121-472: The North Kesteven Council Offices , formerly County Offices, Sleaford , is a municipal structure in Lafford Terrace, Sleaford , Lincolnshire , England. The structure, which is currently used as the headquarters of North Kesteven District Council , is a Grade II listed building. The structure was originally commissioned as a row of houses known as Lafford Terrace. The name chosen for the terrace recalled
242-480: A portico formed by Doric order columns supporting arches with keystones and an entablature . The end blocks of two bays each featured bay windows on the ground floor, and the bays just before the end blocks, which were slightly projected forward, featured round headed doorways. The remainder of the building was fenestrated with round headed windows with architraves and keystones on the ground floor, with segmentally headed windows with architraves and keystones on
363-550: A 9th-century charter, when it was owned by Medehamstede Abbey in Peterborough , a Mercian royal foundation. There is little evidence of estate structure until the late Saxon period, but there may have been a market and court before the Norman Conquest , and it may well have been an economic and jurisdictional centre for surrounding settlements. The Slea played a big part in the town's economy: it never ran dry or froze, and by
484-548: A canal for much of the 19th century. Plans to canalise it were drawn up in 1773, but faced opposition from land-owners who feared it might affect the drainage of fens. Plans were approved in 1791 with the support of Brownlow Bertie, 5th Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven who owned estates and quarries that he hoped would benefit. An Act of Parliament passed in 1792, establishing the Sleaford Navigation , which opened two years later. After falling revenues due to competition from
605-492: A circuit around the town centre. The railways arrived in the 19th century. Early proposals to bring a line to Sleaford failed, but in 1852 plans were made to build the Boston, Sleaford and Midland Counties Railway and its Act of Parliament passed in 1853. The line from Grantham opened in 1857; Boston was connected in 1859, Bourne in 1871 and Ruskington on Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway in 1882. Sleaford
726-508: A former country lane east of Fulbeck. It meets the former route (with access for Pottergate Road to Wellingore , and the A607) and passes across Fulbeck Heath. At Cranwell and Byard's Leap , it re-enters North Kesteven at the line of the north–south Ermine Street (now the Viking Way ). The road used to briefly follow Ermine Street southwards to Byard's Leap with its cafe, and then eastwards to
847-563: A locally important role in the wool trade. In the Lay Subsidy of 1334, New Sleaford was the wealthiest settlement in the Flaxwell wapentake , with a value of £16 0s. 8d. / 4 d. Meanwhile, Old Sleaford, an "insignificant" place since the end of the Roman period, declined and may have been deserted by the 16th century. The manor of Old Sleaford was owned in the late 15th and early 16th centuries by
968-512: A population of 1,812 in the area covered by today's Sleaford civil parish. Following the opening of Sleaford Navigation in 1792 and the flourishing of the town's economy this produced (combined with the effects of inflated agricultural prices during the Napoleonic wars), Sleaford's population rose steadily in the first half of the 19th century. It totalled 3,539 in New Sleaford and 4,160 across all
1089-530: A pumping station had delayed the introduction of sewers. In the meantime, despite Anglicans dominating official institutions, non-conformist chapels were flourishing in the poorest parts of the town, at Westgate from the early 19th century and at Northgate after 1848, where they sought to provide spiritual care and education. Temperance was so prominent in the town that an aerated water factory, Lee and Green, opened in c. 1883 and became one of Sleaford's most important manufacturers. Although hardly damaged in
1210-518: A religion , indicating slightly higher levels of religiosity than in England as a whole (where the figures are 68.1% and 24.7% respectively). However, compared to England's population, Christians were a much higher proportion of the Sleaford's population (70.3%), and all other groups were present at a lower proportion than the national rates; Muslims were the largest religious minority, accounting for 0.4% of
1331-473: A road connecting Old Sleaford to Heckington (about 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi or 7.2 km east), where Roman tile kilns have been uncovered and may imply the presence of a market. When the first roads were built by the Romans, Sleaford was bypassed as "less conveniently located" and more "geared to native needs". A smaller road, Mareham Lane , which the Romans renewed, ran through Old Sleaford, and south along
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#17328447043521452-633: A supermarket was delayed when the town council opposed a link road through part of the recreation ground. Tesco , who had pledged to invest in a £20 million store in the development withdrew in January 2015 following financial set-backs. In 1563 there were 145 households in New Sleaford (including 20 in Holdingham), plus 10 in Old Sleaford and 17 in Quarrington. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries,
1573-519: Is Westholme , parkland which houses a school; to the road's south is West Banks and its adjoining streets, between the River Slea and the Nine-Foot Drain , an area heavily built up in the 19th century. South of Westbanks are the remains of Sleaford Castle . Outside of the town's urban area, but included in the civil parish boundaries is Greylees , a settlement built in the early 21st century on
1694-489: Is 34.6%), 10.5% divorced (compared with 9% in England), 7.1% widowed (comparable with 6.9% for all of England), 3.1% separated and 0.1% in same-sex civil partnerships (2.7% and 0.2% respectively in England). In 2011, there were 7,653 households in Sleaford civil parish. It has a roughly average proportion of one-person households (29.2% compared with England's figure of 30.2%); most other households consist of one family (65.4% of
1815-514: Is a major landmark along the route and following the river North for half a mile is the port of Sutton Bridge. Just east of the bridge the turning to the left provides access to the "Sir Peter Scott Walk" coastal path and "Snowgoose Trust" bird sanctuary. The road follows an embankment close to the edge of The Wash , and at Walpole Cross Keys it enters Norfolk and the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk . The £3.14 million 6.8-mile (10.9 km) West of Kings Lynn – County Boundary section
