Lindsey: Caistor, Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa, Stow, Horncastle, Louth, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Lincoln
Kesteven: Sleaford, Stamford and Grantham
Holland: Boston, Spalding and Crowland
Lincolnshire is the second largest county in England, after Yorkshire. It was probably split into three administrative areas to make it easier to collect taxes and based on the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey (Lindisware), the Danish territory of Kesteven and Holland after the Dutch, who drained the marshes (that’s an assumption on my part, though).
The Roman city of Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) was founded in the eastern section of the tribal territory of the Corieltavi. The city may have been the core of a post-Roman kingdom or an independent district under a Romanised magistrate in the early fifth century, but evidence for the history of the region until the tenth or eleventh centuries is extremely sketchy. A kingdom seems to have been founded circa AD 480 by a newly-arrived group of Angles, perhaps intermingling with other Germanic peoples who had already settled there. They called themselves the Lindisware, taking the local name as the ‘folk of Lindum’. Over time, ‘Lindisware’ became Lindissi, and then Lindsey. The kingdom has almost no recorded history, even before its conquest, but the name of its fourth king suggests strong links to the Britons living there. Lincoln itself appears to have begun to decay at the end of the period of prosperity in Roman Britain, in the 360s. By the fifth century, walls were falling down, roofs were falling in, and some of the large civic buildings were in ruins. See: https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/EnglandLindsey.htm
Lindsey
Caistor
Caistor was a Roman fortified town and traces of the walls still survive. Settlers had been here since prehistoric times attracted by the springs, known for never failing even in the worst droughts. The town was ravaged by fire in 1681and the present buildings date from then. The street pattern is based on a series of interconnecting squares; Market Place, Butter Market, Cornhill and Horse Market…
The church of St Peter and St Paul survived the fire of 1681…The market placeHolly House
Market Rasen
Market Rasen is situated on the River Rase on the western edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. There are a few Georgian buildings in the town but the architecture is mainly Victorian. It is also home to the only racecourse in Lincolnshire – racing began here in 1828…
St Thomas’ Church:
The church of St Thomas. There has been a church on this site since the 12th century but it has seen many changes over the centuries. There are 14th Century columns in the north aisle and the tower seems to date from around that time too. The church was given financial help in the early 18th Century for rebuilding and there was more building work in the mid-19th Century…In 1536 there was a rebellion against the changes that King Henry was making (the disolution) and a group of the rebels, known as the Lincolnshire Rising, camped just outside Market Rasen on the night of 5 October 1536 before moving on to Lincoln to take on the King’s forces. They were joined by rebels from Yorkshire in what became known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. But King Henry’s troops ruthlessly suppressed and killed the rebels…
The Town:
The River Rase is a 16 mile (25km) long tributary of the River Ancholme, rising just north of Tealby and running parallel to the Ancholme before joining it near Snitterby Carr. The Ancholme then flows into the Humber near South Ferriby…The Centenary Chapel…
Woodhall Spa
Woodhall Spa is an Edwardian spa town that came about by accident in 1811 when John Parkinson made several failed attempts to find coal. The enterprise was abandoned after the 1000-foot-deep shaft filled with spring water. It was then discovered that the iodine-rich water had healing benefits. Spa Baths were built so that visitors could ‘take the waters’, and hotels followed.
Woodhall Spa played an important role during WWII. During January 1944, 617 Squadron (Dambusters) moved to Woodhall Spa and remained at this airfield until the end of the war…
St Peter’s Church:
The Town:
Stow
Curious as it might seem now, Stow was the centre of a large block of estates, belonging to the Saxon bishops of Dorchester on Thames. In about 975 Bishop Aelfnoth built a church to serve as head Minster (or mother church) for the Lincolnshire part of his large diocese. It was a sort of cathedral, because part of the bishop’s household of priests (which later became the cathedral chapter) lived at Stow and administered this part of the diocese…
Stow Minster – St Mary’s – the Danes burnt down the church that was here in 870 and it is believed that the current church dates from around 975 https://stowminster.co.uk/our-minster/history/Stow MinsterStow MinsterStow MinsterStow MinsterStow MinsterStow MinsterStow MinsterStow Minster whipping post
Horncastle
Horncastle was a fortified Roman town although it was not on any important Roman roads, suggesting that the River Bain was important for access. There are still sections of Roman wall to be seen.
