Notable buildings in the town include the eleventh century parish church and the motte of Peel Hill Castle. Other attractions include the extensive Thorne Moors.

[edit] Landmarks

There are Dutch-like bridges over canals, such as the Wykewell bridge. There are two large water towers. The parish church is St Nicholas.

[edit] Sport

Local rugby league side Moorends-Thorne Marauders RLFC play in the CMS Yorkshire league during the winter season and the Rugby League Conference during the summer.

Thorne is also home to the rugby union side Thornensians RUFC who currently play in Yorkshire Division 3.

Speedway racing, then known as Dirt Track racing, was staged a track on the southern edge of the town in 1930. Billed as "The Wembley of the North" the track was a bit basic and followed the edge of the football pitch on the inside of the track. Rather than two sweeping bends, the track shown on contemporary ordnance survey maps, had four corners and four straights.

[edit] School

In September 2005 a newly built school, Trinity Academy, opened in Thorne. Specialising in Business and Enterprise. The £24 million state of the art Academy has nine classes per year group, and an initial school population of 1250 children, between the ages of 11 – 18, and is the third Christian Ethos school founded by Sir Peter Vardy.In 2004, only 21 per cent of students from Thorne and Moorends achieved five or more passes at grade C or above.But Trinity has revolutionised education in the area and was named as England's most improved academy last year

The new Academy replaced Thorne Grammar School, a once notable provider of distinguished education and boasts many famous Alumni, including Lesley Garrett; George Porter, a nobel prize-winning chemist; Charles Spencer, a renowned pianist; and Sir Graham Hall, former CEO of Yorkshire Electricity.

[edit] Famous people from Thorne

Famous people from Thorne include Roy Clarke and Thomas Crapper. Former professional footballer Leigh Jenkinson, who represented Wales internationally, is also from Thorne. Additionally, Gillian Coultard, former captain of England women's football team during the 1990s is also borne and bred in Thorne. Gill was the first woman ever to score a goal at Wembley stadium and has over 120 caps for representing England. Also Simon Worrall who plays for Leeds Rhinos after switching codes from Rugby union was born in Thorne playing rugby localally for school and club, representing county and country at junior levels.

Thorne is also home to Lesley Garrett, the globally renowned opera soprano. Former Thorne Grammar School student Garrett was recently reunited with the Thorne of her past as part of the BBC documentary programme "Who Do You Think You Are".

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Thorne and Moorends Town Council
• TMCR FM Community Radio, TMCR 95.3 Covering north-east Doncaster from a base in Thorne.
• Friends of Buntings Wood, adopt a tree on this restoration site.
• Thorne Memorial Park Miniature Railway Open most Sundays, check the site for details..
• Waterstart, a waterways based training and recreational facility based at Thorne
• The Bungalow Project, Moorends Drug Awareness and Support Group