Heckington
Encyclopedia
Heckington is a village and civil parish
in the North Kesteven
district of Lincolnshire
, England. It lies between Sleaford
and Swineshead Bridge
, south of the A17 road. Heckington, with 1491 households, is one of the largest villages in Lincolnshire.
plan and in a complete Decorated style. The original 14th century church was acquired by Bardney Abbey
in 1345, and subsequently a new chancel
was built by vicar Richard de Potesgrave, chaplain to Edward III
. Potesgrave's damaged effigy is within the church; other memorials include brasses
to John Cawdron (d. 1438), and William Cawdron "baylyf of Hekington" and his two wives. The steeple is from 1360-70; it was rebuilt in 1888 as part of a restoration, after a previous church restoration of 1867. Over the south porch are the arms of Edward the Confessor
, adopted by Richard II
in 1380.
The church has original stained glass
windows, one of which depicts the construction of the Decorated
style building itself. The church was featured in 2007 on the Divine Designs programme on Channel Five narrated by historian Paul Binski and made by WAG TV.
In 1885, Kelly's Directory reported the existence of one Baptist
and two Wesleyan
chapels, and in Heckington Fen a chapel of ease in Early English style and chapels for Primitive
and Reformed Methodists. The Methodist church was built in 1904 by the architect Albert Edward Lambert
.
of the same name, the only 8-sailed example of its type still standing in the UK and all Europe. The tower windmill built as a five-sailed mill in 1830 and turned into an eight-sailed mill after serious storm damages in 1890/2 was formerly (and sometimes still today) named Pocklington's Mill after her last owner John Pocklington. It has recently undergone two major refurbishments in 1986 and in 2004 and is fully working since and open to the public.
The Heckington Show is held annually in the village over the last weekend in July since 1864. The village has a 900-year-tradition of holding festive weekends.
On 28 June 1993, RAF
GR7 Harrier ZD430 of 3 Squadron
travelling from RAF Leeming
to Germany crashed south-west of the village towards Burton Pedwardine
. The pilot ejected safely, having ejected at 3,000 ft.
, was opened by Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 14 December 1982, and the former route of the A17 is now the B1394, which also leads to Billingborough
via Great Hale
across a level crossing over the partially single-track railway near the train station. The village has three level crossing
s.
Another linear settlement of East Heckington lies alongside the A17 road two miles east of Heckington. To the north is Howell
, which is part of the parish.
Heckington falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board
.
The parish boundary meets Kirkby la Thorpe west of Meads Farm on the A17. North of there it meets Asgarby and Howell
, which includes part of Heckington's religious parish. It follows north of the A17 eastwards then along Heckington Eau, across Washdike Bridge to the north of Star Fen. Where it crosses Car Dyke
it meets South Kyme
and follows Head Dike eastwards, across Sidebar Lane (B1395) at Five Willow Wath Bridge. This is the point where the NG, LN and PE postcodes meet. At the north-south Holland Dike, it meets Amber Hill
, and the Borough of Boston
, becoming the North Kesteven boundary. West of here is Heckington Fen, and east of the boundary is Algarkirk Fen. At the junction of Holland Dike and Skerth Drain, near Six Hundreds Farm, it meets Swineshead
. It follows Holland Dike southwards to Rakes Farm, north of the A17, meeting Great Hale. West of here the boundary meets the A17 at Maize farm, crossing Labour in Vain Drain. The boundary follows the A17 westwards, north of Poplars Farm. South of Garwick Farm it crosses Car Dyke and Carterplot Road. 300 metres south of the level crossing is the division between Great Hale
and Heckington, following The Beck westwards to the Burton Pedwardine road, where it meets Burton Pedwardine near a small copse. West of Whitehouse Farm it follows south of the railway westwards, meeting Kirkby la Thorpe
north of Lodge Farm.
want to build a 30 turbine wind farm on Heckington Fen. It would generate enough electricity for about 50,000 homes. The site is next to a line of 400kV pylons.
.
The village has a Co-op
store, a butchers and a bakers, and a tearoom on the High Street situated underneath The Squash & Leisure Club. Public houses are the Nags Head Inn on High Street and The Oak on Boston Road. A mile east on the A17 is a picnic bar for motorists.
The Village has its own swimming pool, run by volunteers, and a railway museum in the 1859 built Heckington railway station
.
Heritage Lincolnshire
and Archaeological Project Services, its commercial wing, are based in the village.
The Fen Preparatory School
is on Sidebar Lane (B1395), East Heckington. The primary school at East Heckington closed in 2009.
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 North Kesteven
North Kesteven
North Kesteven is a local government district in the East Midlands. Just over north of London, it is east of Nottingham and south of Lincoln. North Kesteven is one of seven districts in Lincolnshire, England and is in the centre of the County...