1936-601: Is a mostly single carriageway road linking Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire , England , to King's Lynn in Norfolk . It stretches for a distance of 62 miles travelling across the flat fen landscapes of southern Lincolnshire and western Norfolk and links the East Midlands with East Anglia . The road is notable for its numerous roundabouts and notoriously dangerous staggered junctions and also for its most famous landmark,
2057-576: Is a stop on the Peterborough to Lincoln Line and the Poacher Line , from Grantham to Skegness. Grantham , roughly 14 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (23.7 kilometres) by road and two stops on the Poacher Line, is a major stop on the East Coast Main Line . Trains from Grantham to London King's Cross take approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. The River Slea through the town was converted into use as
2178-503: Is also Sleaford Wood in the north of the town and Sleaford Moor to the north-east, near the A17 and A153's Bone Mill Junction. The British Isles experience a temperate, maritime climate with warm summers and cool winters. Lincolnshire's position on the east of the British Isles allows for a sunnier and warmer climate relative to the national average, and it is one of the driest counties in
2299-499: Is higher than average (39.2% compared with 22.3%), while the proportion of terraced household spaces is lower (19.3% against 24.5% nationally). The proportion of purpose-built flats is also lower (8.7% versus 16.7%). In 2021, 63.1% of Sleaford's residents aged between 16 and 74 were economically active (including full-time students), compared with 60.9% for all of England. 60.6% were in employment , compared with 57.4% nationally. The rate of economically inactive people aged 16 to 74
2420-503: Is no junction. The Leadenham Bypass had been planned for over thirty years, and had started out as a dual carriageway which would have been the safest option (but more expensive) for the amount of traffic that the road carries. At the point where it crosses the former Grantham to Lincoln Line, it enters South Kesteven , at Fulbeck . There is an embankment as it ascends the rest of the Lincoln Cliff at Fulbeck Hilltop Plantation, and follows
2541-504: Is one of only two direct routes which link Norfolk with the A1 , the other being the A47 . The A17 has very few stretches of dual-carriageway (four in total) with the longest being the Sleaford bypass which is 3 miles (4.8 km) long with this section containing the only grade separated junctions on the route with the second-longest at Beckingham which is just 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) long and
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#17328447043522662-771: Is sister to the Manor Farm Shop. At Bicker , it meets the A52 at the Bicker Bar Roundabout, next to the Texaco Bicker Bar Service Station and Supreme Inns. The road meets its former route. At Bank House at Wigtoft , there is a right turn for the B1181, for Bicker. Wigtoft itself is bypassed, to the south, by the £4.4 million 3-mile (4.8 km) Wigtoft-Sutterton Bypass, which opened in July 1995. At Sutterton , on
2783-606: Is the only substantial section of dual-carriageway on the route, and the main opportunity to overtake caravans and lorries. There is the grade-separated Bone Mill Junction with the A153 , which shares the route from Holdingham, and the B1517 for Sleaford. It crosses the Peterborough to Lincoln Line , then the River Slea and the Spires and Steeples Trail . East of here to the road's eastern terminus,
2904-639: Is those working in lower-tier managerial or administrative roles (21.9 per cent), followed by semi-routine (17.8 per cent), routine (15 per cent) and intermediate (12.5 per cent) occupations; no other group comprised 10 per cent or more. In terms of industry, the most common, based on those working in the sector, are the wholesale and retail trades (including automotive repairs) at 16.9 per cent, health and social care (13.4 per cent), public administration and defence (13.3 per cent) and manufacturing (10.9 per cent), with no other groups representing 10 per cent or more. An unemployment survey of Lincolnshire in 2014 found that
3025-614: The A151 on a newly built £5.4 million roundabout which opened in December 2017, and there is also a roundabout for the B1168 (the former route through Holbeach). At Fleet it passes a Hawker Hunter installed near the road, and meets the B1515, the former route from Holbeach, west of Fleet Hargate . At Gedney it meets the former route, with St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney seen to the south. The A17 meets
3146-576: The A46 at a roundabout, with access to the A1 . This section passes over the former RAF Winthorpe (now Newark Air Museum , and there is a roundabout for Newlink Business Park. It meets the former route from Coddington at the Coddington Moor roundabout. From College Plantation to Beckingham Bridge over the River Witham , the road follows the boundary between Lincolnshire (to the north) and Nottinghamshire (to
3267-523: The Bishop of Lincoln . The location of the manors recorded in Domesday is unclear. One theory endorsed by Maurice Beresford is that they focused on the settlement at Old Sleaford, due to evidence that New Sleaford was planted in the 12th century by the bishop to increase his income, a development associated with the construction of Sleaford Castle between 1123 and 1139. Beresford's theory has been criticised by
3388-755: The Cross Keys Bridge at Sutton Bridge close to the Lincolnshire / Cambridgeshire / Norfolk borders which carries the road over the River Nene . The A17 is a major route for large goods vehicles (LGV) accessing Lincolnshire and Norfolk from northern England and the Midlands and is also a major holiday route particularly in the summer months for cars and caravans making their way from the north of England to East Anglian seaside resorts of Hunstanton , Wells-next-the-Sea , Sheringham , Cromer and Great Yarmouth as it
3509-564: The First and Second World Wars , Sleaford has close links with the Royal Air Force due to proximity to several RAF bases, including RAF Cranwell , RAF Digby and RAF Waddington . Lincolnshire's topography – flat and open countryside – and its location in the east of the country made it ideal for the airfields being constructed in the First World War. Work began on Cranwell in late 1915; it
3630-580: The Hervey family by the marriage of Isabella Carre to John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol in 1688. The town's common land and fields were legally enclosed by 1794, giving ownership mostly to the Hervey family. This coincided with canalisation of the Slea , which brought economic growth until it was superseded by the railways in the mid-1850s. These new transport links supported the development of light industries and expanded
