This educational map provides interesting facts and information about the towns and villages of Lincolnshire. The maps enable enthusiastic parents to become involved with the education of their children and have some fun at the same time. Armed with our seven Lincolnshire maps (including the numerous “fun facts”!) it is possible for parents to convey the fascination of local history as well as the significance of places with which their children are familiar. Visiting as many of the Lincolnshire towns and villages as possible will provide invaluable experience to help with children’s local history and geography lessons at school.
New to our educational maps? Here are some brief instructions:
1. Click on the items in the blue bar above to be taken to the map of your choice
2. Left click the mouse in the map and drag to move the map around within the frame
3. Use the slider near the top left hand corner of the map to expand and contract the scale
4. Click on any pin to see details of the item
Although Alford is only a small Lincolnshire town, its August Bank Holiday craft market has grown to the extent that it now warrants its own website. The market is run by a committee of craftsmen who vet each exhibitor to ensure that they meet high quality standards. The Manor House that hosts the annual craft fair is thought to be the largest thatched Manor House in the UK.
Bardney village sits on the north side of the River Witham and on the long distance footpath known as the Water Rail Way that follows the Witham from Lincoln to Boston. This path is part of the National Cycle Network and along its length are several interesting sculptures commissioned from local artists.
Barton-upon-Humber is the most northerly town in Lincolnshire, situated at the southern approach to the Humber Bridge. To reach the picturesque southern viewing area of the bridge take the exit for Barton-upon-Humber off the A15. There are a number of pleasant walks and it is an excellent place for photography.
Boston is a market town as well as a port. The population more than doubled between 2001 and 2013 to a total of approximately 65,000. Most of the newcomers have come from Eastern Europe and are employed within thriving agricultural and distribution businesses. The parish church (St Botolph's Church/The Boston Stump) is the largest in England.
The town of Bourne originated on a Roman road and is famed for the fine-quality water which comes from natural springs. Bourne is famous for its woodlands and open spaces such as the "Abbey Lawns", "Wellhead gardens" and "Bourne Woods". In the early 1300s, Bourne was the home of "Robert Mannyng" whose contribution to history was to put the speech of common people into an easily, recognisable form.
Brigg plays host to the second largest horse fair in the UK - beaten only by the Appleby Horse Fair. On the first Saturday in August each year the town offers an opportunity to buy and sell horses as well as providing a meeting place for Romani and Irish travellers who come from all over the country to attend the event. Brigg was used as a crossing point of the River Ancholme as well as an access point to get to the river itself for thousands of years. Prehistoric boats have been found in the town, dating back to 900 BC. There was also a causeway/jetty that stood on the riverside during the end of the Bronze Age, however its exact use is uncertain.
The town of Caistor contains many fine Georgian and Victorian buildings. Dating back further than that the Caistor Grammar school was founded in 1633 and the Sessions House was built in 1662. Between 1959 and 1963 RAF Caistor was the controversial home of American-built Thor nuclear missiles but very little now remains of the former aerodrome. The word “castrum” was used by the ancient Romans as the name for a fortress and this is the origin of the town’s name.
Coningsby village takes its name from the old Norse language, (spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia during the Viking Age) and meant "The Settlement of the King". The RAF base in Coningsby is one of their most important stations. The base is home to multiple squadrons as well as "The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight" (BBMF). This was formed in 1957 as a tribute to the aviators of World War 2 and regularly flies Spitfires and Hurricanes as well as a Dakota and a Lancaster.
Crowland or Croyland (the medieval name that is still sometimes used), is a small town in the south of Lincolnshire, situated between Peterborough and Spalding. Visitor attractions not to be missed are Croyland Abbey (the ancient home St Guthlac) and Trinity Bridge, which is one of a very few bridges in the world that has lost the river that once flowed under it!
Crowle was probably developed in the 11th century and steadily grew until the late Middle Ages (c 1300 – 1500) but then suffered a decline. It could have been that the area suffered from the Black Death because two neighbouring towns were deserted at about this time. The White Hart public house is the oldest in the Isle of Axholme. A man named "Vermuyden", (who was later knighted for his work) was commissioned by Charles I, to drain the land in 1626, turning the land into an area much better suited for agriculture.
