|
|
| |
ON-LINE GUIDE TO LINCOLNSHIRE
|
|
This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Lincolnshire as well as some interesting
facts and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific
place either scroll down the page or use the find
facility on your browser. Much more information can be
found in our
TRAVEL GUIDES -
Click here
for details.
Our
DATABASE OF PLACES
covers over 5,000 entries in Great Britain and Ireland.
If you are looking for
Places to Stay, Places to
Eat and Drink, Specialist
Retail Outlets, Places of Interest or
Garden Centres and Nurseries
in Lincolnshire please click the relevant link above:
|
| |
|
  
|
Although it is the second largest county in England, Lincolnshire remains
relatively unknown. It is largely rural and has some of
the richest farmland in the country producing, particularly, potatoes, sugar beet and flowers.
The county has strong historical connections with Holland and Scandinavia and is blessed
with many picturesque villages and towns including the majestic county capital Lincoln with
its marvellous cathedral, historic Stamford, acclaimed as the finest stone town in
England, and Grantham, the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher. Along with its extensive
coastline, which boasts a number of traditional
seaside resorts, Lincolnshire has also played a part
in history. It is home to the world's first military
air academy, RAF Cranwell; the Dambusters - 617 Squadron - were stationed near Woodhall
Spa; and RAF Coningsby is home to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The port of Grimsby
is England's main fishing port.
Spalding
This small market town is known for its annual Flower Parade,
which is held in early May, when marching bands lead a succession
of colourful floats through the town. Spalding is an interesting place
to stroll around, and the jewel in its crown is
undoubtedly Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and
Gardens, a well-preserved medieval mansion standing
in attractive riverside gardens that houses, among other displays,
a permanent exhibit honouring the explorer and
oceanographer Captain Matthew Flinders. On the
outskirts of the town can be seen more of Spalding's heritage:
the Pode Hole Pumping Station preserves one of the steam
engines installed in 1825 to drain the local fens.
A couple of miles south of Spalding, the Gordon
Boswell Romany Museum has a colourful collection of Romany
Vardos (caravans), carts and harnesses. To the north is the Pinchbeck
Engine and Land Drainage Museum, which illustrates how the South
Holland Fen was drained. Also here, at
Pinchbeck, is the Spalding Bulb
Museum and the Spalding Tropical Forest.
Around Spalding
Holbeach
10 miles E of Spalding on the A151/B1168
An agreeable market town in one of the county's
largest parishes. The antiquarian William Stukeley and
the shot-putter Geoff Capes are sons of Holbeach.
Boston
13½ miles NE of Spalding on the A16
Boston's most famous landmark is the tower of the massive
14th century St Botolph's Church; it's popularly known as the
Boston Stump - a real misnomer since it soars to 272 feet and is visible
for 30 miles or more.
Another striking building is the 15th century
Guildhall that for 300 years served as the Town
Hall and now houses the town Museum. It was here, in the Guildhall
cells, that the Pilgrim Fathers were held in 1607 while they tried to
escape to the religiously tolerant Netherlands. The town is home
to the tallest working windmill in Britain, the
Maud Foster Windmill, which is unusual in having five sails.
Crowland
8½ miles S of Spalding on the B1166
Founded by King Ethelbald of Mercia in the 8th century,
the ruined Crowland Abbey seen today dates from the 12th
century and is the third to have been built on the site. The town is noted
for its extraordinary `Bridge without a River': when it was built in
the 1300s, Trinity Bridge provided a dry crossing over the confluence
of three small streams which have since dried up.
Grimsthorpe
12 miles W of Spalding on the A151
The village is home to Grimsthorpe
Castle, which when viewed from the north is a
stately 18th century palace; from the
south, it is a homely Tudor dwelling. The Tudor part of
the house was built at incredible speed in order to provide a
convenient lodging place in Lincolnshire for Henry VIII on his way north
to meet James V of Scotland in York. The royal visit took place in
1541 but the honour of the royal presence was tarnished by
the adultery that allegedly took place here between Henry's fourth
wife, Catherine Howard, and an attractive young courtier, Thomas
Culpepper. A subsequently passed law declared it treason for an unchaste woman
to marry the king, and both Catherine and her ardent courtier paid
the ultimate price for their night of passion.
Stamford
An attractive market town with unspoilt Georgian streets
and squares, Stamford is also noted for its rich cluster of
outstanding churches. The most ancient ecclesiastical building is
St Leonard's Priory, founded by the Benedictines in the 11th
century, and a fine example of Norman architecture.
Secular buildings of note include the Museum
of Almshouse Life and the Stamford
Museum, which includes a display celebrating one of the town's
most notable residents, Daniel Lambert, who earned a solid living
by exhibiting himself as the world's heaviest man; on his death in
1809 he weighed nearly 53 stone. Other famous residents include
the
flamboyant conductor and Promenaders' favourite Sir
Malcolm Sargent (`Flash Harry'), who lies buried in the town cemetery,
and William Cecil, 1st Lord Burghley, who was Elizabeth I's
Chief Secretary of State. Burghley House is a wonderfully
opulent Elizabethan mansion that houses a magnificent collection of
treasures. The Burghley Horse Trials are held in the glorious grounds
each year at the end of August.
