Ludford, Lincolnshire
Encyclopedia
Ludford is a village and parish
in the English county of Lincolnshire
. It comprises the adjacent villages of Ludford Magna and Ludford Parva.
, just outside of its bordering region, West Lindsey
. It sits along a mile-long (Magna Mile) section of the fast-flowing east-west A631
Market Rasen to Louth
road.
Ludford sits in an area of outstanding natural beauty at the summit of the Lincolnshire Wolds
. From the B1225/A631 crossroads, to the west of the village, the parish boundary (also that of East and West Lindsey
), follows the B1225 northwards, bordering North Willingham
. It briefly borders Tealby
along the B1225, the parish and district boundary moves from the B1225 eastwards through Kirmond Hall, bordering Kirmond le Mire
. South of Walmsley Holt the boundary moves eastwards from the district boundary. It passes south of Spottle Hill Farm and Low Farm, and east of Tows Farm, at Great Tows on the road to Ludborough
, it meets Calcethorpe with Kelstern
. It crosses the A631 around two miles west of the village centre. At this point it follows the start of the River Bain
southwards, east of the serted villages of Weast and East Wykeham
, which are part of the parish. At Bain Wood, where the two tributaries of the River Bain meet, it meets Burgh on Bain
. It passes north-west along the eastern edge of Wykeham Plantation, on the western edge of Wykeham Pond, and along another (western) tributary of the River Bain, south of the deserted West Wykeham. It crosses Girsby Lane to the south-west, and then south-west along the western edge of Harpgates Plantation and the eastern edge of the former RAF Ludford Magna, until where it meets the B1225 and Hainton
. A mile north along the B1225 it meets Sixhills
and West Lindsey
. West of Gally Hill Farm it meets North Willingham
.
Montagu C. Allwood and his brothers who grew up in a farming family in the village, moved to south of Burgess Hill
in Sussex to build a plant nursery, which is now the largest retailer of carnation plants in the world. When the Allwoods lived in the village, the population was twice that what it is now, with a flourishing economy.
Even though the village is on the busy A631, public transport to local towns has sometimes been non-existent; Burgh on Bain
would be the nearest place for public transport.
On 9 October 1994, a light aircraft carrying 73 year old James Yates, of Martyr Worthy
, crashed in the village, killing the pilot.
measuring 5.2 on the richter scale. Despite the strength of the earthquake no damage was sustained to the village. To celebrate the village's place in UK earthquake history, the White Hart Inn had a beer brewed from a local microbrewery
called Epicentre with an ABV
of 5.2%.
was a former Royal Air Force
airfield located south of the village, next to east side of the B1225 High Street. The station opened in June 1943.
During the Second World War, Lancaster
bomber air crew from the RAF Ludford Magna
were shot down and killed over Voué
in France. The villagers of Voué buried the air crew and tended the graves for many years until the link with Ludford was discovered. Ludford and Voué are now twinned and enjoy regular visits. No. 101 Squadron RAF
have a reunion every year in early September and RAF Coningsby
send one
of two remaining flying Lancaster bombers from the BBMF
on a fly past over the village. There is a memorial stone for the base in the village. The squadron suffered the greatest number of casualties of any RAF Bomber Command
squadron.
During the Cold War
the station was home to Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Nuclear Missiles, each with 1.44 megaton warheads.
s near each other on the A631: the Black Horse is on the south side, and the White Hart Inn is on the north side, further east.
The Ludford Village Hall Committee produces the newsletter The Magna Messenger.
The primary school only had around 30 pupils so it was decided to close the school in 2009 by the county council. The school since the 1970s never had more than 40 pupils, and had faced calls to close it since then.
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 English county 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...
. It comprises the adjacent villages of Ludford Magna and Ludford Parva.
Geography
It lies in East LindseyEast 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....
, just outside of its bordering region, West Lindsey
West Lindsey
West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural District, Gainsborough Rural District and Welton Rural District...
. It sits along a mile-long (Magna Mile) section of the fast-flowing east-west A631
A631 road
The A631 is a road running from Sheffield, South Yorkshire to Louth, Lincolnshire in England. It passes through the counties of South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The road has many towns on its route including Rotherham, Maltby, Gainsborough and Market Rasen. It is mostly single...
Market Rasen to Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
road.
Ludford sits in an area of outstanding natural beauty at the summit of the Lincolnshire Wolds
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and the highest area of land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent...
. From the B1225/A631 crossroads, to the west of the village, the parish boundary (also that of East and West Lindsey
West Lindsey
West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural District, Gainsborough Rural District and Welton Rural District...
), follows the B1225 northwards, bordering North Willingham
North Willingham
North Willingham is a village and civil parish located about south east of the town of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, on the A631 road between Market Rasen and Louth...
. It briefly borders Tealby
Tealby
Tealby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.Tealby is noted for the Tennyson d'Eyncourt family which donated the village hall and school. In the 1980s the school was used for filming the programme Nanny...
along the B1225, the parish and district boundary moves from the B1225 eastwards through Kirmond Hall, bordering Kirmond le Mire
Kirmond le Mire
Kirmond le Mire is a small village in West Lindsey in the English county of Lincolnshire. The location includes the lost settlement of Beckfield.- External links :*...
. South of Walmsley Holt the boundary moves eastwards from the district boundary. It passes south of Spottle Hill Farm and Low Farm, and east of Tows Farm, at Great Tows on the road to Ludborough
Ludborough
Ludborough is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the end of the A18 road. Ludborough has a population of 760 people. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of the village....
, it meets Calcethorpe with Kelstern
Calcethorpe with Kelstern
Calcethorpe with Kelstern is a civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.The parish includes the hamlets of Calcethorpe to the south of Kelstern, and Lambcroft to the north...
