Brigg
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Brigg (fully Glanford Brigg) in North Lincolnshire, England, is a small market town on the River Ancholme with a population of 5,076 (2001 census). Earliest references date from the 12th century, the name derived from the old Norse "briggja" meaning a jetty.
Brigg has been a thriving market town for centuries, serving the largely rural villages on both sides of the river with a corn exchange and livestock market. Road communications were good with the old Roman road Ermine Street passing not far away. There are many old coaching inns, most notably "The Angel" on the route from Lincoln via Caenby Corner to the Humber (The Angel now is home to Brigg Town Council). The Ancholme also gave access to the River Humber and the port of Kingston upon Hull.
Brigg became the administrative centre for the local area with a grammar school founded in 1669 by Sir John Nelthorpe, after whom the school, a comprehensive since 1976, is named. With the coming of the railways the town grew rapidly. Indeed it could have been still more important had Brigg been selected as junction for North-South lines with the East-West link to Grimsby. However, local opposition from the influential Carey family pushed much of the traffic through the nearby village of Barnetby-le-Wold.
Past industries included Springs jam factory and the beet sugar factory to the west of the town. The sugar factory site now contains a power station. The jam factory, and the neighbouring livestock market, have been replaced by supermarkets.
Today with the building of a bypass and the pedestrianisation of the town centre, Brigg has regained some of the relaxed qualities of a country market town with a small marketplace at its heart, still with a traditional street-market on Thursdays and Saturdays. In recent years a thriving Farmers market has developed, held on the 4th Saturday each month selling a wide variety of local produce from pork and organic vegetables to ostrich meat and locally produced condiments.
Brigg is home to Brigg Town Football Club, which formed in 1864, only seven years after the first, Sheffield, making it one of the oldest clubs in the world.
The M180 bypassed the town on September 2 1977. The A15 Brigg & Redbourne Bypass (the extension to the M180 from Hibaldstow) opened in December 1989.
Brigg railway station is on a branch of the Sheffield to Lincoln Line (Grimsby Branch), but receives only six trains a week, on Saturdays.
People from the town include actress Dame Joan Plowright.
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[edit] Brigg People
Joan Plowright, Joan Ann Olivier, The Lady Olivier, DBE (born October 28, 1929 in Brigg), known by her maiden name as Dame Joan Plowright, is a British actress, widow of Laurence Olivier. She was made a Dame (DBE) in the New Year's Honours for 2004. Joan was born on Central Square, Brigg. The Plowright theatre in Scunthorpe (near Brigg) was also named after her.
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[edit] Image Gallery
 The Angel |
 River Ancholme |
 The Dying Gladiator Inn |
 Marketplace |