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. It lies between Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
and Swineshead Bridge
Swineshead, Lincolnshire
Not to be confused with Swineshead, BedfordshireSwineshead is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, around miles west of the town of Boston...
, south of the A17 road. Heckington, with 1491 households, is one of the largest villages in Lincolnshire.
History
Church and chapel
Heckington Grade I listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. It is of cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
plan and in a complete Decorated style. The original 14th century church was acquired by Bardney Abbey
Bardney Abbey
Bardney Abbey in Lincolnshire, England, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 697 by King Æthelred of Mercia, who was to become the first abbot. The monastery is supposed to have been destroyed during a Danish raid in 869...
in 1345, and subsequently a new chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was built by vicar Richard de Potesgrave, chaplain to Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
. Potesgrave's damaged effigy is within the church; other memorials include brasses
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...
to John Cawdron (d. 1438), and William Cawdron "baylyf of Hekington" and his two wives. The steeple is from 1360-70; it was rebuilt in 1888 as part of a restoration, after a previous church restoration of 1867. Over the south porch are the arms of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, adopted by Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
in 1380.
The church has original stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows, one of which depicts the construction of the Decorated
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
style building itself. The church was featured in 2007 on the Divine Designs programme on Channel Five narrated by historian Paul Binski and made by WAG TV.
In 1885, Kelly's Directory reported the existence of one Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and two Wesleyan
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapels, and in Heckington Fen a chapel of ease in Early English style and chapels for Primitive
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
and Reformed Methodists. The Methodist church was built in 1904 by the architect Albert Edward Lambert
Albert Edward Lambert
Albert Edward Lambert was an architect based in Nottingham.-Family:He was born in Manton in Rutland in 1869. He was the son of John Lambert and Louisa...
.
Windmill
The nearly thousand years old village (first mentioned in the 10th century) is best known for its windmillHeckington Windmill
Heckington Windmill is the only 8-sailed tower windmill still standing in the United Kingdom with its sails intact.Heckington is located about midway between Sleaford and Boston in Lincolnshire...
of the same name, the only 8-sailed example of its type still standing in the UK and all Europe. The tower windmill built as a five-sailed mill in 1830 and turned into an eight-sailed mill after serious storm damages in 1890/2 was formerly (and sometimes still today) named Pocklington's Mill after her last owner John Pocklington. It has recently undergone two major refurbishments in 1986 and in 2004 and is fully working since and open to the public.
The Heckington Show is held annually in the village over the last weekend in July since 1864. The village has a 900-year-tradition of holding festive weekends.
On 28 June 1993, RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
GR7 Harrier ZD430 of 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
travelling from RAF Leeming
RAF Leeming
RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, UK.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Leeming. The Station Commander is Group Captain Anthony Innes....
to Germany crashed south-west of the village towards Burton Pedwardine
Burton Pedwardine
Burton Pedwardine is a hamlet and civil parish in the district of North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. It lies four and a half miles south-east of the market town of Sleaford and south-west of the village of Heckington....
. The pilot ejected safely, having ejected at 3,000 ft.
Geography
The £2.5 million 2.8 mile-long village bypass, built by Reed & Mallik Ltd of SalisburySalisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, was opened by Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 14 December 1982, and the former route of the A17 is now the B1394, which also leads to Billingborough
Billingborough
Billingborough is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, about ten miles north of Bourne and ten miles south of Sleaford on the B1177 between Horbling and Pointon just south of the A52.-Village:...
via Great Hale
Great Hale
Great Hale is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the B1394 road, immediately south of Heckington and north of Helpringham.-History:...
across a level crossing over the partially single-track railway near the train station. The village has three level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s.
Another linear settlement of East Heckington lies alongside the A17 road two miles east of Heckington. To the north is Howell
Howell, Lincolnshire
Howell is a very small hamlet near Ewerby in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, overlooking Haverholme Priory just north of the A17.It is in the parish of Asgarby and Howell. The parish is dedicated to St Oswald, and with Asgarby and South Kyme is in the Heckington group of churches.-References:...
, which is part of the parish.
Heckington falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
.
Asgarby and Howell
Asgarby and Howell is a civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, consisting of the villages of Asgarby and Howell. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 69....
, which includes part of Heckington's religious parish. It follows north of the A17 eastwards then along Heckington Eau, across Washdike Bridge to the north of Star Fen. Where it crosses Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
it meets South Kyme
South Kyme
South Kyme is a small village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England; it is located south east of North Kyme which is itself from Billinghay....
and follows Head Dike eastwards, across Sidebar Lane (B1395) at Five Willow Wath Bridge. This is the point where the NG, LN and PE postcodes meet. At the north-south Holland Dike, it meets Amber Hill
Amber Hill
Amber Hill is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, west-north-west of Boston. In 2001, the census measured its population at 268...
