VISIT BRIGG BY TRAIN GUIDE.
| The Northern Railway service starts at Sheffield Midland Station, and calls at Worksop, Retford Low Level, Gainsborough Central and Kirton-in-Lindsey, before calling at Brigg, enroute to Cleethorpes. |
The Freeman of Brigg recommends Thursday as being of particular interest as this is market day in when stalls trade within the town centre.
Visitors arriving on the morning train from Sheffield have 2 hours 42 minutes to spend in Brigg before their return journey.
They arrive in Brigg (platform 1) at 11.08am and depart from platform 2 at 13.49 pm.
Connecting trains make it possible to visit Brigg (Monday to Friday) from various places in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, as well as via the East Coast Mainline via Retford.
Brigg station (opened in 1848) was originally located on the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway mainline. The Brigg Line had no problem avoiding Dr Beeching's raft of closures in the 1960s, but the station's roof was removed and the fine range of Victorian buildings, including ornate booking hall, subsequently demolished following the introduction of PayTrains by British Rail 50+ years ago.
Brigg Railway Station 1972 © M.A.King
Apart from the platforms which survive in truncated form, the 19th century cast-iron footbridge was the last feature to go, being taken down in 2015 and moved to a heritage line for intended refurbishment and re-use. Today there is a metal and glass shelter on each platform - No. 2 being reached by a modern steps-only footbridge. Please note that a lift or ramps have NOT been provided by Network Rail.
Sadly, there are no information points or real-time information displays at the station, despite a request from the Independent Brigg Line Rail Group to the train operator to provide such.
The once extensive goods sidings adjoining the station were removed decades ago, together with brick-built coal drops (demolished in the 1990s). Plans have been drawn up to provide new housing on what is currently unused land, Station Road, and the land Infront of Brigg railway station belong to North Lincolnshire Council.
Passengers alighting on platform 1 will find it very easy to locate Brigg town centre via nearby Station Road. When this ends, use the zebra crossing and head down Queen Street (adjoining the Nisa convenience store and the former Post Office, now a parcels depot).
You will see the Wetherspoon's White Horse pub/restaurant. In front (on the paved area) is a very useful visitors' guide to Brigg. This illustrated board indicates the location of features of note.
Most of Brigg town centre is pedestrianised, to benefit local shoppers and visitors.
Brigg is very well-served by niche shops and also has a number of national retailers including Tesco, B&M, Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons (convenience type), Boots, Boyes and Poundland.
There's also an extensive range of pubs, bars, eateries and takeaways, plus historic buildings to admire and an impressive Heritage Centre (admission free).
Brigg is often described as being The Gateway to the Lincolnshire Wolds - an extensive range of limestone/chalk hills which can be viewed in the distance, just a few miles from the town. The railway station's footbridge provides a good vantage point for this. RAF Elsham Wold - four miles from Brigg - was a WW2 bomber base.
Brigg is located approximately 20 miles from Hull, Grimsby and Lincoln. Eight miles away is Scunthorpe - still a major steelmaking town.
THURSDAY MARKET: Brigg gained its coveted royal market charter in the early 13th century. The Thursday market includes a range of stalls and trailers.
PUBS & BARS (listed in order of proximity to the railway station):
The Britannia Inn, has now reopened on Wrawby Street (near the Monument war memorial roundabout). There is also a rear entrance through an archway off Bigby Street.
White Horse (Wetherspoon's) and Black Bull (both on Wrawby Street); Dog House (access from Wrawby Street via a brick archway adjoining No 57 or from Bigby Street alongside the Exchange building); Dying Gladiator, Bigby Street; Lord Nelson, Vault Bar.
The Hop Inn (real ale bottle shop and bar) has extended its premises into an adjoining shop meaning more seating for customers, and the Woolpack (all in the Market Place); Yarborough Hunt, Bridge Street (100 yards beyond the County Bridge). All these hostelries have beer gardens.
The Yarborough Hunt stocks a wide range of real ales. Extensively refurbished, the White Hart pub (adjoining the County Bridge) is now available for exclusive hire to groups and families wishing to stay in Brigg for weekends or longer periods by arrangement with the operators.
