South Lincolnshire Area Guide

South Lincolnshire offers plenty to keep visitors happy, from historic houses and fascinating churches, to easy walks and cycle rides. And from wonderful gardens and garden centres, to some of the best bird-watching and angling in England.

Make a shopping trip to Stamford, Spalding or other local market towns and seek out some of the local specialities such as the famous Lincolnshire sausage! You might well spot these on the menu at an increasingly high quality range of small hotels, guest houses and farm stay accommodation locally.

South Lincolnshire’s key market towns are Stamford, Bourne, Spalding and The Deepings.

Highlights and attractions

Stamford

Stamford has a unique blend of history, niche shopping and stunning Georgian architecture – and won the supreme compliment from the Sunday Times newspaper as ‘Britain’s top place to live’ in 2013. Proclaimed by Sir Walter Scott as “the finest stone town in England”, it was declared a conservation area in 1967 and has over 600 listed buildings of mellow limestone including five medieval churches.

Stamford is a bustling, prosperous market town and has a wide range of shops, hostelries and attractions. There is a thriving high street with coffee shops, restaurants and a vast range of retailers to tempt you. Our main street market is on a Friday with a smaller Saturday market and once a fortnight there is a Farmers’ Market.

If you would like to read more about Stamford, please click here.

Bourne

Bourne is nestled on the eastern slopes of the limestone Kesteven Uplands and the western edge of the Fens - an area rich in wildlife, culture and history, and renowned for its waterways, open spaces, parks and woodland.

Bourne is a growing and bustling market town with many amenities, including a large leisure centre, outdoor swimming pool, snooker and sports bar, a good range of restaurants, cafes and public houses, several gyms and a great selection of shops and businesses.

If you are a fan of road biking, you'll certainly never be short of back roads to explore with some truly stunning countryside and varied terrain to appreciate on-route. The woods and countryside around Bourne also provide a great location for those with mountain bikes.

Delaine Bus Museum

Delaine Buses of Bourne is one of England's oldest independent bus operators, dating back to 1890 with their horse drawn vehicles to take people to market, followed by their first motor bus service in 1919.

The Museum has plenty to see, from early vehicles and artifacts, family archives, a display office and workshop with original furnishings, memorabilia and a photo gallery.

Bourne Outdoor Swimming Pool

Bourne Outdoor Swimming Pool also known as Bourne Lido offers a near Olympic-size heated swimming pool, toddler pool, sand pit and play house. Everything the doctor ordered for a fab family day out and tremendously popular with the local community. However, like all lidos it's a use-it-or-lose-it deal so if you go once and love it take the time to go again or at least recommend it to friends: it's important to keep it popular for its long term survival!

Bourne Wood

Located near the town of Bourne, Bourne Wood is a quiet ancient woodland with a mixture of broad leaf and coniferous trees.

Walking in the woodland is the perfect way to get some fresh air and explore some of the area's beautiful landscapes. Visitors can walk up to the ponds where kingfishers and herons can be seen. Another fantastic way to explore Bourne Wood is by bike - cycling is available on the forest roads at the site and the family-friendly routes guarantee an enjoyable day out for everyone.

The Friends of Bourne Wood organise regular events throughout the year, so visit the website or look out for notices in the wood.

Bowthorpe Oak

Bowthorpe Oak in Manthorpe is perhaps England's oldest oak tree with an estimated age of over 1,000 years. The tree has a circumference of 12.30 metres. The Bowthorpe Oak can be found on Bowthorpe Park Farm and visitors are welcome throughout the year. The hollow interior had been fitted with seats and has apparently been used as a dining room for 20 people in the past. It was selected as one of 50 Great British Trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in Great Britain in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Bowthorpe Oak is featured in The Guinness Book of Records and was filmed for a short TV documentary about its size. It also appeared in the documentary Oak Tree: Nature's Greatest Survivor, hosted by George McGavin about the life of oak trees. It was a filming location for the film Hollow, directed by Michael Axelgaard.

Grimsthorpe Castle and Park

The Castle is a large quadrangular house with a central courtyard, the centrepiece of the estate. Each section has a different appearance, reflecting the different architectural styles that have been employed here since building began in the 13th century.

Once inside you can see the collection of paintings, furniture, tapestries and objects d’art that fill the state rooms. Thrones and furnishings from the House of Lords are some of the more unusual items on view.

A Castle built for a King. Grimsthorpe has been the home of the de Eresby family since 1516, when it was granted by Henry VIII to the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby on the occasion of his marriage to Maria de Salinas, lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon.