This is not to be confused with Donington Park Circuit; the home of the British Motorcyle Grand Prix which is not even in the same county as Donington, the Lincolnshire village! The village is the birth place of the famous explorer "Matthew Flinders" who made three separate voyages to the southern ocean and it was on one of these he discovered that Tasmania was an island.
The small Lincolnshire town of Epworth is famous for being the birthplace of the Wesley family who went on to found the Methodist movement. Charles Wesley wrote the words for over two thousand hymns including “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, “Hark” the Herald Angels Sing” and “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” which are still popular today.
Friskney is a thriving Lincolnshire village with an agricultural base. At one time, most of the surrounding land was wetlands and swamp, which provided an ideal setting for catching birds by the use of decoys. One of the ponds used for this purpose has risen to the status of an ancient monument.
On Lincolnshire maps, Gainsborough just squeezes into the extreme western edge. It is widely believed that Gainsborough is the fictional town known as St Ogg’s in George Eliot’s “The Mill on the Floss”. It is certain that the novelist visited Gainsborough a year before the novel was published. Another interesting fact about Gainsborough is that it was home to the Rose brothers who invented the first packaging machines – their name lives on in “Roses” chocolates!
This is a large market town with a population of around 35,000 people and a rich history... The "Angel and Royal", in the town centre is thought by many to be the oldest surviving English Inn. Grantham was the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s only woman prime minister – sometimes referred to as “The Iron Lady”. Following its feminist tradition, Grantham was the second place in the UK (after London) to recruit and train women police officers!
Legend has it that Grimsby was founded in the 9th century by a Danish fisherman named Grim. Its importance for the fishing industry dates back to the 12th century and by 1950 it was referred to as the largest fishing port in the world. The town still has a substantial fish market but sadly there are now very few fishing vessels operating from the once thriving docks. There is evidence of Roman workers setting up a small town in the area of Grimsby in the second century. Grimsby would have been a perfect location for ships to shelter from approaching storms. It would also be well situated to exploit the fishing grounds.
Holbeach is one of the largest market towns in the Lincolnshire Fens and has a population of about 5,000. Until the beginning of the 17th century the sea came to within 2 miles of the town, but after extensive drainage of the fens the sea now comes no closer than 7 miles. The RAF maintains a bombing range, on the salt marshland nearby on which missiles and explosives are tested. Holbeach is the home of Geoff Capes who came to fame as the "World’s Strongest Man".
The town of Horncastle lies on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds where the River Bain meets the River Waring. Water has played a large part in the town’s history for two reasons: Firstly in 1960 the highest 3 hour rainfall ever recorded in the UK fell on this unsuspecting Lincolnshire town – nearly 18 cms. Secondly the town has endured many severe floods that very oddly seem to coincide with the changing of the local vicar!
The village of Humberston takes its name from the Humber Stone, a large boulder that was deposited to the east of the village during the last ice age – it can still be seen today at the entrance to the village library near St. Peters Church. Amongst its claims to historical fame is that this was the place where the Danes landed in 870 to begin plundering Lincolnshire!
Immingham is affectionately known locally as Ming-Ming. A memorial in the town marks the place where the Pilgrim Fathers departed for the Netherlands prior to their epic journey on the Mayflower over 400 years ago. Immingham is the busiest freight ferry port on the east coast and a Stena Line route runs to the Hook of Holland.
Like its near neighbour, Skegness, this is a very popular seaside resort and it benefits from the same golden beaches. Billy Butlin built his first holiday camp in Ingoldmells - although often referred to as being at Skegness it is actually at Ingoldmells. Fantasy Island is home to one of the highest roller coasters in the UK with a maximum speed of 63 mph. This huge roller coaster, known as “The Odyssey”, was constructed in 2002 at a reported cost of £28 million.
Kirton is a village within the Borough of Boston and now has a population of about 4,000 people. In the Doomsday Book (completed in 1086) the village is recorded as comprising “52 households, 30 freemen, 16 smallholders, 12 ploughlands, 10 plough teams, a meadow of 60 acres, a church and 2 salthouses”!
