Balby is a suburb of Doncaster and civil parish located to the south-west of the borough in the county of South Yorkshire. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Balby is within the Doncaster Central constituency and contains the electoral wards Balby South and Hexthorpe and Balby North. Housing stock ranging from terraced housing nearer to Doncaster town centre and post-war suburbs to the south west. There are several new housing developments, including, Woodfield Plantation which is part of an attempt to regenerate the area following deindustrialization. Economic activity is still centred on heavy industry, especially around the Carr Hill Industrial Estate, home to Bridon, a large rope manufacturer.
History
The earliest written reference to Balby occurs in the Domesday Book, which records the name as Ballebi. This almost certainly derives from a personal name, Bal, together with the Old Norse word býr – dating the foundation of Balby to some time in the period of Viking settlement, between the late 8th and early 11th centuries. Balby, was home to several of the early followers of the Quaker faith in England, including Thomas Aldham, whose son William was instrumental in opening the first permanent meeting house in the area, in Quaker Lane, Warmsworth. Balby has long been associated, along with other areas of Doncaster, with having a large Quaker community. More recently, the suburban town was a centre for steel and brass manufacture, especially at the well-known Pegler's Brass Foundry and Bridon Ropery. In the early 20th century, St Catherine's Hospital was built in the south of Balby, near to the site of St Catherine's Well, an ancient site of healing and pilgrimage. It is now a hospital estate.
Education
is the only secondary school in the Balby area. Balby Central Primary Academy, Woodfield Primary School, Mallard Primary School and Waverley Primary Academy are the primary schools in the Balby area.
Amenities
Potteric Carr Nature Reserve is a natural wetland near the Lakeside development. The site reopened in 2011 following extensive restoration by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and charges an admission fee. Carr Lodge Nature Reserve is a low-lying grassland, managed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It is flooded in winter but dries out in summer and is used by local birdwatchers.
Future improvements
Balby is currently in the process of several redevelopment initiatives such as the construction of a new retail park and the expansion of its residential area in the form of the Woodfield Plantation, the latter also prospectively creating a major link road from the east side of Balby to the Doncaster Lakeside and stadium areas although the final link is yet to be completed. A new public house called the Maple Tree has now opened on the site to the west of the new Tesco.
Popular culture
The external scenes for the BBC comedy Open All Hours were set and filmed on Lister Avenue, Balby. The shop which served as Arkwright's grocery store was, and still is, a hairdresser's which was converted for the duration of filming.
