The
Unofficial Website
Worksop
Gateway to the Dukeries
Worksop Priory
Worksop has existed since at least Saxon times: the name means fortified hill so it is likely to have been a wooden fort from which the local law was administered. It is mentioned in the Domesday book:-
"In Werchesope, (Worksop) Elsi (son of Caschin) had three carucates of land to be taxed. Land to eight ploughs. Roger has one plough in the demesne there, and twenty-two sokemen who hold twelve oxgangs of this land, and twenty-four villanes and eight bordars having twenty-two ploughs, and seven acres of meadow. Wood pasture two miles long, and three quarentens broad."
At one time there were two settlements – Radford and Worksop but these seem to have merged into one.
After the Norman Conquest, William de Lovetot established a castle and Augustinian priory at Worksop about 1103 at Radford. Worksop subsequently became an important market town. From 1777 after the Chesterfield Canal which passed through Worksop was built there was some industrialisation. The arrival of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1849 increased the pace of industrialisation and also established Worksop as a tourist centre as people arrived by train to start the popular tours of the Dukeries. Mining also became an important industry but this is now gone. People I have spoken to seem to think that Worksop is a town in the middle of a great decline – they should see the centre of Rotherham.
I have passed through Worksop many, many times, usually on my way to Clumber Park. Whilst much of the town is industrialised or given over to dormitory estates there are some nice areas and posh housing that I've admired. Crikey I've even stopped there a couple of times though for what reasons I no longer remember. However for the purposes of this pages I cast a tourist's eye, even a Bill Bryson eye over Worksop and this is what I have found.
Bridge Street & Bridge Place used to be the thoroughfares for traffic passing through Worksop. They are now pedestrianised and form Worksop's main shopping area. Amongst the cloned shops you can find interesting street furniture, heraldic crests created from coloured stone and paving mazes of a lion and a unicorn. There is still a market held here every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Worksop has also managed to keep some of its historic buildings. The Old Ship Inn dates from Tudor times probably late 15th or early 16th century. Although renovated many times it still maintains much of its original character. There is also the Lion Hotel which was a Georgian coaching inn and the French Horn which, although Edwardian, is notable for its architectural features. Funny these are all pubs! Then there is the Priory Church and Gatehouse, St Anns Church and Dunstan House built in 1745. There is a smashing park, though the river Ryton which runs through it could do with a mass clean-up. Damage and debris from the June 2007 floods is still hanging about. In fact the only real downer I could find as a visitor was the traffic, busy at times, horrendous when the schools kicked out. There seems to be plenty of parking; some short term is free but it only costs £2.40 per DAY (2008) in the car park by the library.
Places to Visit in Worksop
Castle Hill
Castle Hill is an earthwork motte and bailey fortress, founded by de Busli family early in the 12th century. Later in the 12th century, William de Lovetot may have founded a stone castle on the mound nothing is known for certain about this. A wide ditch cuts off a promontory, to make a large flat platform and a steep slope formed by the valley of the River Ryton, gives defence to the north. It is probable that a castle in this spot had little use or value, or it was destroyed in some Mediaeval war or other and not rebuilt. Now don't rush there as there is very little to see other than a hill with a few trees.
Mr Straw's House
The National Trust bought the modest Edwardian semi-detached house some years ago as the interior had not been substantially altered since the house was built. It provided an interesting insight into life in the early 20th Century (before central heating, fitted kitchens and double glazing) with contemporary wallpaper, old household objects including original cans and boxes and Victorian furniture. There are also displays of period costumes, other family memorabilia and outside there is a typical suburban garden of the Edwardian period.
The Dukeries
The area around Worksop is called the Dukeries because at one time five dukes had their country seats in the area. This became a popular tour in Victorian times but you can still do some of today but I don't think there are any organised trips. The dukes in question were:-
- Duke of Newcastle at Clumber Park. Only the park is left: the house was destroyed.
- Duke of Portland at Welbeck. Welbeck Abbey was used by the British Army as a sixth-form college from the 1950s to 2005. The family reside at Welbeck Woodhouse which is private.
- Duke of Kingston at Thoresby. Thoresby Hall is now owned by Warner Leisure and it a luxury hotel and spa.
- Duke of Norfolk at Worksop Manor. Later sold to the Duke of Newcastle who demolished the house. Only the servants' wing remains.
- Duke of Leeds at Kiveton Park. Neither house nor park now exist.
The Pilgrim Fathers' Story & Worksop Museum
The Museum contains the history of the town of Worksop with an exhibition about the Pilgrim Fathers, many of whom came from this area of England.