Around Stamford
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
14 miles N of Stamford off the B6403
It was at Woolsthorpe Manor that Isaac Newton was born in
1642 and where the Father of Modern Science made some of his
greatest discoveries. A 17th century barn holds a
Science Discovery Centre that helps to explain some of
his achievements.
Grantham
This ancient market town on the banks of the River Witham
has some pleasing old buildings including Grantham
House, which dates back to around 1380, and the Angel and Royal
Hotel, where King John held court and where Richard III signed the
death warrant of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham in 1483. Grantham
is perhaps best known as being the childhood home of
Margaret Roberts, later Thatcher. Grantham
Museum has special exhibits
devoted to both Lady Thatcher and Sir Isaac Newton.
Sleaford
10 miles E of Grantham on the B1517
Inhabited since the Iron Age and home to a massive Roman
mint, Sleaford is a busy market town with one of the oldest stone
church towers in the country. Other features of interest include
the Money's Mill, a 70 feet high tower that was erected in 1796 to
allow large quantities of corn to be brought here by barge
and offloaded right outside the door.
To the northwest of Sleaford is the RAF College, Cranwell,
which opened in 1920 as the first Military Air Academy in the world.
The Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre tells the Cranwell story
and that of the other RAF bases in the region.
Lincoln
Lincoln Cathedral occupies a magnificent hilltop location,
its towers soaring high above the Lincolnshire lowlands being
visible for miles around. Among its many superb features are the
magnificent open nave, stained-glass windows incorporating the 14th
century Bishop's Eye and Dean's Eye, and the glorious Angel Choir,
whose carvings include the Lincoln Imp, the unofficial symbol of the city.
The imposing ruins of the Bishops Old
Palace, in the shadow of the Cathedral, reveal the
sumptuous lifestyle of the wealthy medieval bishops whose authority
stretched
from the Humber to the Thames.
Other notable buildings include Lincoln
Castle, which dates from 1068 and houses one of the
four original versions of the Magna Carta; the
Jews House, which dates from about 1170 and
is thought to be the oldest domestic building in England to
survive intact; and the most impressive surviving part of the old
town walls, the Stonebow, which spans the High Street
pedestrianised shopping mall. Lincolnshire's largest social history museum is
the Museum of Lincolnshire Life that occupies an extensive
barracks built for the Royal North Lincoln Militia in 1857. The
newest museum in the county, opened in 2005, is
The Collection, a major centre of art and
archaeology running alongside the Usher
Gallery.
To the west of Lincoln is Doddington
Hall, a grand Elizabethan mansion completed in 1600 by the architect
Robert Smythson, and standing now exactly as then, with
wonderful formal gardens, a gatehouse and a family church.
Around
Lincoln
Market Rasen
14 miles NE of Lincoln on the A631
Taking its name from the River Rase, Market Rasen was
described by Charles Dickens as being "the sleepiest town in England."
Much of the central part is a conservation area and includes two
ecclesiastical buildings of some note: the
Centenary Wesleyan Chapel of 1863 boasts an impressive
frontage, while St Thomas's Church has a typical 15th century tower of
local ironstone. Market Rasen Racecourse stages 19
National Hunt meetings throughout the year.
Louth
24 miles NE of Lincoln off the A16
One of the county's most appealing towns, Louth is set beside the
River Lud on the eastern edge of the Wolds. The town is best known
for being the home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, who lodged here
with his grandmother while attending the King Edward VI School.
Broadbank, which now houses the Louth Museum, is an attractive
little building with some interesting artefacts, including some
amazing locally-woven carpets that were displayed at the Paris Exhibition
in 1867.
Gainsborough
15 miles NW of Lincoln on A156
Britain's most inland port is located at the highest navigable point
on the River Trent for seagoing vessels. During the 17th and
18th centuries in particular, the town prospered greatly, and
although many of the lofty warehouses lining the river bank have
been demolished, enough remain to give some idea of its flourishing past.
The town's most famous building is the
enchanting Gainsborough Old Hall, one of the most striking architectural
gems in the county. The hall was built in the 1470s by Sir Thomas
Burgh,
who entertained Richard III in the Great Hall. The
hall is generally considered one of the best
preserved medieval manor houses in the country.
Another notable building is Marshall's Britannia
Works, a proud Victorian reminder of Gainsborough's once
thriving engineering industry.
Old Bolingbroke
22 miles E of Lincoln off the A155
Originally built in the reign of William I, Bolingbroke
Castle later became the property of John of Gaunt whose son, later
Henry IV, was born at the castle in 1367. During the Civil War,
Bolingbroke Castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces in 1643
and fell into disuse soon after.
