Croft, Lincolnshire
Encyclopedia
Croft is a small village and civil parish
in the East Lindsey
district of Lincolnshire
, England. The village lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) north east from Wainfleet
, and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Skegness
.
Croft was mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086, when it had fifteen households, 120 acres of meadow and a salthouse.
The parish church is dedicated to All Saints
and is a grade I listed building built of greenstone
, dating from the 14th century. Monuments inside the church include kneeling alabaster
effigies to Sir Valentine Browne (d.1600) and Elizabeth (Monson) his wife, with their fifteen children in relief below. Its inscription states that Browne was "Treasurer and Vittleter of Barwicke and dyed (about 1600) Treasurer of Ireland". A related alabaster monument is to Valentine Browne's son John Browne (d.1614), and his wife Cicely (Kirkman). A further (ashlar
) monument is to William Bonde (d.1559), erected by his son Nicholas, President of Magdalen College, Oxford
. In the floor of the south aisle
and chantry
is a late 13th or early 14th century brass
, the half effigy of a knight in banded mail
. A tablet on the south side of the tower mentions a restoration of 1656; the church was again restored in 1857.
There is a tower windmill
which is Grade II listed, built in 1814, which was raised in 1859 from four to seven storeys, and in 1949 reduced again to four. It comprises tarred red brick with brick battlements. No milling machinery survives inside.
The Old Chequers Inn is a grade II listed public house
dating from the 18th century.
Within the parish of Croft are two railway stations, one being the still extant Havenhouse railway station
, the other the now closed Seacroft railway station
.
In 2011 REG Windpower announced plans to install a wind farm
with 6 wind turbines on land at Bank House Farm near Croft. The plans are at consultation stage.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the East Lindsey
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The council is based in Manby near Louth, and other major settlements in the district include Alford, Spilsby, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Horncastle and Chapel St Leonards....
district of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. The village lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) north east from Wainfleet
Wainfleet, Lincolnshire
Wainfleet All Saints is an ancient port and market town on the east coast of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the B1195 between Spilsby and Boston. The town stands on the small rivers Steeping and Limb that form Wainfleet Haven. The town is close to Skegness, Boston, Spilsby, the Lincolnshire...
, and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
.
Croft was mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086, when it had fifteen households, 120 acres of meadow and a salthouse.
The parish church is dedicated to All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
and is a grade I listed building built of greenstone
Greenstone
Pounamu is several types of hard, durable and highly valued nephrite jade, bowenite, or serpentinite found in New Zealand. Pounamu is the Māori name. The rocks are also generically known as "greenstone" in New Zealand English....
, dating from the 14th century. Monuments inside the church include kneeling alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
effigies to Sir Valentine Browne (d.1600) and Elizabeth (Monson) his wife, with their fifteen children in relief below. Its inscription states that Browne was "Treasurer and Vittleter of Barwicke and dyed (about 1600) Treasurer of Ireland". A related alabaster monument is to Valentine Browne's son John Browne (d.1614), and his wife Cicely (Kirkman). A further (ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
) monument is to William Bonde (d.1559), erected by his son Nicholas, President of Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. In the floor of the south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
and chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
is a late 13th or early 14th century brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
, the half effigy of a knight in banded mail
Mail (armour)
Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
. A tablet on the south side of the tower mentions a restoration of 1656; the church was again restored in 1857.
There is a tower windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
which is Grade II listed, built in 1814, which was raised in 1859 from four to seven storeys, and in 1949 reduced again to four. It comprises tarred red brick with brick battlements. No milling machinery survives inside.
The Old Chequers Inn is a grade II listed public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
dating from the 18th century.
Within the parish of Croft are two railway stations, one being the still extant Havenhouse railway station
Havenhouse railway station
Havenhouse railway station is situated south-west of Skegness in Lincolnshire, England. The station was originally called 'Croft Bank'. There was formerly a Seacroft railway station between Havenhouse and Skegness, but it is now closed....
, the other the now closed Seacroft railway station
Seacroft railway station
Seacroft railway station was a station in Seacroft, Lincolnshire. The line it was on, between Boston and Skegness is still open, but the station was shut due to poor use - the station being located slightly outside the village....
.
In 2011 REG Windpower announced plans to install a wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
with 6 wind turbines on land at Bank House Farm near Croft. The plans are at consultation stage.