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Askern
Askern
Town and civil parish
	Askern Spa Pool
	Askern Location within South Yorkshire
Area	1.33 sq mi (3.4 km2)
Population	5,570 (2011 census)
• Density	4,188/sq mi (1,617/km2)
OS grid reference	SE5513
Civil parish	Askern;
Metropolitan borough	City of Doncaster;
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire;
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DONCASTER
Postcode district	DN6
Dialling code	01302
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Doncaster North;
	List of places UK England Yorkshire 53°37′00″N 1°09′00″W / 53.6167°N 1.15°W

Askern (/ˈæskərn/) is a town and civil parish within the City of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is on the A19 road between Doncaster and Selby. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it had a population of 5,570 at the 2011 Census.^[1] Askern was also known in for its Greyhound Stadium, which closed in 2022.

History

The town's name derives from the Old English askr-ærn meaning 'building made of ash' or 'building surrounded by ash trees'.^[2] Historically in the parish of Campsall, the town lies 9 miles (14 km) south of Pontefract, and 7 miles (11 km) north of Doncaster.^[3] Up until the middle of the 19th century, the town was in the wapentake of Osgoldcross in the West Riding of Yorkshire.^[4]

The history of Askern can be traced back to the reign of Edward III. The people of Norton complained to the Sheriff of Osgoldcross that the people of Askern had failed to keep part of Askern Pool in a clean state. As a result, the King's highway had been "overflowed and drowned so that neither horse nor foot passengers could use it".^[5]

The parish church of St Peter's dates back to 1852.^[6]

Spa

In the 19th century, Askern was a popular spa resort. The sulphurous nature of Askern Lake had long been recognised, and the first bathing house opened in 1786. In the 1820s and 1830s several hotels opened in the village, turning it into a small spa town. Visitor numbers increased when the railway station opened in 1848. By the 20th century the resort's popularity had declined, and the coming of coal mining permanenty changed the character of the town. The last bathhouse was demolished in the 1960s.^[7]

Coal mining

Then in the early years of the 20th century the quest for coal identified a good seam of coal near Askern. It was decided to access the coal from a mine built above the village, in 1911. As the mine opened the new houses were built for the workers and their families in the village.^[8] The pit was closed in 1991 due to a low in the price of coal, and the surface buildings were demolished in 1993.^[9]^[10]

Railway

Askern is on the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway line between Doncaster and Wakefield Kirkgate, though Askern railway station closed in 1947.^[11]^[12] The line is used mainly by goods services, as well as the four-times daily Grand Central passenger services from Bradford Interchange to London King's Cross.^[13] There have been proposals to re-open Askern railway station to passenger trains.^[14]

Bus services

Askern is served by bus service 51 to Doncaster, Carcroft, Skellow and Norton.^[15] There are also two school bus services from the town.

References

^ ^a ^b UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Askern Parish (E04000059)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
^ Lankester 1842, p. 1.
^ Smith, Albert Hugh (1986) [1961]. The place-names of the West Riding of Yorkshire II: Osgoldcross and Agbrigg Wapentakes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 44. OCLC 615109017.
^ Lankester 1842, p. 3.
^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2003) [1959]. Yorkshire: the West Riding. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 85. ISBN 0-300-09662-3.
^ Fordham, Dave. "Discovering five bath houses of Askern Spa, to rival Harrogate's waters". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
^ "Nostalgia on Tuesday: Village of change". The Yorkshire Post. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ "Askern Main Colliery". nmrs.org.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ Whetstone, David (5 April 2022). "Exhibition pays tribute to long-gone mining community". The Newcastle Journal. p. 16. ISSN 0307-3645.
^ Body, Geoffrey (1985). Railways of the Eastern Region. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. p. 154. ISBN 0850597129.
^ Burgess, Neil (2014). The lost railways of Yorkshire's West Riding: the central section Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield. Catrine: Stenlake Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781840336573.
^ Waugh, Rob (30 November 2022). "Plans to re-open Don Valley Line and Askern Line in Yorkshire and restore passenger trains". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ "Campaign to restore rail station is on track". The Yorkshire Post. 21 January 2023. p. 21. ISSN 0963-1496.
^ "51 - Doncaster - Norton". bustimes.org. Retrieved 16 January 2023.