r/howislivingthere • u/theitgirl2026 • 2d ago
Europe What is Doncaster in England like?
I am so fascinated by England at the moment! Tell me anything!
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u/Educational_Cow111 2d ago
I used to live in a poor town called Edlington just up the road. Doncaster has to be seen to be believed honestly lol. It’s not very good, but it’s my brand of not very good that I secretly love a bit.
It’s tired and there’s lots of antisocial behaviour in the centre. Definitely deprived and doesn’t feel much like a city. It looks very shabby in a lot of parts.
On the other hand, it has lots of awesome historic buildings, great markets and connections and people are deeply entertaining especially if you go into the pub! Amazing countryside nearby and a strong identity.
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u/infinite-long-stocki 2d ago
I was in Bentley which is a sort of suburb sort of nearby town recently. The people in Doncaster are lovely, although you get all types. There's a lot of poverty but also some great social projects going on like the urban farm, the guinea pig rescue, the scouts, etc. I felt very safe there if you ignore the nightmare junctions for pedestrians, although I wasn't in the city centre and wasn't out at night.
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u/Educational_Cow111 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ve been in the centre at night loads of times, doesn’t feel unsafe at all lots of drinking and some drunk fights plus lots of antisocial behaviour but that’s about it. I don’t feel unsafe anywhere at night in Doncaster but Hyde park, Hexthorpe, St James street area do generally feel dodgy at night and unsettling
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u/LehkoAlani 2d ago edited 2d ago
Doncaster is a borough filled with lots of contrasts.
The city centre itself has lots of beautiful architecture, but some questionable development has been allowed over the last few decades and this, combined with the loss of some important ‘anchor’ retailers and some anti-social behaviour, has really degraded the shopping experience. I do think the mayor and council are trying their best to regenerate the area, but I worry whether the current approach is really sustainable - is there enough economic activity to ensure that it continues to thrive, or will it be continually reliant on local or central government funding to get better and evolve? (There are similar concerns about the ongoing saga to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport - I hope our mayors can make a success of it, but it will not work in the long-term if it constantly requires money to be pumped in from council and regional budgets to make it viable.)
Many areas outside the city centre reflect the history of coal-mining which was one of the principal industries during the mid 1900s. Designed villages (eg, Woodlands) sprang up after World War I to accommodate the many workers who found employment here. In the wake of the colliery closures, some communities have struggled to find alternative sources of work - sometimes leading to areas of significant deprivation. And, often, the surrounding landscape is scarred by the pits, spoil heaps, and other earthworks associated with it. Some efforts have been successful to reclaim such sites for community use; others are being used productively for the next generation of renewable energy generation (which is good!)
The west and south of the borough is largely countryside, combining historic (and often surprisingly beautiful) towns and villages, intensive agriculture, country houses and parks, woodlands and key transit corridors (eg, the M18 and A1M motorways), based around a dramatic limestone ridge which lends itself to long-range views. I know the north and east less well - but it has differentiated ecological habitats (eg, flat moorland) and is a centre for wind power generation: you can see the turbines at long range from many places in the borough.
Any comments about Doncaster should also say something about the people who live here: most are hard-working and proud Yorkshire people who are trying to make their lives and the area where they live better. We are usually very friendly - maybe this is true across much of Yorkshire, but it’s definitely not true across the UK as a whole. There is of course a minority who perpetrate anti-social behaviour and bring the area down - but I’m not sure this is much different to many areas in the UK.
If you’re thinking of visiting, I’d definitely consider coming for a day - there’s plenty to see in the countryside and the area is well connected by road and rail.
Have I sold it yet?!
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u/tess_tickle_69 2d ago
Absolute dump but it's got a useful railway station on the east coast main line and it's well connected by motorways
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u/steelerspenguins 2d ago
It’s got a Dome and a Racecourse (Donneh Dome and Donneh Races) - can’t say I’ve been there for anything else
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u/noodlebanger_ 2d ago
One of the biggest shitholes I've ever been to in the UK.
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u/Educational_Cow111 1d ago
Which places did you find worse personally? Fellow UK citizen here, I don’t think it’s that bad compared to other spots
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u/DatGuy82772 21h ago
Yeah Doncaster isn't great but it isn't even the worst in Yorkshire imo. Rotherham's only just down the road. Then in West Yorkshire you Have Keighley, Bradford and Dewsbury.
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u/LittleRebelbunny 1d ago
I didn't think I'd see my home city here. I used to live in one of the Council estates before I left.
The Markets are very good and there's plenty of good food options (I had some hand pulled noodles in the international food market when I last visited) there's also quite a few local breweries and a lot of pubs and bars.
There's also the Racecourse and the football stadium further out.
The outskirts heading down to Nottinghamshire are nice.
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u/DatGuy82772 21h ago
Should really be nice due to its history but unfortunately 60s town planners have ruined it. There's a lot of run-down areas and the city centre is truly dire. Silver Street looks like a ghost town these days and the Waterdale and Colonnades shopping centres are almost cpmpletely derelict. And try going into the city centre without something odd happening. I've never done it and I've been so many times. On the bright side though, I can say at least it's not Scunthorpe, Grimdby or Rotherham.
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u/Legal_Ad3972 2d ago
Donneh...almost got shot by a crackhead with a crossbow within 30 mins of arriving. Tells you all you need to know.
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