WHERE TO EAT: The White Horse and the Lord Nelson offer a wide range of meals, pre-booking not required. Brigg town centre has two fish & chip takeaways which also boast eat-in restaurants - Scalinis, on Wrawby Street (near the Buttercross clock tower) and the Hungry Fisherman, Coney Court (access from Market Place via a brick archway). Lascita is an Italian restaurant on Wrawby Street which opened in October 2023. Shipleys CuriosiTeas tea shop is on the corner of Cross Street and Wrawby Street.
The Deli & Diner, at 13 Wrawby Street is always a popular stopping point for visitors, it offers a range of meals and snacks and is housed in the former Butchers Arms pub which, decades ago, provided board and lodging to scores of anglers who came by train from Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire to fish Brigg's Old River Ancholme. Costa Coffee has an outlet on Wrawby Street,
Meals can be enjoyed at the nearby Loft restaurant (above the Grandad's Shed shop).
The Little Italy restaurant is located in a courtyard accessed from Wrawby Street. The Market Place offers the Cafe Courtyard (on the ground floor of the Angel building). The Pantry restaurant, on Springs Parade, is next to the Woolpack, with the Yellowbelly Pizza restaurant also being located within the Market Place.
The China Royal restaurant/takeaway on Bridge Street is opposite the Yarborough Hunt. Outlets selling takeaway sandwiches, pies and cakes include Cooplands, Wrawby Street, and Dunhams (opposite the Yarborough Hunt). Snacks are also available from Spelmans, a butcher's on Old Courts Road, facing the town's main car park.
ESTABLISHMENTS OFFERING DISCOUNTS TO VISITORS COMING TO BRIGG BY TRAIN.
The following establishments will offer you a discount on the receipt of showing your valid rail ticket to Brigg or railway ID.
The Hop Inn, Micro Brewery. 5% discount on purchases between 12pm- 2pm FRIDAY only.
BRIGG HERITAGE CENTRE: This is highly recommended and is located on the first floor of the Angel building (access by stairs or lift). It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 10am. The centre-piece is a prehistoric boat excavated in Brigg, and various exhibitions are mounted. Admission is free - donations welcome. Find out more at https://www.briggheritage.org/
Brigg is located in a very productive agricultural area. Tesco's store was built in 1999 on the site of the former Stockmarket where cattle and sheep had been bought and sold. A Thursday market for local produce, including eggs and potatoes, was held adjoining the railway station until a few years ago (the metal 'auction shed' still stands next to the railway station). Rabbit fur processing for the clothing trade was carried out on Coney Court until the mid-19th century (Coney being an Old English name for rabbits).
Spring's riverside jam factory was a major employer into the late 1970s. The large terracotta Spring's Delights sign from the top of the main building (now demolished) was subsequently incorporated into the brickwork on the side of what is now the B&M store and can still be viewed from the riverside towpath about 100 yards beyond the County Bridge. Springs famously provided horseradish sauce for Queen Victoria's household to accompany royal roasts.
The company's lemon curd was made from local Lincolnshire eggs. However, oranges for the firm's marmalade came all the way from Spain in railway wagons which were unloaded from sidings behind Brigg station. Today's row of shops on Springs Parade (off the Market Place) was created in the early 1980s from former jam factory warehousing.
NICHE SHOPS: The Rabbit Hole Book Shop is located near the Buttercross clock tower in the Market Place and offer a wide selection, as does the Oxfam Book Shop, on Wrawby Street (railway books always being stocked). Brians DIY, a traditional hardware store on Wrawby Street (near Wetherspoon's) is well worth a visit for four candles or even fork handles, also having a cycling section and a seasonal Christmas store.
The Kennedi Boutique occupies large premises on Wrawby Street. Arts and crafts are available from Pastimes, in the Market Place. Family-run Wallheads, on the corner of Cross Street and Wrawby Street, has been providing quality clothing since 1897. Located nearby, Jaylaurs is a haberdashery. Craftsman goldsmith Guy Whitney has an outlet in the Market Place, where the interesting Wool Shop is well worth a look.