. It crosses the A631 around two miles west of the village centre. At this point it follows the start of the River Bain
River Bain
The River Bain is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the River Witham.The Bain rises in the Lincolnshire Wolds at Ludford, a village on The Viking Way long-distance footpath, and flows through or past the villages of Burgh on Bain, Biscathorpe, Donington on Bain, Goulceby with...
southwards, east of the serted villages of Weast and East Wykeham
Wykeham, Lincolnshire
Wyekham refers to:*Two Deserted medieval villages to the north of the River Bain, Lincolnshire, that lie between Ludford and Burgh on Bain, in the parish of Ludford *A deserted medieval hamlet in the parish of Nettleton....
, which are part of the parish. At Bain Wood, where the two tributaries of the River Bain meet, it meets Burgh on Bain
Burgh on Bain
Burgh on Bain is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is about 7 miles west of Louth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 114....
. It passes north-west along the eastern edge of Wykeham Plantation, on the western edge of Wykeham Pond, and along another (western) tributary of the River Bain, south of the deserted West Wykeham. It crosses Girsby Lane to the south-west, and then south-west along the western edge of Harpgates Plantation and the eastern edge of the former RAF Ludford Magna, until where it meets the B1225 and Hainton
Hainton
Hainton is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A157, west from Louth and south-east from Market Rasen.Hainton is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Haintone", with "9 villagers. 2 smallholders...
. A mile north along the B1225 it meets Sixhills
Sixhills
Sixhills is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-east from Market Rasen. It lies just south of the A631 between Market Rasen and Ludford....
and West Lindsey
West Lindsey
West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural District, Gainsborough Rural District and Welton Rural District...
. West of Gally Hill Farm it meets North Willingham
North Willingham
North Willingham is a village and civil parish located about south east of the town of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, on the A631 road between Market Rasen and Louth...
.
History
The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Mary, and has the 101 Squadron Roll of Honour. The former deserted villages that are part of the parish were wiped out by the Black Death.Montagu C. Allwood and his brothers who grew up in a farming family in the village, moved to south of Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park...
in Sussex to build a plant nursery, which is now the largest retailer of carnation plants in the world. When the Allwoods lived in the village, the population was twice that what it is now, with a flourishing economy.
Even though the village is on the busy A631, public transport to local towns has sometimes been non-existent; Burgh on Bain
Burgh on Bain
Burgh on Bain is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is about 7 miles west of Louth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 114....
would be the nearest place for public transport.
On 9 October 1994, a light aircraft carrying 73 year old James Yates, of Martyr Worthy
Martyr Worthy
Martyr Worthy is a small village in the English county of Hampshire. It is part of the 'Worthys' - a cluster of small villages.It is located on the banks of the River Itchen to the northeast of the city of Winchester.-Governance:...
, crashed in the village, killing the pilot.
2008 earthquake
On 27 February 2008 at 00.26 it was at the epicentre of an earthquake2008 Lincolnshire earthquake
The 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake struck Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, on 27 February 2008 at 00:56:47.8s GMT. According to the British Geological Survey, the quake registered a reading of 5.2 on the Richter scale with the epicentre 2.5 miles north of Market Rasen and 15 miles ...
measuring 5.2 on the richter scale. Despite the strength of the earthquake no damage was sustained to the village. To celebrate the village's place in UK earthquake history, the White Hart Inn had a beer brewed from a local microbrewery
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
called Epicentre with an ABV
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
of 5.2%.
RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford MagnaRAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna was a Royal Air Force airfield operated by Bomber Command during World War II and the Cold War. The station lay on agricultural farmland immediately south of the village of Ludford, Lincolnshire and was sited 21.4 miles north east of the county town of Lincoln, Lincolnshire...
was a former Royal Air Force
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...
airfield located south of the village, next to east side of the B1225 High Street. The station opened in June 1943.
During the Second World War, Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
bomber air crew from the RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna
RAF Ludford Magna was a Royal Air Force airfield operated by Bomber Command during World War II and the Cold War. The station lay on agricultural farmland immediately south of the village of Ludford, Lincolnshire and was sited 21.4 miles north east of the county town of Lincoln, Lincolnshire...
were shot down and killed over Voué
Voué
Voué is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-References:*...
in France. The villagers of Voué buried the air crew and tended the graves for many years until the link with Ludford was discovered. Ludford and Voué are now twinned and enjoy regular visits. No. 101 Squadron RAF
No. 101 Squadron RAF
No. 101 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Vickers VC10 C1K, K3 and K4 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. Since 10 Squadron disbanded in 2005, the squadron is the only operator of the VC10.-Formation and early years:...
have a reunion every year in early September and RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
send one
Avro Lancaster PA474
Avro Lancaster PA474 is a four-engined, Second World War, heavy bomber operated by the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as a tribute to all members of Bomber Command during the Second World War....
of two remaining flying Lancaster bombers from the BBMF
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
on a fly past over the village. There is a memorial stone for the base in the village. The squadron suffered the greatest number of casualties of any RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
squadron.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the station was home to Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Nuclear Missiles, each with 1.44 megaton warheads.
Amenities
The village has two public housePublic 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...
s near each other on the A631: the Black Horse is on the south side, and the White Hart Inn is on the north side, further east.
The Ludford Village Hall Committee produces the newsletter The Magna Messenger.
Primary school
The primary school was one of a few in the country to be involved with the Science and Technology through Educational Links with Amateur Radio education charity.The primary school only had around 30 pupils so it was decided to close the school in 2009 by the county council. The school since the 1970s never had more than 40 pupils, and had faced calls to close it since then.