3751-549: The Lincoln Cliff seen in the distance. Leadenham is built on the side of the Lincoln Cliff, which the road no longer passes through, which gives access to the A607 . In March 1995, the £3.3 million bypass was opened and the route passes through Leadenham Park to the south of the village. It ascends the Lincoln Cliff as a three lane road ( 2+1 road ), and passes under the A607 where there
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3872-498: The River Nene at Sutton Bridge . This bridge retains its swing function necessary for access to Wisbech port for pleasure craft and small coasters. It was constructed as a shared road/rail bridge with the single line rail crossing on the west side. With the closure of the line the A17 was increased to two lanes but this bridge remains a congestion point to this day. To the south is the Sutton Bridge Power Station which
3993-539: The River Welland at Fosdyke Bridge, entering the district of South Holland a few hundred yards south of the bridge near the Ship Inn. This was built as a swing bridge in 1911 but replaced in 1989 with the current fixed span. The loss of swing stranded the coaster, JonSue, on the landward side. In March 1991 the ship was holed and sank when, on a falling tide, she settled on a dislodged limestone boulder used to reinforce
4114-595: The 11th century it supported a dozen watermills . The mills and others in nearby Quarrington and the lost hamlet of Millsthorpe, formed the "most important mill cluster in Lincolnshire". In the later Middle Ages, the Romano-British settlement became known as Old Sleaford, while New Sleaford was a settlement centred on St Denys' Church and the market place. The Domesday Book of 1086 has two entries under Eslaforde (Sleaford) recording land held by Ramsey Abbey and
4235-399: The 1940s; Bass shut the maltings in 1959, and Hubbard and Phillips's pea-sorting factory closed in 1972. New industrial estates and business parks were built off East Road in the late 20th century. By 1979, the major landowner, Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol , was heavily in debt and sold most of his estates in Sleaford and Quarrington. The estate office closed in 1989. Much of
4356-399: The 1950s. Though its traditional market has also declined sharply in the 21st century (and its cattle and corn markets shut in the 20th century), Sleaford's economy has diversified. The town remains an important administrative, service and commercial centre for the surrounding district. It houses supermarkets, shops and a large business park with offices and light manufacturing, and is home to
4477-674: The 2021 census. The previous census, in 2011, recorded that 92.7% of Sleaford's population were born in the United Kingdom, compared with 86.2% nationally; 4.3% were born in European Union countries other than the UK and Ireland; for England, the figure was 3.7%. 2.6% of the population was born outside the EU, whereas the total for England was 9.4%. In the 2011 census, 71.6% of Sleaford's population said they were religious and 21.7% said they did not follow
4598-470: The 20th century, including the Riverside Shopping Precinct and Flaxwell House, the area follows a medieval street layout and is home to many of the town's oldest buildings; it is also the retail and commercial hub. The area around Carre Street (running parallel to Southgate to the east), once home to industry and wharves, has been regenerated in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. To
4719-610: The A1 and passing through Coddington as Beckingham Road then Sleaford Lane. On the former section in Newark, when the Beacon Hill Bridge over the East Coast Main Line was replaced, the explosion to demolish the old bridge on 12 November 1961 put four construction workers in hospital. The western end begins in Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire , on the eastern side of the Newark bypass, where it meets
4840-620: The B1359 (for Gedney Drove End ) at a roundabout. The Long Sutton-Sutton Bridge bypass was opened in 1989. It passes Long Sutton , Little Sutton and Sutton Bridge . It meets the B1390, for Sutton St James , at a roundabout. It meets the B1359 (for Long Sutton), and the A1101, for Wisbech , at a roundabout. There are two roundabouts where it changes direction abruptly and crosses the Cross Keys swing bridge over
4961-457: The English rate of 17.4%), and manufacturing (10.0%, above the national rate of 7.3%). No other sectors accounted for more than 10% of the population and were comparable to the national rate, except for transport and communication, which was almost 40% lower than the rate in England as a whole. In terms of occupational composition, in 2021 Sleaford's workforce was broadly similar to the workforce in
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5082-692: The Hoplands, Russell Crescent, Jubilee Grove and Grantham Road. Parts of the town were redeveloped: in 1958, the Bristol Arms Arcade opened, the Corn Exchange was demolished in the 1960s and the Waterside Shopping Precinct opened in 1973, as did Flaxwell House, designed to house a department store, though later becoming the national headquarters for Interflora . Old industries departed; Ward and Dale closed down in 1939 and Lee and Green around
5203-737: The Hussey family, but John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford was executed for treason for his part in the Lincolnshire Rising . The manor and his residence at Old Place reverted to the Crown and were later sold to Robert Carre. George Carre or Carr from Northumberland had settled in Sleaford by 1522 when he was described as a wool merchant. His son Robert bought Hussey's land and the castle and manor of New Sleaford from Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln . His eldest surviving son Robert, founded Carre's Grammar School in 1604, and his youngest son Edward
5324-886: The Jolly Scotchman (on the B1518 – the former route). There is the Sleaford Little Chef , the Sleaford Travelodge , and the TOTAL Holdingham Service Station. On the former route to Sleaford there is a McDonald's and the Texaco Hockmeyer Motors. Sleaford was bypassed by the A17 on 27 March 1975, when opened by Joseph Godber . The section from the A15 to the A153 had earlier been opened on 14 November 1973. It
5445-555: The National Centre for Craft & Design (The Hub) . The town is one of the largest employment centres in the district; the commonest employers in 2021 were the public sector, retail and, to a much lesser degree, manufacturing. Sleaford is a civil parish and market town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire . It is bounded by the civil parishes of Leasingham to the north; Ewerby and Evedon , and Kirkby la Thorpe to