Catherine Parr was the sixth wife of Henry VIII and she once lived in this small town of Kirton Lindsey. In more recent times Darren Bett (a BBC weatherman) was also a resident. The town is situated on and alongside the Lincoln Cliff which, although not high, is a major feature in countryside that is otherwise entirely flat.
Lincoln is the county town of Lincolnshire. It boasts a beautiful cathedral that many people believe is the finest gothic building in Europe. Guided tours of the cathedral are provided most days except Sundays. A Christmas market in the style of those held in Germany has expanded rapidly since its inception in 1982. Nowadays more than 150,000 visitors each year choose from an array of Christmas goodies displayed on over 250 stalls.
Sometimes referred to as the “capital of the Lincolnshire wolds”, this market town still holds a cattle market each Thursday at the Louth Livestock Centre. Alfred Lord Tennyson was born a short distance from Louth and he was educated at the town’s grammar school. Hubbard’s Hills is a beautiful park that is open to the public and Cadwell Park motor racing circuit is four miles south of the town.
Market Deeping has been a market town since about 1200. The River Welland flows through the town and is host to the annual “Deepings Raft Race”, usually in early August. The warmest month of the year is chosen because very few of the competitors manage to avoid a dunking!
This is a small market town that enjoys regular Tuesday, Friday and Saturday markets along with a farmer’s market on the first Tuesday of every month. It is home to the only racecourse in Lincolnshire and thus is a gathering place for the equine fraternity – beware that “unduly casual or extreme attire” will not be tolerated in the County Enclosure! Market Rasen is also home to one of the first purpose-built combined fire and police stations in the UK.
Metheringham (known as "Meg" by the locals) is a small village located 10 miles south east of Lincoln. The village was originally a small farming community but it was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1599. Nowadays most of the villagers work either in Lincoln or on the nearby RAF bases.
Not content with being one of the loveliest villages in Lincolnshire, Navenby was named "Best Value Village" in England following a national survey in 2011. A Bronze Age cemetery has been discovered in the village as well as the remains of a settlement used in the Iron Age.
The lovely little village of Nettleham has a shallow beck flowing through it and the locals maintain that you cannot be a true Nettlehamite until you have fallen into it! Rather surprisingly for a central Lincolnshire village, Nettleham is home to an oil well (north of the A158 bypass) that has been producing since 1985. The Bishop of Lincoln's manor house was situated in Nettleham and enjoyed a rich history. It was originally the property of "Edith of Wessex", who was wife of "Edward the Confessor", one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. If that were not enough, the house was later owned by Empress Matilda, the daughter and heir of Henry 1 of England.
North Hykeham is often referred to as just “Hykeham”. For a town consisting of less than 12,000 people, Hykeham is commendable for its quantity of parks. As well as Green Park, Memorial Hall Park, St Aidan’s Park and Fen Lane Park there is also a famous skatepark that is used by skaters from all over Lincolnshire. North Hykeham started off as a village and converted to a town in 1973 but it maintains its independence from Lincoln, which is situated close by. The original village dates back to The Angles, who were Germanic invaders who occupied much of Britain after the Romans.
North Somercotes derives its name from “North Summer Grazing Area” because it was only in summer that the land was dry enough for cattle to graze. A tradition that survives to the present day is the annual Pancake Races which are held each year on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day). There are competitions for all ages and the winner of the adult race has the honour of having his or her name inscribed on the trophy!
The village has a burial ground used by Anglo-Saxons who used to own and work the surrounding land. Ruskington was home to George Davy Kelly who was an influential trades unionist and Labour politician until he died in 1911. Now the village is home to approximately 5,000 people.
Saxilby village stands on the banks of the Roman Foss Canal and there is an attractive walk alongside the canal where you can find picnic tables and moorings for passing pleasure craft. There is a fine 12th-century church (St. Botolphs) and Saxilby Old Hall dates back to the 15th century. The name of the village comes from the Viking word "Saksulfr-by". and it used to be spelt "Saxebi". Just outside the village of Saxilby, lies the ruins of a Roman camp.