St Mary’s Church:
The church dates from the 13th century, the oldest part is the low tower which is surmounted by a small spirelet that is strangely out of proportion with the rest of the building…
The Marketplace:
The marketplace
The Town:
The Court HouseSweet little Bateman’s pub – proudly flying the flag of Lindsey – as do many shops and businesses across LindseyPretty in pink in November 2025…Remains of a Roman wall, allegedly dating from the 4th century…Colourful public toilets
The Rivers:
The Horncastle Canal was built and opened in 1802. The Tattershall Canal was purchased as part of the project and incorporated into the Horncastle Canal. There were eleven locks and the canal was a moderate success, but trade vanished with the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. The last boat to arrive at Horncastle left in 1878, and by 1889 the canal was reported as defunct…The River Bain is a tributary of the River Witham and one of the shortest rivers in England at about 2.5 miles (just under 4km) in length. It rises at Ludford, in the Wolds, and flows through Horncastle where it is joined by the River Waring. After leaving Horncastle, the Bain flows through the villages of Kirkby on Bain, Coningsby and Tattershall, and joins the Witham at Dogdyke…The River BainThe River Bain
Louth
The Dissolution was not universally popular and people in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire protested. What started as the Lincolnshire Rising in Louth, in October 1536, soon became known as The Pilgrimage of Grace. It was the worst uprising of Henry VIII’s reign and was a direct result of the dissolution of the monasteries, a policy which confused and angered many people. The presence of a royal commission was the spark; the local clergy encouraged it to flame. The Lincolnshire rebellion only lasted a fortnight, but Beverley, Yorkshire, was next – led by the lawyer Robert Aske – and the rebellion spread quickly from there.
St James’ Church:
Louth: capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds is a fine Georgian market town. It is remarkably unspoilt…The spire of St James’ Church is 295 feet high (90m) and was added in 1506. It is one of the tallest spires in the country but St Walburge’s in Preston pips it at 94m. The Lincolnshire Rising started here in October 1536.
Town Centre:
The museum is open on Wednesday and Friday onlyThe tranquil waters of the River LudI stayed here overnight – lovely room…Early in the morningNice little Art Deco cinemaLouth is on the 0 degrees meridian, so you can stand astride the line with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the western hemisphereYorkshire Trading occupies the old market hall, complete with the fancy clock tower
Gainsborough
All Saints Church:
All Saints dates from around 1180 but only the 15th century tower remains from the original medieval church. By 1730 this church was considered inadequate for the town’s growing population and the decision was made to build a new church. Between 1734-1744 the church was rebuilt in a classic Georgian style, with two rows of Corinthian columns dividing the centre nave from the side aisles.
Old Hall:
Gainsborough Old Hall is a medieval manor house, the surviving structures having been built by Sir Thomas Burgh II in the late 15th century. The hall was the seat of the Burghs from 1430 until 1596, and then sold to the merchant Hickman family, who resided there until around 1730.Old Hall was sold to William Hickman (1549–1625), a London merchant, who moved in with his first wife, Agnes, and his mother, Rose, in 1596. Agnes died childless three years later, but William was quickly remarried to Elizabeth Willoughby, 32 years his junior and with whom he had four children. William and Elizabeth invested in the hall, fashioning a more modern and serviceable family residence. They focused on the east range, creating a suite of rooms at its south end and encasing much of the structure in brick, with wide windows and new fireplaces. See: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/gainsborough-old-hall/history/
Town Centre:
The former Kings Theatre opened in 1885 as the Albert Hall. It closed in 1925 after having been badly damaged in a fire. Over the years it became a cinema, then reverted to being a theatre and finally a bingo hall. In 2016 it was bought by a local business man who spent 3 years restoring it – although it is not in use… This is Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough – once a powerhouse of English agricultural engineering – now a shopping centre
Grimsby
The Minster:
