Skellow

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Skellow
Skellow shown within South Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough	Doncaster
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DONCASTER
Postcode district	DN6
Dialling code	01302
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°35′N 1°11′W / 53.58, -1.19

Skellow is a village in South Yorkshire. The village is roughly 6 miles north north west of Doncaster. To the north and south is mixed farmland, the A1 runs immediately along the western edge of the village, and to the east Skellow merges with the adjacent village of Carcroft.

The village derives its name from the river Skell which flows from the nearby village of Skelbrooke, through the locally named 'Five Lanes End' area of Skellow where it joins the river Eebek, a tributary of the river Don. During the English Civil War Cromwell placed a cannon battery here to protect the Great North Road. The mounds for the cannon still remain and the surrounding area of cottages and 15th century inn^{[citation needed]} (now known as 'The Bridge House') remain to this day. Today most of the western half of Skellow is occupied by a patchwork of late 20th century housing estates.

On the east bank of the Skell lies old Skellow, a cluster of older houses facing Skellow Hall. The hall was originally built in 1642 and is now in use as a residential care home for the elderly^[1]

Further east is a sizeable former council housing estate which is in a generally good state of repair, and a good example of the coal mining related social housing developments typical of South Yorkshire in the early to mid-20th century. This area is the heart of the village, containing most of the local amenities including various shops and the local primary school. Several local clubs exist on the sites of former Working Men's Clubs, and the area has an active local nightlife including live music events.

Coal mining in the area ceased in the 1980s but some remnants from the industry are visible in the area, including winding wheel relics at Bullcroft. Demographic evidence of the former mining community is also evident in both higher than average levels of unemployment, and a strong sense of community with residents knowing their neighbours and those that live around them.

Skellow is well served for open public spaces, with a range of small and medium sized parks scattered through both the modern housing estates to the west and the older former council estates which border Carcroft.

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