5566-408: The National Centre for Craft & Design ) in the old Navigation wharves area. Sleaford served the surrounding agricultural communities and the town maintained a weekly market throughout the 19th century and a livestock market on Northgate from 1874 until 1984. According to a 2010 council report, the public sector was the town's main employer, along with agriculture and manufacturing. Unemployment
5687-400: The River Slea began in the 1790s. Canals in England were constructed from the 1760s to make inland trade easier; Sleaford's businessmen were keen to benefit from these. Sleaford Navigation opened in 1794. It eased the export of farm produce to the Midlands and the import of coal and oil. Mills along the Slea benefited and wharves were constructed around Carre Street. Between 1829 and 1836
5808-430: The Rural Deanery of Lafford which had surrounded Sleaford. The terrace was designed by the local firm of architects, Kirk and Parry , in the Italianate style , built in coursed stone with ashlar dressings and was completed in 1856. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 23 bays facing southwest with the central block and end blocks projected forward as pavilions . The central block of five bays featured
5929-501: The Saxons did establish themselves eventually. South of the modern town, a 6th to 7th-century cemetery has been uncovered with an estimated 600 burials, many showing signs of pagan burial rites. The now ruined Church of St Giles/All Saints at Old Sleaford has been discovered and excavations of the market place in 1979 uncovered Anglo-Saxon remains from the 8th–9th centuries, indicating some form of enclosure with domestic features. The earliest documentary reference to Sleaford occurs in
6050-481: The UK. In Sleaford, the average daily high temperature peaks at 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) in July and a peak average daily mean of 17.2 °C (63.0 °F) occurs in July. The lowest daily mean temperature is 4.1 °C (39.4 °F) in January; the average daily high for that month is 7.0 °C (44.6 °F) and the daily low is 1.3 °C (34.3 °F) (the latter also occurs in February). The East of England tends to be sheltered from strong winds relative to
6171-441: The Welland channel and was cut up on site later the same year. The Macmillan Way crosses the river via this bridge also. At Moulton , there is a right turn for the B1357 for Moulton Seas End . At Whaplode as Washway Road, it passes Saracen's Head. At this point the former road passed through Saracen's Head, Holbeach and Fleet Hargate . The bypass, New Washway Road from Saracen's Head to Laurel Lodge Farm, opened in 1989. It meets
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#17328447043526292-427: The buildings or infrastructure being improved. Major changes to agriculture and industry took place in the last decade of that century. From the Middle Ages, Sleaford was surrounded by three open fields known as North, West and Sleaford Fields. When these were enclosed in 1794, over 90 per cent of the 1,096 acres (444 hectares) of the open land was owned by Lord Bristol. Despite the costs of fencing and re-organisation,
6413-409: The bypass, it meets the B1397 Spalding Road at staggered crossroads, for Gosberton , and Sutterton, which is the former A16 (Spalding to Boston). At Sutterton Roundabout, near Algarkirk , it meets the A16 , which is built on the former Lincolnshire Loop Line , and there is the BP Service Station and Sutterton Little Chef on the left hand side. It passes Fosdyke to the west, where it crosses
6534-441: The council's existence. The county council was abolished when the newly-formed Lincolnshire County Council was formed at the County Offices in Lincoln in 1974. The building then became the offices of North Kesteven District Council , who shortly afterwards added a council chamber to the building. Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire , England. On
6655-493: The country. The town centre lies about 49 feet (15 m) above sea level and has formed around the River Slea, which runs west to north-east through it. A band of Jurassic Cornbrash limestone forms the bedrock under Holdingham (where the ground rises to 82 feet (25 m) above sea level in places), parts of central Sleaford, and most of the housing at Quarrington (where elevations exceed over 98 feet (30 m) at Quarrington Hill) and southern Greylees. The bedrock on
6776-472: The county experienced a decline in unemployment (based on Jobseekers Allowance claimants) by 29 per cent over the preceding 12 months, while the county's unemployment rate was marginally below the national average. In 2011 North Kesteven District Council produced a 25-year strategy to regenerate the town, since its rapid growth since the 1990s had outgrown improvements to its infrastructure. It planned future residential developments and outlined ways to improve
6897-401: The county. The infrastructure struggled to cope, especially with increased traffic congestion. Two bypasses opened and a one-way system was introduced, a process that Simon Pawley argues accelerated the decline of the High Street. In the early 2000s, the Single Regeneration Budget of £15 million granted to Sleaford improved the town centre and funded development of the Hub in 2003 (later called
7018-406: The current route at the B1429 junction. The road now passes slightly further to the north, with a right turn for the B6403 , and a left turn for the B1429 for RAF Cranwell . In North Rauceby , it passes along the southern edge of the airfield. There is a crossroads for Cranwell , to the left, and North Rauceby, to the south. The A17 meets the north–south A15 at the Holdingham Roundabout, near
7139-460: The deposit has led archaeologists to consider that the site in Old Sleaford as one of the largest Corieltauvian settlements in the period and possibly a tribal centre. During the Roman occupation of Britain (AD 43–409), the settlement was "extensive and of considerable importance". Its location beside the Fens may have made it economically and administratively significant as a centre for stewards and owners of fenland estates. There are signs of
7260-423: The development of the 13-acre (5-hectare) Bass & Co maltings complex at Mareham Lane (1892–1905). New Sleaford's population more than doubled from 1,596 in 1801 to 3,539 in 1851. Coinciding with this is the construction or extension of public buildings, often by the local contractors Charles Kirk and Thomas Parry . The gasworks opened in 1839 to provide lighting in the town. Sleaford's Poor Law Union
7381-410: The diocese recorded that there were "more than 250 families" in the ecclesiastical parish of Sleaford, with a further 35 in the parish of Quarrington. One estimate puts the population of New Sleaford at 800 to 900 at this time. The first official census was conducted in 1801 and recorded a population of 1,596 in New Sleaford (including Holdingham); combined with Old Sleaford and Quarrington, this gave