St James’s was created a Minster in 2010. The church is largely 13th century but because it was badly damaged during WW2 it gives the impression of being more modern…John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, was born in Grimsby. He had a house in Croydon and he had almshouses, a hospital and a school built there. His name lives on in Croydon’s Whitgift shopping centre…Memorial to fishermen in front of the Minster
The Docks:
The Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre is well worth visitingThe Perseverance, a shrimper, built in Boston in 1914, and the last sailing fishing vessel to operate out of GrimsbyA replica Hewitt’s pubThe Ross Tiger was built in 1956 and retired in 1984, it is the only surviving middle water, side trawler. In the 1950’s, the Ross Group had the biggest trawler fleet in the world and Grimsby was the biggest fishing port in the world. The decline in British fishing started in 1976 when the government conceded a 200-mile exclusion zone with Iceland during the third “cod war”. Further decline has occurred as the government allowed the concentration of quotas into fewer and fewer hands. Many of them foreign owned. A Dutch company, for example, holds 26% of our quotas. See: https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/…/brexit-wont-save… See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52420116….The remarkable Grimsby dock tower was built in 1852 and is modelled on the Torre del Mangia, in SienaYou can’t get to it, though, as it is in the port and there is no public accessThe Grimsby Ice Factory is a unique survivor of the Victorian industrial era. The Grade II* structure is the earliest and largest-known surviving ice factory in the world, and the sole example from this period to retain its machinery. So: you’d think that something as unique as this would be easy to find and it would have a fancy visitor centre welcoming tourists. But you can’t get to it. Like the remarkable Dock Tower, it is in the port – where there is no public access. See: https://wmf.org.uk/Projects/grimsby-ice-factory-and-kasbah/https://www.ggift.co.uk/history-of-the-grimsby-ice-factory/ https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/…/ice-factory…It is in deplorable condition…The Barge: a floating pub that does really good food and a nice pint of Navigation Brewery beer.
Town Centre:
The Yarborough Hotel was built in 1851 by the 2nd Earl of Yarborough to serve the railway station that had just opened. It is now a Wetherspoon, beautifully restored and where I’m staying. It was due to be demolished in 1970’s but saved by public demand…The Savoy Picture House opened in 1920 and closed in 1977. It was converted into shops in 1983 and McDonald’s has been here since 1984…Santander occupies the former Prudential Assurance building. It was designed by Paul Whitehouse and opened in 1913Two grand, stone-fronted institutional buildings. The nearer is the Post Office of 1910 by John Rutherford of the Office of Works, with a rusticated ground floor and giant pilasters. The further building was built for the Union of London and Smiths Bank Limited, now Natwest, in 1905 by W. Campbell Jones. The centre is recessed with a steep open pediment. Both are Grade II listed…Grimsby Town Hall, former courthouse and police station, dates from 1863 and designed by John Giles. The town hall contains the intriguing Time Trap Museum, which is well worth a visit…This is a copy of the 13th century Grimsby seal: the only town seal in the country to feature its founders (Grim, Havelok and Princess Goldeburgh). So it seems a shame that it’s half-hidden behind the barrier. The tales goes that Grim heroically saved the infant Prince Havelok of Denmark from the sea off the Lincolnshire coast and brought him up as his own. When, according to the story, Havelok returned to his native land as a young adult, he became a royal scullion and fell in love and married the new king’s daughter Goldeburgh, thereby regaining the kingdom. Up until 2006, there was a statute of Grim and Havelok at Nuns Corner.The former Hewitt’s brewery, which closed in 1968. It was saved from demolition, restored and converted into flatsThe Duke of Wellington still features some Hewitt’s branding and imageryThe former Holme Hill School opened in 1878, closed in 1967 and has been empty since 2014…The former Smith, Ellison & Co bank (also known as the Lincoln Bank) was an independent bank from 1775-1902. In 1902 it merged with the Union Bank of London which, in turn, became part of the NatWest group…The former Grimsby Municipal College opened in 1895 and now lies derelictThe former Grimsby Municipal College opened in 1895 and now lies derelict
Cleethorpes
