8 things you might not know about Doncaster
From polar bears to toilet inventors... we have it all!
Last updated 13th Aug 2021
Doncaster is a wonderful place; you don’t have to tell us twice! There are many reasons to be proud of the South Yorkshire town.
Grab a brew and we will tell you a handful of interesting facts about the area that has brought you the Flying Scotsman and Paddington Bear, just to name a few!
We're the only place in England you can see Polar Bears!
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is still the only place in England where you can see Polar Bears. People flock from all over the UK to see these incredible animals.
We're an Oscar winning location
The Oscar-winning film Darkest Hour was part filmed near Doncaster. The scene where Churchill meets the King in his Downing Street bedroom was actually Brodsworth House.
We're also home to the world's oldest horse race
The oldest regulated horse race in the world stems from Doncaster! The Doncaster Cup was run for the first time in 1766 after the racing track was established 150 years earlier.
We have our fair share of famous faces from South Yorkshire
Louis Tomlinson is Doncaster's most famous export, but Jeremy Clarkson comes a close second. Best-known for presenting Top Gear from October 2002 to March 2015 and now enjoying his time on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
It's not just famous faces... Famous trains too!
The most famous train in the world, Flying Scotsman was built in Doncaster in 1923. It was last restored in 2016 costing £4.5million.
An unlikely duo... Jeremy Clarkson & Paddington Bear
Jeremy Clarkson's parents made him a Paddington Bear when he was 13 in a factory known as the Bear Garden in Doncaster. The eventually formed a great relationship with Paddington creator Michael Bond and ended up selling the bears around the world.
We invented the modern flushing toilet!
Thomas Crapper, the man behind the modern flushing toilet was born in Doncaster. Thanks Crapper! Maybe this should have been picture number 1...
We have the only split-level ice rink in the UK!
Doncaster's leisure centre is home to the first and only split-level ice rink in the UK. Also did you know that Princess Diana opened the Dome in 1989.