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#17328447043527502-445: The district boundary. At the Holland Dike, it enters the borough of Boston (the former Kesteven / Holland boundary). At Swineshead Bridge there is a left turn for the A1121, for Boston , and the road is crossed by the Poacher Line at a level crossing next to the Barge Inn and Swineshead railway station . Swineshead was bypassed in 1985, and the former route leaves at the High Bridge Junction], passing The Ivy farm shop, which
7623-407: The early 13th century as Sliforde . In the 13th century Book of Fees it appears as Lafford . The name is formed from the Old English words sliow and ford , together meaning 'ford over a muddy or slimy river'. Archaeological material from the Bronze Age and earlier has been recovered and excavations have shown there was unsustained late- Neolithic and Bronze Age human activity in
7744-528: The east; Silk Willoughby to the south; and Wilsford , South Rauceby and North Rauceby to the west. These neighbouring parishes are all rural, comprising villages separated from Sleaford's urban area by fields, though Kirkby la Thorpe also includes the Milton Way housing estate on Sleaford's eastern fringe. Sleaford's urban area includes the town centre, focused on the marketplace fronted by St Denys' Church , where Eastgate, Northgate, Southgate and Westgate meet. Though some parts have been redeveloped in
7865-419: The eastern parts of the town comprises Jurassic Kellaways sandstone and siltstone . To the west, the Slea follows a shallow valley underlain by Jurassic Blisworth clay and limestone and, at its lowest elevations at Quarrington Fen and Boiling Wells Farm, earlier Jurassic Rutland argillaceous rocks and Upper Lincolnshire limestone. Greylees and the northern fringe of the Quarrington Hill estate sit on
7986-402: The edge of the Fenlands , it is 11 miles (18 kilometres) north-east of Grantham , 16 mi (26 km) west of Boston , and 17 mi (27 km) south of Lincoln . It is the largest settlement in North Kesteven with a population of 19,807 in 2021 . Centred on the former parish of New Sleaford , the modern boundaries and urban area include Quarrington to the south-west, Holdingham to
8107-429: The fen edge towards Bourne. Where it passed through Old Sleaford, excavations have shown a large stone-built domestic residence, associated farm buildings, corn-driers, ovens and field systems, all from the Roman period, and a number of burials. Other Roman remains, including a burial, have been excavated in the town. There is little evidence of continuous settlement between the late Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods but
8228-399: The first floor and, in the case of the central block and the end blocks which incorporated an extra floor, with square headed windows with architraves on the second floor. At roof level, the connecting blocks of six bays each featured round headed dormer windows, and the whole structure was surmounted by a modillioned cornice and a hip roof . Residents in the terrace included Mary Wedd,
8349-461: The first mistress of Sleaford Art School, who lived at No. 6 Lafford Terrace. Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888 , which established county councils in every county, it became necessary to find offices and a meeting place for Kesteven County Council . The county council initially established its offices in Jermyn Street and council meetings were held on an alternating basis between venues in Grantham and Sleaford. However, by
8470-519: The hamlet. The town later had at least two guilds comparable to those found in developed towns. However, there was no formal charter outlining its freedoms; it was not a centre of trade, and tight control by the bishops meant the economy was mainly geared to serve them. So it retained a strong tradition of demesne farming well into the 14th century. As the economic initiative passed more to burgesses and middlemen who formed ties with nearby towns such as Boston , evidence suggests that Sleaford developed
8591-404: The headquarters of North Kesteven District Council ; three secondary schools (two of which are selective); four primary schools; three newspapers; police, fire and ambulance stations; several places of worship; many sports clubs; a leisure centre; and several medical and dental practices and care homes. Regeneration has transformed some earlier industrial areas, including through the construction of
8712-463: The historians Christine Mahany and David Roffe who have reinterpreted the Domesday material and argued that in 1086 the Bishop's manor included the church and associated settlement which became "New" Sleaford. A charter to hold a fair on the feast day of St Denis was granted by King Stephen to Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln , in 1136–1140. Between 1154 and 1165, Henry II granted the bishop of Lincoln
8833-412: The land went to property developers and subsequent decades brought new housing and a considerable rise in population. According to a council report, people were attracted to the town by "the quality of life, low crime rates, relatively low house prices and good-quality education". From 1981 to 2011, Sleaford's population rose from 8,000 to 18,000; the growth rate in 1991–2001 was the fastest of any town in
8954-463: The landscape is flat. At Kirkby la Thorpe it meets the former route from Sleaford, near the Queens Head. The former route has a 13 ft 9in low (railway) Boston Road Bridge, another important reason for building the bypass. From here to Swineshead , the road follows the railway from Sleaford to Boston. There is a left turn for Asgarby , and a right turn for Burton Pedwardine . At Heckington ,
9075-409: The lowest level of deprivation of any district in Lincolnshire, with only 0.7% of the district's population living in places in the most deprived decile nationally. The indices divided the Sleaford parish into 10 statistical areas ( LSOAs ). Of these 10 areas, five placed within the least-deprived 30% of LSOAs nationally (one placed in the least-deprived 10% nationally); these were mostly concentrated in
9196-462: The manor. Granted the right to hold a market in the mid-12th century, New Sleaford developed into a market town and became locally important in the wool trade, while Old Sleaford (based near the site of the prehistoric settlement) declined. From the 16th century, the landowning Carre family kept tight control over the town – it grew little in the early modern period. The manor passed from the Carre family to
