Scunthorpe, although an industrial town, was originally an agricultural district, which is why it is known as the 'Garden Town'. In spite of its early mention in the Domesday Book, Scunthorpe remained an obscure village in the parish of Frodingham for several hundred years. It is a small town, situated in the heart of North Lincolnshire, east of the River Trent, about 25 miles north of Lincoln and over 180 miles north of London. The M180 gives direct access to the national motorway network. Scunthorpe was originally made up of five rural villages - Ashby, Brumby, Crosby, Frodingham and Scunthorpe. The development of the town began in 1859, following the discovery of the Frodingham Ironstone, by businessman and local landowner Rowland Winn. The Frodingham ore
field turned out to be the biggest in Europe and the discovery changed the face of Scunthorpe into one of the world's major steel producing centres.

Scunthorpe is still a major supplier to the country's annual steel output; currently it produces in excess of 30% of the U.K.’s steel output. It has the largest single steel works, Corus' Scunthorpe Steel (formerly British Steel), and it is one of the few steelworks that is self-financing and profitable, making 4 million tonnes of liquid steel a year. Since the steelworks arrived in Scunthorpe, over 130 years ago, the town has changed considerably and become fairly prosperous. The five rural villages that originally made up Scunthorpe had a population of just over 1,000, where now there is
a population of over 60,000. The local economy is thriving and many companies are choosing to relocate here, giving it the lowest unemployment rate in the Humberside sub-region. The steelworks are still the major employer but Scunthorpe is becoming a commercial centre for companies such as Lloyds TSB, who have made it their headquarters. Scunthorpe also has a lot to offer in the way of markets, restaurants, pubs, cafes and cinemas, as well as its entire cultural heritage.