Yorkshire’s newest city, Doncaster, is a thriving place, with much to see and discover. Stay a while and base a visit to beautiful South Yorkshire.
On 1 November, King Charles III officially signed a decree making Doncaster one of England’s newest cities. Until then, the large South Yorkshire population had been one of Yorkshire’s best large towns.
Table of Contents
Discover Doncaster
At the heart of Doncaster is an historic market town where Norman castles, Regency buildings and a rich railway and horse racing heritage thrive.
But Doncaster has also evolved. Now a modern metropolis, it offers an exciting mix of green open spaces and nature reserves with spectacular shopping and nightlife too.
Doncaster launched a reopening campaign in 2020, to show how the town bounced back from the coronovirus pandemic.
There is much to see and do in the town and surrounding area.
In truth, there’s more than enough to fill two days, and you’ll likely leave wanting even more from Donnie in future!
Accommodation
Also see our Doncaster hotels page, or hotels close to Doncaster Sheffield airport.
Rossington Hall
Rossington Hall Great, Doncaster, DN11 0HR, United Kingdom
Mercure Doncaster Centre Danum Hotel
High Street, Doncaster, DN1 1DN, United Kingdom
Owston Hall Hotel
Owston, Doncaster, DN6 9JF, United Kingdom
Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse Leger Way, Doncaster, DN2 6BB , United Kingdom
Innkeeper’s Lodge Doncaster, Bessacarr
Bessacarr Toby Carvery, Bawtry Road, Doncaster, DN4 7BS, United Kingdom
Holiday Inn Express Doncaster, an IHG Hotel
Bullrush Grove, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 8SJ, United KingdomAttractions in Doncaster
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN2 6BB, United KingdomEvents in Doncaster
There’s always plenty of interesting events happening in and around Doncaster. A short selection of recently updated events are below:
Britain’s Strongest Woman at Doncaster Dome, Doncaster
Doncaster Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 7PDDate & Time:
September 30th, 2023 5:00pmEngland’s Strongest Man at Doncaster Dome, Doncaster
Doncaster Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 7PDDate & Time:
October 1st, 2023 1:00pm
Olly Murs – Marry Me Tour at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster
Warning Tongue Lane, Doncaster, DN4 6TBDate & Time:
August 26th, 2023 4:00pmYou can view the full range of events in Doncaster at our dedicated page here.
Pictures from Doncaster
Doncaster on the Map
Doncaster is between Sheffield and Hull, closer to the former than the latter, and both Sheffield and Doncaster are the biggest settlements in South Yorkshire.
About Doncaster
Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire.
Situated near the River Don, Doncaster Minster has a tall tower, stained-glass windows and a Schulze organ, plus a Roman wall on its grounds.
Doncaster Market has hundreds of indoor and outdoor stands and stalls, including the Corn Exchange, a grand Victorian shopping center.
Exhibits at the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery include a 1914 Cheswold car.
It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster and the second largest in South Yorkshire after Sheffield.
The town has a population of just short of 110,000 and the metropolitan borough has over 311,000 residents.
Notable People from Doncaster
Notable people from Doncaster include the following list:
- Yungblud – singer, songwriter and musician.
- Jeremy Clarkson – famous for being the former presenter of Top Gear and face of the show The Grand Tour.
- Louis Tomlinson – former member of the band One Direction, currently a solo artist.
- Kevin Keegan – football manager and former player.
- Emma Chambers – actress, famous for her role of Alice Horton in The Vicar of Dibley and Honey Thacker in Notting Hill.
- Sarah Stevenson – 2011 world champion of Taekwondo.
- James Toseland – a former motocyclist, currently vocalist in a band with his own name.
- Thomas Howes – famous for playing the role of William Mason in the British TV series Downton Abbey.
- Roy Clarke – a writer, famous for his Last of the Summer Wine and Keeping Up Appearances.
- Diana Rigg – actress
- John McLaughlin – guitarist and frontman of Mahavishnu Orchestra
- Tan France – one of the hosts of Queer Eye.
- Andrew White – presenter and producer of Walks Around Britain and writer of The Walker Mysteries novels.
- Danny Schofield – a professional football coach and a former player.
Doncaster FAQ’s
What is Doncaster famous for?
Doncaster is famous for horse racing. Doncaster is one of the oldest racecourses in the world. It hosts two famous horse races: The Doncaster Cup, which is the oldest horse race in the world, and the St Leger Stakes, which is the oldest classic horse race in the world.
Is Doncaster the largest town in England?
Doncaster used to be a large town, but now has city status.
Is Doncaster owned by Scotland?
Doncaster was given to Scotland during the 12th century (The Treaty of Durham). It was never officially reclaimed by England, making the area legally still part of Scotland.