The castle sits amongst rolling Lincolnshire countryside surrounded by gardens, 3,000 acres of historic woodland and a 50-acre lake. Descendants of the deer that King Henry VIII hunted now roam the parkland, grazing under ancient oaks.

The beautifully kept gardens have spectacular topiary creations and quiet corners for relaxation and refection.

There is also a tearoom and a gift shop.

Woolsthorpe Manor House

Woolsthorpe Manor is a National Trust-owned 17th century Lincolnshire farmhouse where Sir Isaac Newton had his famous revelation about gravity. Explore the orchard with the original 400-year-old tree from which the apple fell and inspired Newton.

Bytham Castle

Bytham Castle was a castle in the village of Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire. The castle is thought to be of early Norman origin. The earthworks, on a hill above the village, are visible but nothing of the stonework is above ground. There is no public access to the monument. There is, however, a public footpath that runs alongside the castle ruins and up a hill to give reasonable view.

Willow Tree Fen Nature Reserve

Discover Lincolnshire's lost fenland at Willow Tree Fen, a former arable farm now nature reserve brimming with wildlife. As the water returned, so did the wildlife. Look for shelduck, snipe and common spotted orchids.

Willow Tree Fen was once intensively farmed arable land, growing beans and cereals. The Trust purchased the site in 2009 and nature has recovered. Now a more traditional fenland landscape of shallow meres, seasonally flooded pastures, hay meadows and reedbeds, it is rich in wildlife.

Many iconic wetland species are now thriving including lapwing, redshank, skylark, water rail, marsh harrier, shelduck, snipe, greater water parsnip, hairy dragonfly, spined loach and otter.

In 2020, a pair of cranes arrived at Willow Tree Fen and bred on the reserve for the first time - a first for Lincolnshire for at least 400 years. To secure their future on the site, the nature reserve is closed to visitors when cranes are on site.

Spalding

Spalding is a market town on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire. A vibrant and busy town centre, boasts a large number of unique independent shops and many well known high street nationals. You can visit many historical buildings, such as Ayscoughfee Hall and Gardens, the Chain Bridge Forge, a fantastic living museum and a host of amazing churches situated throughout the town and outlying villages. Just off the town centre, you can embark on a 30 minute cruise on the Spalding Water Taxi to Springfield’s Outlet Shopping Centre and award winning Festival Gardens. Spalding is also famous as the centre of the UK flower industry.

Ayscoughfee Hall

Ayscoughfee Hall is a Grade I listed 15th-century house, built for a wealthy wool merchant around 1450. This area of Lincolnshire was incredibly wealthy during the late medieval period, due to the flourishing wool trade, and Spalding's location at the lowest crossing point of the River Welland made it a major centre for wool transport.

The historic core of the building is a central hall, flanked by two wings and a tower. The Hall is generally attributed to Richard Aldwyn, or Alwyn. Richard's son, Nicholas, rose to become Lord Mayor of London in 1499, and there is an intriguing mention in his will of 'my grete place in Spalding'.

The Museum - The interior of this wonderful historic building is occupied by the South Holland Museum. The museum focuses on the social history of the region and includes collections of historic photographs, books, clothing, farming equipment and historical documents.

The Gardens - The Hall is set in historic gardens with roots at least as early as 1720. Among the garden features is a Yew Tree Walk, laid out in the 1720s, an ornamental lake the Lutyens war memorial mentioned above, and a historic ice house. A more modern addition to the historic gardens is a Peace Garden, and there is a Herb Garden featuring plants which would have been grown for the inhabitants of the Hall.

Chain Bridge Forge

On the east bank of the River Welland, a short stroll from historic Ayscoughfee Hall in the heart of Spalding, stands a small 18th-century building that has been used as a blacksmith's forge and workshop for over 200 years. Chain Bridge Forge has been brought back to life as a (free) living museum showing how blacksmithing took place on this site.

Gordon Boswell Romany Museum

The Gordon Boswell Romany Museum, on the outskirts of Spalding, offers an unusual collection of Romany horse-drawn caravans and carts. In addition, there is an exhibition on the Romany way of life, plus tools, a fortune-telling tent, cooking utensils used over an open fire, and a wealth of old photographs.

The Gordon Boswell Museum holds the largest collection of Romany Vardos (traditional painted wagons) in the world, and is the largest museum of Romany history. Old photos and sketches go back over 150 years.