Scunthorpe is a Lincolnshire town that that has a national reputation - it is the largest steel processing centre in the country. The town has an abundance of iron ore and limestone (both of which are essential for the manufacture of steel) but ironically it is now cheaper to buy in foreign ore. The town is famous for its heavy industry but it is surrounded by fertile farmland and woods. In the world of computer censorship, the word Scunthorpe was sometimes outlawed because it contains a rude word! Computer buffs sometimes refer to “The Scunthorpe problem”.
Skegness (also known as "Skeggy") is one of Lincolnshire's most popular holiday areas and has many interesting attractions and events such as Skegness beach, Fantasy Island, Natureland, and a wide range of restaurants, Skegness was primarily a fishing village and a small port until 1908 when the Great Northern Railway recognized the potential for the town as a tourist attraction. A poster was commissioned featuring the slogan 'Skegness is so Bracing' and the “Jolly Fisherman” who first appeared on this poster has helped make Skegness world famous as a holiday resort.
Sleaford is the only remaining place in Lincolnshire where you can find a working water mill. The largest amount of coin pellet moulds ever found in Europe was excavated within the area of Old Sleaford which was a tribal centre during the Iron Age. Also, excavations within the town centre of Sleaford uncovered the remains of a small Anglo-Saxon settlement considered to be built in the eighth century.
Spalding is a historic market town in the fens of Lincolnshire. Like Boston, the population of the town is growing rapidly because of the addition of migrant agricultural workers. The surrounding rich farmland is ideal for intensive agriculture and there are numerous horticultural enterprises. The outlet centre known as "Springfields Shopping Centre" now attracts visitors from far and wide.
Spilsby is a rural market town that boasts a market that has been held each week since 1255 and still takes place each Monday. In the Second World War there was an airfield for Lancaster bombers at nearby Great Steeping and the base was used by the United States Air Force until 1958. The runways were ultimately torn up and the aggregate crushed for use in the Humber Bridge. The area around Spilsby has been occupied by humans since pre-historic times as evidenced by an Iron Age hill fort found at nearby West Keal.
Stamford is a beautiful historic wool town which has maintained a lot of its charm over the years. The majority of the buildings are constructed from old Lincolnshire limestone, which gives it a rich, distinguished appearance and the reputation of “The finest stone town in England". Support for this idea was given by the Sunday Times in 2013 who bestowed upon it the title “Britain’s best place to live".
It is rumoured that in 1216 King John lost his crown jewels in the marshland in Sutton Bridge whilst attempting to cross the marshlands without a guide. People to this day are still trying to find and retrieve the long lost treasure! The main industry of the town is agriculture and food processing. The Sutton Bridge port sees many ships unloading and loading cargo, and passing through to get further up the River Nene.
Sutton on Sea has carved out a position for itself on the Lincolnshire map as "the resort for QUIET holidays on the east coast" - it certainly is not as boisterous as Cleethorpes to the north or Skegness to the south. If you are standing on the beach at Sutton on Sea when the water is low and the tides are out, it is possible to view the remains of an ancient submerged forest in the distance. People have even found tree trunks that are 30 feet long on the beach.
The Humber Bridge can be seen from many parts of the town of Winterton. In October 1968 road workers found a huge stone coffin from the days of the Romans. The coffin contained a skeleton which was later identified as that of a young woman aged between 20 and 25 years. The high quality coffin suggests that she was of high status and it is assumed that she might have been the owner of a local Roman villa. The coffin was made of a single block of limestone, and the body had been laid on a large sheet of lead.
Examination of a Lincolnshire map shows Woodhall Spa to be dead centre of the county and it is widely regarded as one of its most attractive villages. Woodhall Spa is renowned for its relaxing and peaceful atmosphere. Amongst its numerous attractions is the famous Kinema in the woods, a cinema in a picturesque setting that is referred to by the locals as “Flicks in the Sticks”! During World War 2 the RAF requisitioned local hotels to hide military equipment.
Today the village of Wragby has a population of only about 1,300 but this is a significant increase on the records in the Doomsday Book (completed in 1086) when there were a mere 23 households! Wragby was a market town as well as a staging centre back in the era of Charles II. The market was always held on a Thursday and a Fair used to be held every year on the 1st of May, as well as the 28th and 29th of September.
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