Grange Farm, North Hykeham, Lincolnshire

Our last day in the area was spent mainly in the centre of Lincoln, attempting to visit all the attractions omitted from our previous days’ touring. We were trying to minimise our parking costs, a futile exercise here in Lincoln, and ended up getting tangled in one way systems and closed off roads. Perhaps if one used a smart phone as a navigational device, this would not happen, as the information would be right up to date.

We set off on foot along the Witham Navigation, heading into the commercial centre of the town, wandering through the Market which offered no surprsises, a copy of so many in market towns. But High Street was another matter, busy and and just full of wonderful old buildings, the most fascinating of these High Bridge, built around 1160 and the oldest bridge in Britain still bearing buildings. The black and white buildings date from the 16^th century, though they were dismantled and rebuilt in 1900.

Today High Bridge is a popular feature of Lincoln, but two centuries ago it caused great difficulties for boats using the River Withim, which passes beneath it. The river here is shallow, making it hard for boats to cross the high riverbed, so goods had to be unloaded in the Baryford Pool, carried under the bridge by small boats called “lighters”, then re-shipped in deeper water. It was only the high costs involved that saved High Bridge from being demolished in 1803 and a new structure put in its place.

We were also impressed with the Guildhall exterior , dating from the late 15^th century , in the place of the medieval and Roman gates.

Just beyond High Bridge, the navigation entrance opens out the Brayford Pool, an important inland port in its heydays of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Then the banks of the Pool were lined with wharves, warehouses, flour and silk mills, granaries, breweries and maltings, water transport depots, boat and barge builders, coal and timber yards, public houses, offices and commercial dealers. These days the banks of the Pool are home to the University of Lincoln, construction of which commenced in 1996, restaurants, the marina and waterfowl, most particularly swans.

By the 1860s the railway had taken much of the business from the waterway although Brayford’s prosperity continued well into the 20^th century. But then it fell into decline, mills and other businesses closed and the water became littered with half submerged, derelict barges. But in 1964, the Brayford was saved from the threat of being filled in and turned into a carpark, and five years later, the Brayford Trust was established; the clearance and revival of the Pool accelerated and improved facilities began to be created for boaters and other users. Today it is part of the charm of the city, however I would not wish to swim in the waters.

Here we also learned that Lincoln had once been internationally famous for its wool exports, providing a major source of income for the city. Lincoln was honoured with a wool staple, or licence,  in 1326, but the silting of the river saw the staple move to Boston in 1369 and Lincoln’s fortunes decline.

By midday we had made our way back to the park adjacent to the Usher Gallery and found a bench to eat our lunch. No sooner had we settled did drizzly rain start, and we ended up dining on our feet under a large tree, hardly the best position for good digestion.

We then spent over an hour in The Collections, the museum exhibiting the city’s extensive collection of archeological artefacts, from prehistoric times onwards. The museum is well curated, modern and not so busy and cluttered  that one becomes bogged down. There is also another exhibition on at the moment, one with ticket entry titled “Battles & Dynasties”, which is sure to be facinating, but I was not keen to wander about the museum any longer.    

Instead we returned to the multi-storey carpark, our ticket far from expiry, but headed off for something quite different; Hartsholme Country Park, situated to the south west of the city. 

The Park covers more than 200 acres and was designated a Country Park in 1974 and opened to the public in 1979. But its history is a little older as you would expect.

In 1848 the lakes were constructed in this low-lying marshy woodland by the Lincoln Waterworks Company to provide water to the city. The lakes covered twenty five acres and held twenty three million gallons of water. They supplied 733 houses at its height and were used until 1911.

However while all this was going on, a wealthy industrialist by the name of Joseph Shuttleworth bought the lakes and surrounding lands in 1861 and completed Hartlesholme Hall the following year. Obviously consents were dealt with much more efficiently in those days, or maybe it was who you knew and how much they wanted.

The Hall was a large imposing Tudor-style mansion with ninetween bedrooms, eight cellars, hot water, heated greenhouses and striking views across the lake. Splendid gardens were landscaped and exotic trees from around the world were planted. Eight years later Shuttleworth extended the estate to around three hundred acres, then died four years later.

Two owners later, in 1908 the Hall was purchased by Lord Liverpool, Sir Arthur William de Brito Savile Folijambe, who with his family lived at the Hall from 1920 onwards, after returning from New Zealand where he had been Governor. Interestingly he was the 16^th and last Governor of New Zealand, and the first Governor General of New Zealand; just semantics. 

He sold the property two years before his death in 1841, to Thomas Place who never actually lived in the Hall. During the Second World War, the Hall was taken over by the War Department, following which it fell into disrepair. By 1947 it was resident to thirty two families squatting in what was once an impressive and grand house. In 1951 the Hall was sold to the Lincoln Corporation and due to the damage, was demolished. It was only eighty nine years old.

We wandered down to the lake edge over which the house would have looked and considered it’s demise. The lake was full of waterfowl; ducks, swans, coots, and more. The woods were busy with squirrels and a lovely place to walk. Perhaps we walked for an hour, certainly no more, and it was a lovely way to end our time in Lincoln.