Folkingham Lincolnshire

Описание: Folkingham is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A15 road 11 miles (18 km) north of Bourne and 10 miles (16 km) south of Sleaford. The 2001 Census gave a population of 729, rising to 796 at the 2011 census, and estimated at 795 in 2016.

This former town is attractively situated in a wide rolling landscape, just up from the fen edge, on the northern incline of an east–west stream valley. The settlement is centred on a large Market Place, positioned between a church on high land to the NW and a former baronial castle on low land to the SE. The modern A15 runs through the market area, rather than bypassing the settlement as at Aslackby and Osbournby, taking a dramatic right-angled turn at its NW corner.

The earliest settlement was probably on the high promontory overlooking stream valleys close to the church. It is likely this was linked to Roman roads (King Street and Mareham Lane) on either side via an east–west route running along what is now West Street and Sleaford Road. The castle site on low-lying land to the SE probably evolved from a pre-Conquest fortified enclosure which was the administrative centre of the soke of Folkingham. A market area developed in between the church and castle and this became the site for weekly markets and seven annual fairs.

The Market Place, West Street and Sleaford Road were lined with houses, farms, shops and inns/public houses and this whole area was remodelled in the late 18th century by the Heathcote Family of Normanton (Rutland) who bought the manor in 1788. The most dramatic manifestation of this work was the refacading of The Greyhound Inn at the top of the Market Place. In recognition of its importance, this area became one of the first designated conservation areas in Lincolnshire in 1968.


Folkingham Market Place looking SE.
The town was bypassed by the railway and declined in the Victorian period as the coaching trade collapsed and services and retailing moved to larger towns. The main development since has been the erection of council housing off West Street in the 1950s, followed by the private Churchfields estate behind, built between 1987 and 1997.

The modern village retains a pub, The New Inn on West Street, and a local shop in the Market Place.