, and the Borough of Boston
Boston (borough)
Boston is a local government district with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Boston. It lies around N53°0'0" W0°0'0"....
, becoming the North Kesteven boundary. West of here is Heckington Fen, and east of the boundary is Algarkirk Fen. At the junction of Holland Dike and Skerth Drain, near Six Hundreds Farm, it meets Swineshead
Swineshead, Lincolnshire
Not to be confused with Swineshead, BedfordshireSwineshead is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, around miles west of the town of Boston...
. It follows Holland Dike southwards to Rakes Farm, north of the A17, meeting Great Hale. West of here the boundary meets the A17 at Maize farm, crossing Labour in Vain Drain. The boundary follows the A17 westwards, north of Poplars Farm. South of Garwick Farm it crosses Car Dyke and Carterplot Road. 300 metres south of the level crossing is the division between Great Hale
Great Hale
Great Hale is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the B1394 road, immediately south of Heckington and north of Helpringham.-History:...
and Heckington, following The Beck westwards to the Burton Pedwardine road, where it meets Burton Pedwardine near a small copse. West of Whitehouse Farm it follows south of the railway westwards, meeting Kirkby la Thorpe
Kirkby la Thorpe
Kirkby la Thorpe is a village in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England.There are about 45 people who live in the village. It has a Church of England primary school. The church is dedicated to . The village pub is the Queens Head Inn on Boston Road...
north of Lodge Farm.
Proposed wind farm
EcotricityEcotricity
Ecotricity is a green energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England specialising in selling and generating wind power. It is built on the principle of heavily reinvesting its profit in building more of its own windfarms.-History:...
want to build a 30 turbine wind farm on Heckington Fen. It would generate enough electricity for about 50,000 homes. The site is next to a line of 400kV pylons.
Amenities
Heckington has a local football club and juniors football club. The Heckington 15s play in the Lincolnshire Co-op Mid Lincs League (C), run by The Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
.
The village has a Co-op
Lincolnshire Co-operative Society
Lincolnshire Co-operative is a consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd...
store, a butchers and a bakers, and a tearoom on the High Street situated underneath The Squash & Leisure Club. Public houses are the Nags Head Inn on High Street and The Oak on Boston Road. A mile east on the A17 is a picnic bar for motorists.
The Village has its own swimming pool, run by volunteers, and a railway museum in the 1859 built Heckington railway station
Heckington railway station
Heckington railway station is located in the village of Heckington in Lincolnshire, England.-Services:As of December 2010 there is an approximately hourly service to via and .-External links:...
.
Heritage Lincolnshire
Heritage Lincolnshire
The Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire or Heritage Lincolnshire in the shortened form of its name, is an independent charitable trust working to preserve, protect, promote and present Lincolnshire's heritage for the benefit of local people and visitors. It is based in Heckington near Sleaford...
and Archaeological Project Services, its commercial wing, are based in the village.
The Fen Preparatory School
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
is on Sidebar Lane (B1395), East Heckington. The primary school at East Heckington closed in 2009.
Notable residents
- Tom EdwardsTom EdwardsTom Edwards is a British radio presenter and television announcer. He began work as a journalist, then became the announcer on the Border Television programme Beat the Border...
, television and radio presenter. - Robert SandersonRobert SandersonRobert Sanderson was an English theologian and casuist.He was born in Sheffield in Yorkshire and grew up at Gilthwaite Hall, near Rotherham. He was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford. Entering the Church, he rose to be Bishop of Lincoln.His work on logic, Logicae Artis Compendium , was long a...
, Bishop of LincolnBishop of LincolnThe Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
from 1660-3, the village's vicar from 1618-9 - Abi TitmussAbi TitmussAbi Titmuss, , is a former English nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.-Early life:...
- Joseph ToynbeeJoseph ToynbeeJoseph Toynbee was an English otologist, whose career was dedicated to pathological and anatomical studies of the ear.He was born in Heckington, Lincolnshire in 1815....
, the otologistOtologyOtology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....
and ear surgeon was born in the village on 30 December 1830. His descendents were: Arnold ToynbeeArnold ToynbeeArnold Toynbee was a British economic historian also noted for his social commitment and desire to improve the living conditions of the working classes.-Biography:...
, son; Arnold J. ToynbeeArnold J. ToynbeeArnold Joseph Toynbee CH was a British historian whose twelve-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, A Study of History, 1934–1961, was a synthesis of world history, a metahistory based on universal rhythms of rise, flowering and decline, which examined history from a global...
, grandson; Philip ToynbeePhilip ToynbeeTheodore Philip Toynbee was a British writer and communist. He wrote experimental novels, and distinctive verse novels, one of which was an epic called Pantaloon, a work in several volumes, only some of which are published...
, great-grandson; the journalist; and Polly ToynbeePolly ToynbeePolly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing...
, great-granddaughter.