Crowland Abbey

Though the name of the town is 'Crowland', the abbey is properly 'Croyland', the result of a misspelling by a medieval monk.

Crowland Abbey was a monastery of the Benedictine Order in Lincolnshire, sixteen miles from Stamford and thirteen from Peterborough. It 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, 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 down to the time of the Dissolution. Richly endowed by royal and noble visitors to the shrine of St. Guthlac, it became one of the most opulent of East Anglian abbeys; and owing to its isolated position in the heart of the fen country, its security and peace were comparatively undisturbed during the great civil wars and other national troubles.

Crowland Abbey is claimed to have been the first church in England – and among the first in the world – to have a tuned peal or ring of bells (circa 986).

Baytree Owl And Wildlife Centre

Baytree Owl & Wildlife Centre is one of the longest-running owl and bird of prey centres in Lincolnshire, providing affordable family days out for over 30 years. Their collection, which now includes native British wildlife, boasts over 100 birds which contribute to global conservation efforts through their successful breeding programme.

Moulton and its landmarks

The village of Moulton, situated between the market towns of Holbeach and Spalding, has all the trappings of a quintessential English village with the properties in the centre of the village set around the village green with a backdrop of the beautiful All Saints Church (locally knows as 'The Queen of the Fens') and Moulton Mill which is the tallest working mill in Great Britain.

The Wash

The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse.

It is a 62,046-hectare (153,320-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is also a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, a National Nature Reserve, a RAMSAR site, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area. It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of it is the Snettisham Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nature reserve.

It is made up of very extensive salt marshes, major intertidal banks of sand and mud, shallow waters and deep channels. The extensive creeks in the salt marsh, and the vegetation that grows there, helps dissipate wave energy thus improving the protection afforded to land behind the saltmarsh.

The partially confined nature of the Wash habitats, combined with the ample tidal flows, allows shellfish to breed, especially shrimp, cockles and mussels. Some water birds, for example oystercatchers, feed on shellfish. It is also an important breeding area for common terns, and a feeding area for marsh harriers. Migrating birds, such as geese, ducks and wading birds, come to the Wash in huge numbers to spend the winter, with an average total of around 400,000 birds present at any one time. It has been estimated that around two million birds will use the Wash for feeding and roosting during their annual migrations.

The Wash is recognised as being Internationally Important for 17 species of bird. This includes pink-footed goose, dark-bellied brent goose, shelduck, pintail, oystercatcher, ringed plover, grey plover, golden plover, lapwing, knot, sanderling, dunlin, black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, curlew, redshank and turnstone.

Have you heard about King John’s lost treasure? King John of England is said to have lost some of his jewels at the Wash in 1216. According to contemporary reports, John travelled from Spalding, Lincolnshire, to Bishop's Lynn, Norfolk, but was taken ill and decided to return. While he took the longer route by way of Wisbech, he sent his baggage train, comprising horse-drawn wagons, along the causeway and ford across the mouth of the Wellstream, a route usable only at low tide. The wagons moved too slowly to escape the incoming tide and many were lost.

Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse

East Bank Lighthouse, or, more familiarly known as Sir Peter Scott’s Lighthouse, stands on the eastern bank at the mouth of the River Nene to the south of The Wash. The build of the lighthouse was commissioned by John Rennie in 1830 as his final flourish to the draining of the fens, together with its twin on the west bank of the Nene opposite. Both marked the entry to the sea but were never built as lighthouses as such. They were a landmark to guide ships to the river mouth, and if they were ever formally lit, it would have been at night near high tide being the only time that larger ships can enter or leave the river.

Sir Peter Scott who, among many other things, was author and illustrator of two of the finest books on wildfowling ever written. Both ‘Morning Flight’, and its follow-up, ‘Wild Chorus’, were written whilst living at East Bank Lighthouse. He was, of course, also a renowned painter of wildfowl, drawing on his experiences hunting duck and geese, and went on to record an extraordinarily eclectic series of achievements, most notably as a founding father of the conservation movement, described by David Attenborough as conservation’s ‘patron saint’. He too, was a broadcaster for the BBC on natural history, and was also the one who designed the iconic panda logo for which the World Wildlife Fund, and conservation in general, would become synonymous.

Crosskeys Bridge, Sutton Bridge

Crosskeys Bridge is a Victorian swing bridge that spans the tidal River Nene in Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. It was originally a dual purpose bridge serving the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Company on what is now the westbound carriageway and the road was on the eastbound side.