Honeybee, on Wrawby Street, stocks a wide range of gifts. The sizeable Thomas Bell Country Store is about 10 minutes' walk from the railway station. At the end of the approach road near the British Rail sign, turn right along Albert Street onto Bigby Road. The store is alongside the railway line near the barrier crossing and signal box.
Brigg Garden Centre, beside the A1084, is half a mile from here along Bigby High Road beyond the railway crossing, on the edge of town. This huge retail complex has various shops and a restaurant. It is a half-hour walk from the railway station.
BUILDINGS OF NOTE TO ADMIRE: Brigg's entire town centre is a Conservation Area and many of its buildings are grade two listed. The handsome Exchange, on Bigby Street, dates back to 1760 and is grade two * (star). Now a hospitality complex, its former uses include education, a private club for well-to-do gentlemen and a hotel once used by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The landmark Buttercross, in the Market Place, dates back to 1817 and has a distinctive clock tower. Located close by, St John's Church is early Victorian and built in the Gothic style. A few yards away, on Bigby Street, is the Dying Gladiator pub - the only hostelry to carry this name in the UK. The unique sculpture above its main entrance was fashioned by a mid-19th century landlord and builder who had toured Italy and The Vatican, being influenced by historic works he saw. About five minutes walk from the town centre, the oldest part of Sir John Nelthorpe School (facing Grammar School Road) is grade one listed, dating back to 1681 when the town's first seat of learning (grammar school) opened its doors to scholars. Extensions were added in 1878 and can be viewed from Grammar School Road. The landmark Angel building in the Market Place (complete with gold-coloured sculpture) can trace its originss back to the 17th century when it was a coaching inn on the route to London. The current black & white mock-Tudor/arts & crafts frontage was added in 1898. The Angel ceased to be a hotel more than 30 years ago and was converted to local authority use. Today it houses the town's library and community hub on the ground floor.
THE RIVER ANCHOLME: Brigg developed from the 11th century as a trading centre because the (then still tidal) river could be forded close to what is now the Market Place. The current grade two listed County Bridge (early 19th century) is the third to stand here. The River Ancholme runs north to connect with the mighty Humber at South Ferriby, and passenger-carrying 'packets' and cargo boats used to run regularly to and from Hull. Commercial barges plied this route until the early 1970s. Today the river is used purely for leisure. Angling remains very popular, and pike continue to be landed, notably on the stretch near the town centre. A new Ancholme Valley Way footpath and cycle way has been added, running from the County Bridge in Brigg, and this will eventually continue all the way to South Ferriby. Visitors to Brigg will find a good range of riverside public seating available to them. Look out for nteresting wildlife on and near the river, including swans, kingfishers and herons. A few hundred yards north from the County Bridge, the Old River Ancholme (a surviving meander) connects with the New River (a 17th century canal 'straight cut' dug to improve drainage) near the headquarters of Glanford Boat Club, where many impressive pleasure craft are moored. Every Spring and Autumn, people go to watch large cranes lifting them in and out of the water.
On the edge of Brigg town centre is a short and locally recommended all-year-round walk that visitors by train can enjoy in fine weather.
From the Market Place, cross the County Bridge by using the left-hand walkway. Continue 100m along Bridge Street, as far as the China Royal restaurant, and turn left into Manley Gardens. Continue along his quiet cul-de-sac until you see the large and impressive angling pond on your right. The scenery, mature trees and varied wildlife can be enjoyed on two sides of the water. Pause to eat sandwiches or a snack bought earlier in Brigg or bring a packed lunch with you on the train.
OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO VISITORS WITH CHILDREN: FunForest is a children's indoor adventure play area, located on Europa Way, off Atherton Way, at DN20 8UN (admission charges apply). Free-to-use children's play areas, with a range of equipment, are provided on Atherton Way (opposite the Lidl store) and on Bigby Road (facing the town's signal box and barrier crossing). The Bigby Road play area is a haven for butterflies during the summer. Takeaway food purchased in Brigg, or picnics you've brought with you, can be enjoyed near the river on seating at the Millennium Green (access from the Market Place along Elwes Street) where a range of free-to-use personal gym equipment has been installed.