9317-420: The mid-1920s, councillors found this arrangement unsatisfactory and, in 1925 bought Lafford Terrace for conversion and use as its permanent headquarters. The building was offices rather than the council's meeting place; plans to add a council chamber to the building were considered but not pursued, and council meetings continued to be held alternately at Grantham Guildhall and Sessions House, Sleaford throughout
9438-483: The navigation's toll rights increased in value 27 times over. The railways emerged in the 19th century as an alternative to canals and arrived at the town in 1857, when a line from Grantham to Sleaford opened. This made trading easier and improved communications, but led to the decline of the Navigation Company. Income from tolls decreased by 80 per cent between 1858 and 1868; it made its first loss in 1873 and
9559-575: The north and west of the country. Despite this, tornadoes form more often in the East of England than elsewhere; Sleaford suffered them in 2006 and 2012, both causing damage to property. The earliest records of the place-name Sleaford are found in a charter of 852 as Slioford and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Sliowaford . In the Domesday Book (1086), it is recorded as Eslaforde and in
9680-602: The north-west and Old Sleaford to the east. The town is bypassed by the A17 and the A15 roads, which link it to Lincoln, Newark , Peterborough , Grantham , Boston and King's Lynn . Sleaford railway station is on the Nottingham to Skegness (via Grantham) and Peterborough to Lincoln lines. The first settlement formed in the Iron Age where a prehistoric track crossed the River Slea . It
9801-437: The north-west of the centre, housing developments along Northgate (which becomes Lincoln Road north of the railway line), mostly built in the 20th and early 21st centuries, have brought the hamlet of Holdingham into Sleaford's urban area, which extends as far north as the A17 and A15 junction at Holdingham Roundabout. To the north-east, the town's built-up area has expanded along Eastgate, with 19th-century housing closer to
9922-597: The oncoming traffic allow. In the summer there are many caravans travelling to Great Yarmouth and the north Norfolk coast. The main meeting points at the roundabouts of the A52, A15, and A16 routinely cause long queues. The section through South Holland is also heavily used by tractors. The western end of the road formerly began at the former A46 junction in Newark-on-Trent where Queens Road met North Gate (former A46). It then followed Sleaford Road and Beacon Hill Road, meeting
10043-574: The other two stretches are at roundabouts in Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge both of which are under 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long. In addition, there are several stretches of dual carriageway at junctions. It is one of two main routes for residents of East Anglia to get to the north of England (and vice versa). The other is the A47 via Peterborough, which is a longer route but has more dual carriageway, particularly around Peterborough, though it too remains mostly single carriageway. The A17
10164-573: The plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe regularly visited. Sleaford's population remained static between the wars, but the Great Depression in the 1930s caused unemployment to rise. The Council housing put up along Drove Lane proved insufficient for the low-income families after the Westgate slums were cleared in the 1930s; Jubilee Grove opened in that decade to meet the demand. In the post-war period, there were housing developments at St Giles Avenue,
10285-405: The population growth rate between 1991 and 2001 was the fastest of any town in Lincolnshire. Between 1981 and 2011, the population more than doubled, reaching 17,671; this had risen by a further 12% to 19,815 by the 2021 census. This accounts for 17% of North Kesteven's population, making Sleaford the most populous civil parish in the district. According to the 2021 census, Sleaford's population
10406-463: The population to rapidly expand and the urban area to engulf Quarrington and Holdingham. Sleaford was a market town until the 20th century, serving a rural hinterland. Seed companies such as Hubbard and Phillips and Sharpes International were established in the late 19th century, though have since closed. The arrival of the railway made the town favourable for malting, but the Bass Maltings closed in
10527-457: The population were in good or very good health, compared to 81.4% in England. As of 2011, Sleaford has a higher proportion of people who own their homes with or without a mortgage (68.5%) than in England (63.3%), a slightly lower proportion of people who privately rent (15.8% compared with 16.8%) and a much smaller proportion of social renters (13.8% compared with 17.7% nationally). The proportion of household spaces which are detached houses
10648-441: The railways, the navigation company closed in 1878. The river, although no longer navigable, passes under Carre Street and Southgate. The Nine Foot Drain, also unnavigable, meets the Slea just before Southgate. Sleaford is also home to the bus company Sleafordian Coaches , which operates buses on routes in, through and around the town. From the medieval period, New Sleaford and Old Sleaford were ancient parishes ; New Sleaford
10769-507: The right to hold a market at Sleaford; Bishop Oliver Sutton argued in 1281 that his right to hold a market and fair had existed since time immemorial. In 1329, Edward III confirmed the market. In 1401, Henry IV granted the bishop fairs on the feast days of St Denis and St Peter's Chains. A survey of burgage tenure from 1258 survives; tenants in the nearby hamlet of Holdingham held tofts with other land, while those in New Sleaford held only tofts, indicating that demesne farming centred on
10890-482: The road is straddled by housing west of the railway; developments near the centre are mostly 18th- and 19th-century, while those around Old Place , at the Hoplands and south of Boston Road are mostly planned 20th- or 21st-century residential estates. The Victorian train station can be found near the bottom of Southgate; Station Road includes some converted 19th-century warehouses. Mareham Lane heads south out of
11011-428: The second world war in 1939 there were 7,835 residents. Sleaford's population grew very slowly in the post-war years, reaching 7,975 by 1971, largely due to the fact that Lord Bristol remained owner of the vast majority of the undeveloped land around the town. However, as the 6th Marquess sold the land from the 1960s onwards and speculative housing blossomed around Sleaford, the civil parish's population expanded rapidly;
11132-516: The site of the former Rauceby Hospital . Sleaford occupies a position on the Lincoln Heath , a limestone plateau between the Lincoln Cliff to the west (a Limestone scarp running north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven ), and the Fens to the east, a low-lying region of the East of England which has been drained to reveal nutrient-rich soils that form some of the most productive farmland in
