|
|
|
|
|
Gainsborough, LincolnshireGainsborough 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. Gainsborough Old Hall is a large 15th century timber-framed medieval strong house, it is over 500 years old and is one of the best preserved manor houses in Britain. Sir Thomas Burgh built it between 1460 and 1480. It boast 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 along side 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. 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-WW1 years, money was poured into the area, and residents from London's East End, Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool and other towns were lured here by the promise of lots of jobs in a new boom town. However, the jobs were not sustainable and 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). External link
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|