Balby is a suburb of
DoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
located to the south-west of the borough in the north of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is home to the former secondary school, now sports college
Balby CarrBalby Carr Community Sports College , colloquially known as Balby Carr, is a secondary school for students aged 11-18 located in the Balby area of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.- History :...
. The area of Balby stretches south of the town centre from the Balby Bridge area to Loversall, a small village bordering the new Woodfield Plantation residential development which is still expanding eastwards towards the Lakeside Village retail park. The area has a mixture of housing that has developed in accordance with growth patterns of other similar sized towns, with Victorian terraced housing nearer to the town centre and post-war built suburbs. The range of housing stock available means that there is a wide disparity in the socio-economic profile of the area with pockets of relative affluence of the newer suburbs seemingly juxtaposed with poorer areas, often social housing. Much of this social housing consisted of
council houseA council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
s, some of which has been subsequently sold off to become owner occupied under the Conservative Government's "Right to Buy" policy of the 1980s.
The socio-economic profile of the area is said to be one of "developing working class" which is characterised by two-thirds of people being owner occupier of a two/three bedroom house with children who have left the family home or are still at school. Car ownership is relatively high and nearly 1 in 5 residents is aged between 20 to 35 years old. This may explain why crime was well above the national average, apart from robbery which was slightly less in comparison. Council tax for nearly all bands was above the national average. In this regard it can be compared to urban areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and neighbouring Rotherham.
Potteric Carr Nature ReservePotteric Carr Nature Reserve is a nature reserve at Potteric Carr, south of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as their flagship - and largest - reserve....
is in Balby.
History
The history of Balby dates back over 900 years with the first known record being in the
Domesday BookDomesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
with recorded names '
Ballesbi ' and '
Ballebi Balby is most probably named after someone of
NorseNorsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
origin, who settled there during the
VikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
period of the late 8th century to 11th century, who was called Bal. The name
Ballesbi is derived from the Norse Bal (being the person)
By meaning village and
S denoting that the village belonged to him.
Balby (which then included
WarmsworthWarmsworth is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 3,855. The main route to Warmsworth is the A1 and the A630. The River Don also runs next to Warmsworth, as well as a train line from Doncaster to Sheffield...
), was home to several of the early followers of the Quaker religion in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, including
Thomas Aldham-Founder:Nothing is known of Aldham's parentage. He farmed successfully at Warmsworth, near Doncaster. In 1644, he married Mary Killam , whom her son Thomas described as "a Woman that truly feared God, and served him in her Day and Generation." Aldham's son William was instrumental in opening the...
, whose son William was instrumental in opening the first permanent meeting house in the area, in Quaker Lane, Warmsworth. Balby has long been associated, along with other areas of
DoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, with having a large Quaker community.
More recently, the suburban town was a centre for
steelSteel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and brass manufacture, especially at the well known Pegler's Brass Foundry and Bridon Ropery. In the early 20th century,
St Catherine's HospitalSt Catherine's Hospital is a mental healthcare hospital located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, approximately 3 miles from its centre.There are 23 beds for inpatients in the hospital ward with Specialist Education and Day Centres...
was built in the south of Balby, near to the site of St. Catherines Well, an ancient site of healing and pilgrimage. It is now a hospital estate.
Education
Balby Carr Community Sports and Science College is the only secondary school in the Balby area.
Future improvements
Balby is currently in the process of several redevelopment initiatives such as the construction of a new
retail parkIn the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
and the expansion of its residential area in the form of the 'Woodfield Plantation', the latter also prospectively creating a major link road from the east side of Balby to the Doncaster Lakeside and stadium areas although the final link is yet to be completed. A new public house called the Maple Tree has now opened on the site to the west of the new
TescoTesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
.
Popular culture
The external scenes for the BBC comedy
Open All HoursOpen All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke which ran for four series a first run in 1976, a second run in 1981, third in 1982 and finally with a fourth run in 1985, with a pilot episode from the Seven of One series in 1973...
were set and filmed on Lister Avenue, Balby. The shop which served as Arkwright's grocery store was, and still is, a hairdresser which was converted for the duration of filming.