11253-471: The south), slightly to the north. The road also enters North Kesteven . It crosses the River Witham as part of the dual-carriageway Beckingham Bypass which was built in 1972 at a cost of £600,000, where there is a left turn for Carlton-le-Moorland . It returns to its former route and passes cross-roads for access to Brant Broughton and Stragglethorpe. This is one of the most accident-prone junctions in Lincolnshire. It passes across Leadenham Low Fields, with
11374-665: The southern edge of this valley, on the Blisworth clays and limestone. Alluvium deposits are found along the Slea's course, and sand and gravel of the Sleaford series are found to the east and south. Most of the soil is free-draining, lime-rich and loamy, though some of the eastern parts are on loamy soils with naturally high groundwater. Two Local Nature Reserves sit within the civil parish boundaries: Lollycocks Field, providing mostly wildflower and wetlands habitats alongside Eastgate, and Mareham Pastures , consisting of wildflower meadows, new woodland, hedges and open grassland. There
11495-436: The system was easier to farm and cottages were built closer to fields, while the landowner could charge more rent owing to the increased profitability of the land; those who lost out were the cottagers, who could no longer keep a few animals grazing on the common land at no cost. The process allowed the land boundaries and pathways to be tidied; Drove Lane, running to Rauceby, was shifted north and straightened. Canalisation of
11616-413: The three parishes by 1851. The population grew much more slowly between the 1850s and the 1880s, before witnessing further growth that took the urban district's population to 6,427 by 1911 (incorporating New Sleaford, Old Sleaford, Holdingham and Quarrington). Slower rates were recorded for the urban district between then and the 1931 census, though the pace picked up again in the 1930s; by the outbreak of
11737-406: The total, higher than England's 61.8%). The 2011 census showed Sleaford's population to be very slightly higher than the national average; the mean age was 40 and the median 41 years, compared with 39.3 and 39 for England. 24.3% of the population was under 20, versus 24% of England's, and 23.2% of Sleaford's population was aged over 60, compared with 22% of England's population. In 2011, 82.1% of
11858-460: The town centre giving way to modern business parks with warehouses, factories and office units; the River Slea forms the southern boundary of these developments and closer to the town Lollycocks Field sits between the one of the business parks, Eastgate and the Slea. South of the river, the town's urban area extends eastwards along Boston Road, which runs from Southgate to the A17 at Kirkby la Thorpe . Except for Boston Road Recreation Ground ,
11979-494: The town centre. It suggested developing more parking around the centre and reverting parts of the one-way system, developing southern Southgate and turning Money's Yard into an attraction to link with the National Centre for Craft and Design. North Kesteven District Council granted planning permission for a £56 m project to redevelop the derelict Bass Maltings site by converting it into residential and retail space and creating about 500 permanent jobs. The development including
12100-487: The town until the bypass opened in 1975. The Holdingham roundabout connects the A17 to the A15 road from Peterborough to Scawby . It also passed through Sleaford until 1993, when its bypass was completed. Construction by Morrison Shand started in July 1992, being planned to take 18 months; it opened on Thursday 16 September 1993. Three roads meet at Sleaford's market place: Northgate (B1518), Southgate and Eastgate (B1517). A one-way system set up in 1994 creates
12221-430: The town's residents compared with 5% nationally; all other groups were present in very low numbers. Parish-level data about household composition, age and housing have not yet been published for the 2021 census. In the 2011 census, 48.4% of the population were male and 51.6% female. Of the population over 16, 50.3% were married, compared to 46.6% in England; 28.9% were single (a smaller proportion than in England where it
12342-441: The town's role in the trade in agricultural goods. Long a centre for local justice and administration in north Kesteven , Sleaford became an urban district in 1894 and was also home to other public bodies including the now-abolished Kesteven County Council (1925–1974). After a period of stagnation, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries the sale of farmland around Sleaford led to the development of large housing estates, causing
12463-409: The town, past the vast disused Bass Maltings complex. Also forking off from Southgate are Grantham Road and London Road, which fan out in a south-west direction. They link Sleaford with Quarrington village, which has a historic core that has been merged into the town's urban area by modern housing developments. The earliest suburban housing at the base of Southgate appeared in the 19th century and
12584-478: The town. Industry was slow to take hold. By the second half of the 18th century, Cogglesford Mill was the only working corn mill in the town. An old mill at the junction of Westgate and Castle Causeway supplied hemp to the growing rope-making business of the Foster and Hill families. As the local historian Simon Pawley wrote, "In many respects, things had changed little [by 1783] since the survey of 1692," with few of
12705-532: The vicinity. The earliest known permanent settlement dates from the Iron Age , where a track northwards from Bourne crossed the River Slea. Although only sparse pottery evidence has been found for the middle Iron Age period, 4,290 pellet mould fragments, probably used for minting and dated to 50 BC–AD 50, have been uncovered south-east of the modern town centre, south of a crossing of the River Slea and near Mareham Lane in Old Sleaford. The largest of its kind in Europe,
12826-588: The west of the town, especially in Quarrington and the western parts of the Holdingham ward. However, the parts of the Westholme and Castle wards clustered around the town centre and the eastern part of Holdingham ward fall within the most-deprived 40% of areas nationally, with some of these LSOAs having even higher levels of deprivation. The A17 road from Newark-on-Trent to King's Lynn bypasses Sleaford from Holdingham Roundabout to Kirkby la Thorpe . It ran through
