Isle of Axholme

The Isle of Axholme is a geographical area of North Lincolnshire, England. It is the only part of Lincolnshire west of the River Trent. It is between the three towns of Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Gainsborough, in the traditional West Riding of Lindsey.

The name Isle is given to the area since, prior to the area's being drained by the Dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden, each town or village was built on areas of dry, raised ground in the surrounding marshland. The River Don used to flow to the north and west (it has since been diverted), dividing the Isle from Yorkshire; the River Idle separates the Isle from Nottinghamshire; and the River Trent separates the Isle from the rest of Lincolnshire. Three small towns developed here: Epworth – birthplace of John Wesley and his brother Charles – Crowle, and Haxey.

The boundaries of the Isle of Axholme usually match with those of the ancient wapentake of Epworth and its 17 communities: Belton, Crowle, Epworth, Haxey, Beltoft, (High and Low) Burnham, Owston Ferry, (East) Lound and (Graise)lound, Garthorpe, Luddington, Amcotts, (West) Butterwick, Althorpe, The Marshes, Waterton, Upperthorpe, and Westwoodside. Other settlements on the Isle include Eastoft, Sandtoft – home to Europe's largest trolleybus museum – and Wroot.

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