Just to the south, at East Kirkby, is the
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre,
based in the old control tower. Exhibits include a Lancaster bomber,
A Shackleton, military vehicles and a wartime blast shelter.
Woodhall Spa
14 miles SE of Lincoln on the B1191
Woodhall became a spa town by
accident when a shaft sunk in search of coal found
mineral-rich water. In 1838 a pump room and baths were built, to be joined
later by hydro hotels, and the arrival of the railway in 1855
accelerated Woodhall's popularity. By the early 1900s, the spa had fallen out
of favour and the associated buildings disappeared one by one, but
this beautifully maintained village has retained its decorous
spa atmosphere.
Woodhall Spa had close connections with 617 Squadron,
the Dambusters, during World War II. The Petwood House Hotel
was used as the officers' mess and memorabilia of those days
is displayed in the hotel's Squadron Bar.
Skegness
In the early 1800s Skegness was still a tiny fishing village but it
was already becoming famous for its firm sandy beaches and bracing
sea air. As late as 1871, the resident population of Skegness was
only 239 but two years later the railway arrived and three years after
that the local landowner, the Earl of Scarborough, built a new town
to the north of the railway station. A huge pier, 1,843 feet long, was
built in 1880, chosen from 44 designs submitted. The famous
slogan `Skegness is SO Bracing' was first used on posters by the
Great Northern Railway in 1918 and appeared in many
designs subsequently.
Natureland Seal Sanctuary
on North Parade provides interest for all the family with its seals
and baby seal rescue centre and numerous other animal attractions.
Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve is a field station
among the salt marshes and dunes with hides, waymarked routes
and guided tours. Yellowhammers and whitethroats nest here, and
skylarks are more numerous than anywhere else in Britain.
Mablethorpe
15 miles N of Skegness on the A52
The northernmost of the three popular Lincolnshire holiday
resorts (Skegness and Sutton-on-Sea are the others) that almost form a
chain along this stretch of fragile coast. Much of the original village
of Mablethorpe has disappeared into the sea, including the
medieval Church of St Peter. The Seal
Sanctuary at North End is open every day from Easter to the
end of September.
Alford
10 miles NW of Skegness on the A1104
Alford Manor House, built around 1660, claims the
distinction of being the largest thatched manor house in England. Alford's
Five Sailed Windmill, built of brick in 1813, stands a majestic six
floors high and has five sails and four sets of grinding stones.
Scunthorpe
Much of Scunthorpe's industrial and social heritage is on display
at
the North Lincolnshire Museum & Art Gallery
with exhibits that include an ironmonger's
cottage. The town has also created a Heritage Trail which takes
visitors through three of the parks created by Victorian benefactors
- Scunthorpe is proud of its parks and gardens and has claimed
the title of "The Industrial Garden Town of rural North Lincolnshire".
Around Scunthorpe
Normanby
4 miles N of Scunthorpe off the B1430
Normanby Hall was built in 1825 for the Sheffield family
and extended in 1906. The 300-acre Park has plenty to see and
enjoy, including a deer park, duck ponds, an ice house in the middle of
the miniature railway circuit, a Victorian laundry and a walled garden.
The Normanby Hall Farming Museum majors on rural life in
the age of the heavy horse. Near the park gates, some picturesque
estate cottages bear witness to the Sheffield family's reputation
as good landlords.
Brigg
7 miles E of Scunthorpe on the A10
King John was not universally admired but one of his
more popular deeds was the granting of a charter (in 1205) which
permitted this modest little town to hold an annual festivity on the 5th day
of August. Brigg Fair, along with Widdecombe and Scarborough,
has joined the trio of `Best Known Fairs in England', celebrated in
a traditional song and in a haunting tone poem based on
Lincolnshire folk songs, composed by Frederick Delius in 1907. 800 years later,
the fair still attracts horse traders from around the country, along with
all the usual fun of the fair.
Grimsby
According to tradition it was a Dane called Grim who
founded Grimsby. He had been ordered to
drown the young Prince Havelock after the boy's father had
been killed in battle. Grim could not bring himself to murder the
child so he fled Denmark for England. After a tempestuous crossing of
the North Sea, Grim and the boy arrived at the Humber
estuary where he used the timbers of their boat to build a house on the
shore. They lived by selling fish and salt, thus establishing the foundations
of an industry for which Grimsby would become known the
world over. A statue of Grim and the infant prince can be seen at
the Humberside Polytechnic.
A question for football anoraks. Why does Grimsby Town
Football Club play all its games away? Answer: Because the
Mariners' ground is actually in Cleethorpes, a resort which has spread
northwards more or less to merge into Grimsby.
|
|
Travel Publishing Ltd, 7a Apollo House, Calleva Park,
Aldermaston, Berkshire, UK RG7 8TN
e-mail:
info@travelpublishing.co.uk
Copyright © 2008 Travel Publishing Ltd |
|
