Swinton, South Yorkshire
| Swinton | |
|---|---|
 Swinton Bridge School |
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 Swinton
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| Swinton shown within South Yorkshire | |
| Population | 15,559 |
| OS grid reference | SK454992 |
| • London | 145 mi (233 km) SSE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Mexborough |
| Postcode district | S64 |
| Dialling code | 01709 |
| Police | South Yorkshire |
| Fire | South Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | |
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England on part of the west bank of the River Don. It has a population of 15,559 (2011). The town is 5 miles north-northeast of the large town of Rotherham and directly westsouthwest of Mexborough.
The town was once a centre for the manufacture of ceramics of international importance, and deep coal mining, glassmaking, canal barge-building and engineering.
It is best known for being the site of the Rockingham Pottery, a world-renowned manufacturer of porcelain. Although the factory closed in 1842 its name is left as defining a style of rococo porcelain. There were several other potteries in the area during the 19th century. One of the original kilns, a small part of the factory, a gatehouse (both now private residences) and the pottery flint millpond remain today in Pottery Ponds, a small park off Blackamoor Road near the Woodman public house. Swinton was also the site of another important but lesser known pottery, Don Pottery.
The village of Swinton lies between the Roman Ridge (extending approximately from Wincobank to the north east of Sheffield, to Mexborough) and the south west Roman road from Doncaster (the Roman fort and minor settlement of Danum). Furthermore, a coin hoard dating to the early 3rd century was excavated during the construction of a house cellar in the village in 1853 (Monument SK 49 NW5, Pastscape).
In June 2014, Mr. Andrew Allen of Swinton, South Yorkshire, uncovered a number of pottery sherds whilst gardening at home. Preliminary observations found that this exciting new assemblage comprised approximately 90 pottery sherds, including high status fabrics such as Samian ware, traditional cooking wares and rusticated pottery, as well as possible metal and glass working waste products. It puts into question how important Swinton was to the Romans.
In October 2014 South Yorkshire's first crowd-funded archaeological project [1] commenced with an archaeological excavation taking place in the area of the pottery finds. This excavation found evidence of a Roman ditch and a possible Roman field system, as well as numerous pieces of pottery dating from the late 1st to mid 3rd centuries. Further archaeological excavation was undertaken in the spring of 2015 as well as a comprehensive geophysical survey of Swinton Fitzwilliam school playing fields. Further work is planned for the area with Mr Allen, Elmet Archaeology and the local community.
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