The pier must be one of the most dismal in the country – the Humber Estuary is a site of special scientific interest as it is home to thousands of wading and migrating birds http://humbernature.co.uk/…/hms-introduction-document.pdfCleethorpes Register Office is a nice looking building and dates from 1904…The Coliseum opened in 1920 and closed in 1953 – it was briefly a Woolworths and a nightclub before Wetherspoon took it over and re-opened it in 2014…
Lincoln
The Cathedral:
Work on building the original cathedral began in 1172. In 1186, Hugh of Avalon accepted the post of bishop and the new cathedral was consecrated in 1192…By 1311 the cathedral had acquired a spire, making it 525 feet high – reputedly the tallest building in the world, a record it held for 238 years until 1548, when the spire collapsed during a storm
Around The Cathedral:
The Castle:
Looking up from the cathedral towards the castleThe castle was started in 1068 by William the Conqueror as part of his strategy to control the rebellious north of the country…Lincoln Castle has a fascinating history https://www.lincolncastle.com/content/historyView from the castle
City Gates and Walls:
Micklegate (as was):
The Strait and Steep Hill were simply known as Micklegate until the 18th century… (micklegate, dervied from micklelith, simply means great street)
The first cathedral was begun in 1072, under instruction from William the ConquerorThe Leigh-Pemberton House dates from 1543
Highbridge and The Jew’s House:
The Jews House – dating from 1170 it is a “fine example of Norman domestic architecture” according to the plaque…Undergoing some restoration in November 2025…
The Guildhall:
Waterside:
The River Witham
Kesteven
Sleaford
St Denys – a fine 12th century church, closed to visitors at the time of my visit…The old vicarageOld windmill – it acts as a centrepiece for the town’s car park…The Henry Handley Monument – the Sleaford branch of the Handley’s, a prominent Newark family…Curious little jeweller’s shopThe Bass maltings: originally designed as a complex of 16 maltings, only 8 were completed. Built between 1901-07, they were the largest in Britain but closed in 1959. Left to decay, they were granted Grade II status in 1974. Plans were in place for the buildings to be turned into a mix of residential, office and retail space – none of which ever happened and the site is still derelict…
Stamford
Churches:
All Saints Church
Medieval Stamford:
The William Browne Hospital, founded in 1483Lord Burleigh’s Hospital also dates from 1597
Town Centre:
The Melbourn Brothers All Saints’ Brewery was founded in 1825 and bought by Herbert Wells Melbourn in 1869. Sam Smith’s bought the brewery in 1974 and closed it only to re-open it in 1998 to brew a range of organic fruit beers. It still uses the old steam equipment to produce its beers…The George Hotel is a fine 16th century (1597, just scraped in) coaching innThe Eleanor Cross, Sheepmarket – this was erected in 2009, the only remaining bit of the original cross is in the local museum. A bit odd, really…The rough and tumble of the River WellandThe River Welland rises in the Hothorpe Hills, Northamptonshire, is around 105km long and flows into The Wash…
Grantham
St Wulfram’s Church:
St Wulfram’sSt Wulfram was Archbishop of Sens in 693 and later canonisedIt’s sweet that they still have the Christmas tree up – well, sort of up – it’s leaning over quite a lot. Anyway, we used to celebrate Christmas from Martinmas (November 11th) to Candlemas (February 2nd)
Town Centre:
The decorative Guildhall dates from 1869The Angel and Royal dates from the 13th century, with the cellar and some foundations dating back to the 9th century. The hostel was built and run by the Knights Templar until their dissolution. Quite a history – http://www.famous-historic-buildings.org.uk/angel-and…The Blue Pig is a 16th century building…Sir Isaac NewtonSir Frederick Tollemache, Liberal MP for GranthamSweet little cottage undergoing renovation
Holland
Boston
Boston was a Hanseatic Port and, in medieval times, the most important port in the country after London. There are still lots of glorious old buildings to be seen but years of neglect have taken their toll and the town is shabby and run-down in places…
St Botolph’s – Boston Stump:
Boston Stump is one of the tallest medieval towers in the countryBy a quirk of fate, the Luftwaffe used Boston Stump as a navigation aid and so it wasn’t bombed…The River Witham at low tideThe church dates from 1309 – Botolph was a 7th century Saxon noble who was given land to build a monastery at Iken, near Aldeburgh. He was said to have had the marshes around Boston drained. There are over 70 churches dedicated to him…A statue of Herbert Ingram, founder of the Illustrated London News, outside St Botolph’sThere are 209 steps to the viewing platform – currently there are limited opening hours…The church is open today and I climbed up the tower. There are 206 steps up and 209 down – separate staircases