The railway line was closed in 1965 and the bridge took on its present-day use as a road bridge. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

Deepings

Originally the Saxon word for ‘deep fen’ or ‘low place’, the Deepings is the collective name given to Market Deeping, Deeping St James, Deeping Gate, West Deeping and Deeping St Nicholas (originally known as Deeping Fen).

The low-lying land of the Deepings is rich in archaeological remains, thanks to the River Welland, which had a huge influence on the development of the Deepings settlements. Providing transport for heavy goods and a source of fresh food, such as fish, eels and wild fowl, it once formed an important highway for trade between the town of Stamford in the west, and the Wash on the east coast.

As a result, the Deepings long history as a thriving community means many original buildings have survived and remain intact, a testament to a bygone era where people moved and traded their goods using rivers as their preferred method of transport.

John Clare Cottage Museum

Tucked away between Stamford and Market Deeping lies the village of Helpston, the home of the renowned poet John Clare (1793-1864). John Clare lived in the village from 1793 until 1832. The John Clare Trust purchased the cottage in 2005. The cottage has been restored, using traditional building methods, to create a centre where people can learn about John Clare, his works and how rural people lived in the early 19th century. The gardens have been planted with varieties which would have been seen in Clare's time. The centre also includes a shop selling Clare related books, cards and craftwork created by local artists. There is also a cafe where you can enjoy homemade soup, scones and cakes.

Misty Meadows Alpacas

Set in an idyllic, quiet lakeside setting in the village of Maxey, Misty Meadows offers the perfect alpaca experience. The alpacas have all been hand picked for their friendliness and character and from the moment you first meet them you will find them impossible to resist. What could be more relaxing or rewarding than walking with an alpaca in a tranquil countryside location, away from the stresses and strains of everyday life?

Deepings Lakes Nature Reserve

A wetland nature reserve with lakes and pools, noted for its wildfowl and waterbird communities making it ideal for birdwatching.

There is a main lake (formerly known as "The Lake", dating from 1800) and two areas of smaller lakes and pools (formerly known as Welland Bank Quarry, excavated in the 1990's). These lakes support a heronry of national importance as well as supporting a huge diversity of wintering wildfowl species and breeding birds such as terns, plovers and lapwings.

Surrounding the lake are areas of wildflowers including marsh orchid. These plants and water sources make Deeping Lakes an excellent spot for minibeast hunting. Look for dragonflies dancing over the lakes and damselflies resting at the water's edge.

Commuting

South Lincolnshire sits in the heart of England, approx. 2 hours from London and within easy reach of Grantham and Peterborough, where from mainline trains serve London and the Midlands/North.

Stamford has excellent road links with easy access to the A1 (providing access to London as well as to the North), the A43 and the A47.

The A15 runs north from Peterborough via Market Deeping, Bourne to Lincoln.

Spalding gains easy access to Peterborough via the A16, whereas the A17 gives access to King’s Lynn and the North Norfolk Coast.

For international travel, three airports (London Stansted, London Luton and East Midlands Airports) are within one and half hour drive away.

Schools

South Lincolnshire has a selection of reputable schools, providing excellent education for children from a very young age.

Stamford School and Stamford High School are long-established independent schools with about 1,500 pupils between them. Stamford School for boys was founded in 1532, the High School for girls in 1877. They have run co-educational classes in the sixth form since 2000. Together with Stamford Junior School, they form the Stamford Endowed Schools.

New College Stamford offers post-16 further education: work-based, vocational and academic; and higher education courses including BA degrees in art and design awarded by the University of Lincoln and teaching-related courses awarded by Bishop Grosseteste University. The college also offers a range of informal adult learning.

Witham Hall School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 years.

Ayscoughfee Hall Preparatory School - Independent or preparatory school in Spalding

Spalding High School - is a grammar school for girls and a mixed sixth form located in Spalding.

Spalding Grammar School - fully known as The Queen Elizabeth Royal Free Grammar School Spalding, is a boys' grammar school in Spalding

Bourne Grammar School - is a co-educational grammar school with academy status on South Road, in Bourne, Lincolnshire. The school was founded in 1330. It previously held Arts College Status, and was awarded Academy status in January 2012, although it retains its former name.

Other reputable school in the neighbouring counties:

Oakham School - an independent boarding and day school for 10–18 year olds.

Uppingham School - an independent boarding and day school for pupils 13-18

Oundle School - an independent boarding and day school for pupils 11-18