GranthamGrantham (ˈɡrænθəm) is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some south of Lincoln and east of Nottingham. The population in 2016 was put at 44,580. The town is the largest settlement and the administrative centre of South Kesteven District. Grantham was the birthplace of the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Isaac Newton was educated at the King's School.
LoughboroughLoughborough (ˈlʌfbərə ) is a market town and unparished area in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932, the second largest in the county after Leicester. It is close to the Nottinghamshire border and short distances from Leicester, Nottingham, East Midlands Airport and Derby.
MansfieldMansfield ˈmænsfiːld is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city of Nottingham). It gained the Royal Charter of a market town in 1227. The town lies in the Maun Valley, north of Nottingham. It had a population of 110,500 at the 2021 census, according to the Office for National Statistics.
DerbyDerby (ˈdɑrbi ) is a city and unitary authority area on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. The county is named after Derby, which was its original county town. As a unitary authority, Derby is administratively independent from Derbyshire County Council. The city's population was 261,400 in 2021. The Romans established the town of Derventio, which was later captured by the Anglo-Saxons and then by the Vikings who made Djúra-bý one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw.
Southwell MinsterSouthwell Minster (ˈsʌðəl,ˈsaʊθwəl,-wɛl) is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. It is a grade I listed building. Much of the main fabric is Romanesque ("Norman" in traditional English terminology) but the Minster is most famous for the Gothic chapter house, begun in 1288, with carved capitals representing different species of plants.
West BridgfordWest Bridgford (ˈbrɪdʒfərd) is a town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Rushcliffe in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of Nottingham, east of Wilford, north of Ruddington and west of Radcliffe-on-Trent. It is southwest of Colwick and southeast of Beeston which are on the opposite bank of the River Trent. The town is part of the Nottingham Urban Area and had a population of 48,225 in a 2018-estimate. West Bridgford was founded between 919 and 924 when defences and houses were built at the south end of Trent Bridge.
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its southern terminus at London King's Cross station and via , , , , and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broadly parallel to the A1 road. The main line acts as a 'spine' for several diverging branches, serving destinations such as Cambridge, , , and , all with direct services to London. In addition, a few ECML services extend beyond Edinburgh to serve , although the principal London-Glasgow route is the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
LincolnshireLincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a ceremonial county straddling the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It borders the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to the north, the North Sea to the east, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland to the south, and Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire to the west. The county town is Lincoln and the county is comprised of the Grimsby county borough, Holland, Kesteven, Lincoln county borough and Lindsey.
RetfordRetford (ˈrɛtfʊd), also known as East Retford, is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England, and one of the oldest English market towns having been granted its first charter in 1105. It lies on the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal passes through its centre. Retford is east of Sheffield, west of Lincoln and north-east of Nottingham. The population at the 2021 census was 23,740. In 1878 an Act of Parliament extended the borough of East Retford to include the village of Ordsall, West Retford and part of the parish of Clarborough.
LeicesterLeicester (ˈlɛstər ) is a city, unitary authority area, unparished area and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands. Its population was 368,600 in 2021, increased by 38,800 ( 11.8%) from around 329,800 in 2011. The greater Leicester urban area had a population of 559,017 in 2021, making it the 11th most populous in England, and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom.