WHERE TO GO: Public conveniences are located on Cary Lane, which adjoins the Market Place, and at East Park, on Wrawby Street, next to the Monument war memorial roundabout. There are also WCs in the Tesco store and the Angel building, as well as all licensed premises and most eateries.
FAMOUS BRIGG LINKS: Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, twice visited the town. View the ornate plaque she unveiled at the Buttercross, and the ornamental pear tree she planted by the riverside near the County Bridge. Prince Charles (now King Charles III) was greeted by Brigg town centre crowds in 1985 during a Market Place walkabout, and later met local business leaders aboard the Royal Train located for some hours in the railway station. Queen Elizabeth II came to Brigg during her Silver Jubilee year in 1977, watching a pageant staged in her honour at the Recreation Ground, and being accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The late Dame Joan Plowright (Lady Olivier), the award-winning stage and screen actress, was born in Brigg. Educated in the town were Guy Martin, the motor-cycle racer/mechanic and now TV presenter, and journalist David Yelland who went on to become editor of national newspaper The Sun. Guy still lives locally. Brigg Town Football Club, founded in 1864, is the seventh oldest in the world. Its ground, located off Wrawby Road, has a licensed clubhouse and offers meals. Steph & Dom Parker, hotelier stars of TV's popular Gogglebox series, stayed in Brigg at the Beldon House guest house for a Channel 4 series in which they gave tips to B&B proprietors. The celebrity duo were shown stocking up on produce at Newell's butcher's shop & deli on nearby Wrawby Street. BBC TV viewers saw veteran actor Brian Blessed visit Brigg town centre where a Victorian ancestor had raised his family and built up a business after starting out as a humble hawker.
Edward Lear, the famous Victorian poet, penned a limerick There was an Old Person of Brigg.
A DATE TO NOTE: Brigg Horse Fair is held annually on August 5 (unless this falls on a Sunday) on council land adjoining the railway station, from 9.30am until approximately 3pm. Organised by members of the gypsy/traveller community, Brigg Horse Fair is one of relatively few to survive in the UK. As well as horses being bought and sold in time-honoured fashion, the fair has stalls and stands selling a range of horse-related goods and accessories. Admission is free - no tickets required. Brigg Fair is a very famous piece of classical music by composer Frederic Delius. His haunting rhapsody is based on an old Lincolnshire folk song which came to the attention of another renowned composer/arranger, Percy Grainger, in the early 20th century. It was sung for him by Joseph Taylor, who lived near Brigg and performed Brigg Fair at the town's music festival.
AND FINALLY: It's obvious that 2 hours 42 minutes is insufficient to enjoy all that Brigg has to offer in a single visit. So the town hopes people will consider making one, or more, return trips.
With thanks for taking the trouble to read this guide.
NIGEL FISHER, Freeman of Brigg
FEEDBACK:
NORTHERN RAILWAY For feedback about services, ticket pricing, and station facilities.
enquiries@northernrailway.co.uk
BRIGG TOWN COUNCIL
For feedback good or bad about your visit to Brigg.
enquiries@briggmarkettown.co.uk
YOUR LOCAL MP
Contact your local MP and ask them to write to the Secretary of State for Transport asking for an improvement to the present service.
https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP
THE INDEPENDENT BRIGG LINE RAIL GROUP
Established in 2012.
The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group is made up of a large proportion of volunteers from a transport background, many of which do not live on this line, the groups job is to promote coming to Brigg and Kirton-in-Lindsey by train to increase footfall to demonstrate a better passenger service, and to highlight improvements for these communities.
They have won many accolades and are highly respected for their work.
They are not associated with, and like many, do not support The North Notts and Lincs Community Rail Partnership.
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posted by The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group @ Sunday, November 19, 2023
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