Views From The Church Tower:
View to the southView to the westView to the northView to the east
River Witham:
Low tideHigh tide
Town Centre:
The market placeThe Exchange Building completed in 1772 was originally a fish marketShodfriars Hall dates from the 15th century and was restored in 1874…The Customs House dates from 1725The Centenary Methodist church opened in 1910WormgateSwan HouseThe Maud Foster windmill dates from 1819…A 1931 Art Deco gemThe Quayside Hotel, where I stayed, was built in 1815 as The Ship Inn, selling ales & stouts by Soames & Co
Spalding
I last visited Spalding in October 2014 and this is when the dismal photos were taken. A return visit in September 2025 sees a few changes. The market place is in the process of being pedestrianised. Parts of the town have been spruced up but there lots of empty shops and some parts are still shabby. The Olde White Horse is closed, empty and forlorn…
The Welland rises in the Hothorpe Hills, Northamptonshire and flows for 65 miles (105km) through Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding before entering The Wash near Fosdyke…The banks of the Welland are lined with attractive buildings – if not as grand as the North Brink in Wisbech…I had my first pint of beer in Spalding here (October 2014) – a Sam Smith pub – so the beers are all top quality – but is it me – or are they just the teensiest bit dull – worthy – but dullClosed, empty and forlorn in September 2025 Lovingly restored – isn’t it grand – opposite the posh Cley Hall – where I’m staying tonight – my first night in Spalding since we left in the summer of 1962… The River Welland
The Church of St Mary and St Nicolas:
The original church was built in the 11th century as part of a Benedictine monastery that existed here between 1051-1540The foundations of the current church date from 1284 and it was then enlarged in 1360 with more alterations in the 15th century. There was extensive restoration carried out under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott between 1865-7Lovely Georgian houses in Church Street…
Ayscoughfee Hall, Gardens and Museum:
The Grade I listed Ayscoughfee Hall Museum is a medieval hall dating back to 1451…The Hall sits in five acres of public gardens. Among the attractions are a late eighteenth century ice house, fine yew hedges dating back to the 1720s, an ornamental lake and a war memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens…
Town Centre:
Built as a courthouse, it opened in 1843 and served as a magistrates court for over 150 years before being sold in 2016. Now called the Session House, it is a wedding venue…This photo was taken in 2014 but Elderkin are still going strong in 2025…The SGS (Spalding Gentlemen’s Society) building also houses a museum but is currently closed for restoration…This fine Art Deco building used to be a cinema – fast forward to September 2025 and the bingo hall is closed, the building empty and up for sale… Somewhere along here my father worked at the Howard Rotavator depot & I went to the primary school Spalding – now on a branch line from Peterborough to Doncaster. The journey takes about 20 minutes from Peterborough and runs roughly every 2 hours in the morning but hourly in the afternoon – which makes no sense but that’s rail travel in 21st century Britain… The Chatterton Tower was built in 1955 as a water tower. The tower has two tanks with a total capacity of 3,400 cubic metres, capable of storing 3.4m litres of water…
Crowland
The Church and Abbey:
Crowland Abbey was a Benedictine monastery and was founded in memory of St. Guthlac early in the eighth century by Ethelbald, King of Mercia, but was entirely destroyed and the community slaughtered by the Danes in 866…Refounded in the reign of King Edred (946-955), it was again destroyed by fire in 1091, but rebuilt about twenty years later by Abbot Joffrid. In 1170 the greater part of the abbey and church was once more burnt down and once more rebuilt, under Abbot Edward. From this time the history of Crowland was one of growing and almost unbroken prosperity until the Dissolution in 1539 https://crowlandabbey.org.uk/history/
The Trinity Bridge:
Crowland Bridge is unique in Britain. It was built in 1360-90 by the Benedictine monks of the nearby abbey. It went over tributaries of the rivers Nene and Welland. It now stands high and dry near the market place. It is formed of three pointed half-arches in the form of a triangle. On the south arm is a seated figure in stone. It may be the figure of Christ in Majesty or of King Elthelbald, founder of Crowland Abbey…
