Kirton in Lindsey

Kirton in Lindsey, also abbreviated to Kirton Lindsey, is a small town and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west from the A15 road, and approximately 7 miles (11 km) south-east from Scunthorpe. The town was the home of Catherine Parr.

Kirton in Lindsey Kirton Lindsey
Mount Pleasant Mill
Kirton in Lindsey Location within Lincolnshire
Population	2,694 (2001 Census)
Demonym	Kirtonian
OS grid reference	SK936986
• London	135 mi (217 km) SSE
Unitary authority	North Lincolnshire
Ceremonial county	Lincolnshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GAINSBOROUGH
Postcode district	DN21
Dialling code	01652
Police	Humberside
Fire	Humberside
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Scunthorpe

History

Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII lived at Kirton-in-Lindsey after she married her first husband, Sir Edward Burgh. Edward's father, Sir Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh was a steward to the manor of the soke of Kirton-in-Lindsey. In October 1530, Sir Thomas secured a joint patent in survivorship with his son, Sir Edward Burgh, granting them a modest manor.[1][2]

Governance

Historically part of the West Riding of the parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincolnshire, Kirton became part of Glanford Brigg poor law union in the 19th century and thus ended up in Glanford Brigg Rural District from 1894 and then from 1974 to 1996 the Glanford district of Humberside. This became part of North Lincolnshire in 1996.

Geography

Kirton-in-Lindsey[3] is distinguished from another Kirton in Lincolnshire, Kirton in Holland. The 2001 Census recorded a total resident population of 2,694.

The town is situated half on top, and half on the side of a ridge, part of the Lincoln Cliff. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) south from the M180 motorway and 10 miles (16.1 km) south from the centre of Scunthorpe. The B1398 Lincoln to Scunthorpe road passes through the town, as does the B1400 which runs down the north side of the ridge to Messingham as the Cleatham Road.[4] The A15 road is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the east. Grayingham, and the Lincolnshire boundary along the B1205, is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south. The town is served on Saturdays only by Kirton Lindsey railway station, on the B1400 is the site of the former RAF Kirton in Lindsey. The town is also served by the 103 bus route which runs between Lincoln & Scunthorpe. North of the town, on the ridge next to the B1398, is Mount Pleasant Mill (where flour is still produced & bread is made from it in the bakery alongside) & from here there is a view over the Trent Valley over to the west.[5]

Economy

There are independent shops on High Street and in the Market Place, including an opticians, a chemist, a bakers, a sweet shop, a kitchen shop, a chocolatier & ice cream shop, an acupuncturist, and several hairdressers (for men & women). Plus a Spar shop, & a Lincolnshire Co-op food shop. Also in the Market Place is the historic Diamond Jubilee Town Hall (built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee – hence the name) which has several rooms and a large hall that can be hired for events. Near to the Market Place is the library, with its own small car park, and youth centre. The green nearby has play equipment for youngsters. Down the hill (Station Road - the B.1400,) there is another Co-op shop. Further on there is a garden centre (with a café) & a company that makes garden sheds etc., both on the outskirts of the town, past the railway bridge. There are two pubs in the town that both serve food – The George (in the Market Place) and The Queen's Head (on the crossroads of the B.1398 & B.1400). Although there is now no major bank in the town, banking can be done via the Post Office (which is just north of the market place). There are also ATMs at various places in the town – most are in, or near, the Market Place. A large field (KLASSIC Park), at the lower end of the town, caters for sports, mostly football but also part of it is marked out as a range for the local archery club (obviously the two don't take place at the same time!). There is also a pavilion at KLASSIC Park, with ample parking, in which long mat bowls and table tennis are played, but it can also be hired for parties & other events. Alongside the pavilion is an all-weather bowling green that has an active club. Interestingly, for a small town, there is a Fire Station which is staffed by retained (i.e. part-time) fire & rescue staff. RAF Kirton in Lindsey, situated between the B1400 and B1398 on top of the ridge to the south-east of the town, closed at the end of March 2012.[6] It was called the Rapier Barracks[7] until 2004 when it returned to the RAF. It was sold by the MoD in 2015 to a private developer. There is a Gliding Club on part of the former airfield.

Education

The local secondary modern, comprehensive, single status academy school is Huntcliff School, (named after Alderman W.Hunt), on Redbourne Mere (B1206),[8] which received a Grade 2 "good" Ofsted report in 2015.[9] There is also Kirton in Lindsey Primary School[10]

Huntcliff School

St Andrew's Church

Religious sites

The United Mission Church of St Andrew is on St Andrews Street and includes Anglican, Methodist and Baptist congregations. There was a Salvation Army Hall, formerly a Primitive Methodist church; the building is no longer standing.

References

1. Porter, Linda (2010); Katherine, the Queen, London: MacMillan, p. 55. ISBN 0230710395
2. James, Susan E. (2009); Catherine Parr: Henry VIII's Last Love, Gloucestershire: The History Press. pp. 60-63. ISBN 0752448536
6. "Parliametary [sic] Answers - to 24th Jan 2012". Think Defence. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
8. Huntcliff School. Retrieved 22 April 2012
9. Ofsted report
10. Kirton in Lindsey Primary School. Retrieved 22 April 2012

External links

• Media related to Kirton in Lindsey at Wikimedia Commons
• Kirton in Lindsey Town Council
• The United Mission Church of St Andrew