12947-457: The whole of England. It has slightly lower proportions of people in professional, associate professional and technical roles (30.4%) and managerial occupations (11.1%). There are slightly higher proportions of people in caring , leisure and other service occupations (10.3%), process, plant and machine operatives (8.8%), and elementary occupations (11.4%). The government's Indices of Multiple Deprivation (2019) show that North Kesteven contains
13068-593: The £2.5 million 2.8-mile (4.5 km) bypass was opened on 14 December 1982 by Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey . The former route is the B1394, and meets the A17 east of the village at the point where it is crossed by a 400 kV pylon line. A mile east of Heckington, it crosses the Car Dyke . There is a left turn for the B1395, for South Kyme , and the road forms the parish boundary between Heckington and Great Hale until
13189-442: Was 36.9%, lower than the rate in England as a whole (39.1%). The 2021 census revealed that the most common industries residents worked in were: public administration, education and health (combined 37.2%, much higher than the national rate of 30.3%), retail, hotels and accommodation (combined 21.0%, slightly higher than England's rate of 19.9%), finance, real estate, professional or administrative services (combined 10.6%, well below
13310-462: Was 96.3% White ; 1.4% Asian or British Asian ; 0.4% Black , African , Caribbean or Black British ; 1.4% mixed or multi-ethnic; and 0.5% other ethnicities. The population is therefore less ethnically diverse than England as a whole, where 81.0% were White, 9.6% Asian or British Asian, 4.2% Black, African, Caribbean or Black British, 3.0 mixed and 2.2% other. Parish-level data about country of origin and religion have not yet been published for
13431-510: Was a tribal centre and home to a mint for the Corieltauvi in the 1st centuries BC and AD. Evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon settlement has been found. The medieval records differentiate between Old and New Sleaford, the latter emerging by the 12th century around the present-day market place and St Denys' Church ; Sleaford Castle was also built at that time for the Bishops of Lincoln , who owned
13552-672: Was abandoned in 1878. The town's rural location and transport links led in the late 19th century to the rise of two local seed merchants: Hubbard and Phillips, and Charles Sharpe; the former took over the Navigation Wharves, and the latter was trading in the US and Europe by the 1880s. The advent of steam power led Kirk and Parry to open a large steam-powered flour mill in 1857 and provided the basis of Ward and Dale 's factory, which made steam cultivators for farming. The railway, Sleaford's rural location and its artesian wells, were key factors in
13673-555: Was created a baronet ; his son founded Sleaford Hospital in 1636. The last male descendant died in 1683 and the heiress, Isabella Carre, married John Hervey, Earl of Bristol , in whose family the estates remained until the 1970s. The Carres and Herveys had a strong influence: while extracting dues from their tenants, they took leading tradesmen to the Exchequer Court to gain legal force behind their monopoly on charging tolls on market and cattle traders and for driving animals through
13794-582: Was designated an RAF base in 1918 and the RAF College opened in 1920 as the world's first air academy. The Cranwell branch railway linking Sleaford station with the RAF base opened in 1917 and closed in 1956. During the Second World War, Lincolnshire was "the most significant location for bomber command" and Rauceby Hospital , south-west of Sleaford, was requisitioned by the RAF as a specialist burns unit which
13915-415: Was formed in 1836 to cater for the town and the surrounding 54 parishes. A workhouse was built by 1838, able to house 181 inmates. Despite these advances, the slums around Westgate were crowded, lacking in sanitation and ridden by disease; Northgate, as the entry point from the north along the turnpike , had also attracted notoriety for its taverns, lodging houses and brothels in the early 19th century: it
14036-425: Was formerly a trunk road, but was reclassified as a principal road (maintained by the local authority) in 2002. The A47 retains trunk road status as far as its junction with the A1. The road carries more traffic than it was designed to carry. It also carries many goods vehicles that must travel at or below 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) on the stretches of single carriageway. Impatient drivers take risks when gaps in
14157-621: Was in the Flaxwell wapentake and Old Sleaford in the Ashwardhurn one, both in the Kesteven parts of the Lincolnshire . New Sleaford contained the main built-up area, and its ancient parish boundaries also included the rural hamlet of Holdingham to the north-west. A17 road (England) [REDACTED] A52 near Swineshead [REDACTED] A16 in Sutterton The A17 road
14278-409: Was known as New Quarrington , while ribbon development along London and Grantham roads is mostly early-20th-century; much larger planned developments took place in the late 20th and 21st centuries at Quarrington Hill , Southfields and between the two roads. To the town centre's west is Westgate, medieval in origin but heavily developed with dense terraced housing in the 19th century; to its north
14399-580: Was lower than the national average as were wages reflecting pay in the food processing and agricultural industries. At the 2011 Census, the largest group of working-age persons by economic activity are those in full-time employment, who make up 43.8 per cent of this section of the population, while 15 per cent are part-time employees and 7.7 per cent are self-employed; 15 per cent of the working-age population were retired, 4.2 per cent unemployed, with 40 per cent of those in long-term unemployment and roughly one third aged 16 to 24. The largest socio-economic grouping
14520-610: Was opened on 14 December 1982 by Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey . In Terrington St Clement , there is a crossroads at Balsam Field, for Tilney High End to the right, at which there is the African Violet Centre with a cafe. From this point all the way to the A47 junction, the road is the parish boundary between Clenchwarton to the north, and Tilney All Saints to the south. The former route passed through Terrington St Clement, Clenchwarton and West Lynn . The improved follows
14641-522: Was the "plague spot of the town". The local administration failed to deal with these issues, prompting a heavily critical report on the town's public health by the General Board of Health, which set up a Local Board of Health in 1850 to undertake public works. By the 1880s, Lord Bristol had allowed the Board to pump clean water into the town, though engineering problems and his reluctance to sell land to house
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