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Blankney Fen
Blankney Fen maps
Historic maps of Blankney Fen and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Blankney Fen maps
Blankney Fen photos
We have no photos of Blankney Fen, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Woodhall Spa| Tattershall| Metheringham| Coningsby
Blankney Fen area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Blankney Fen and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Blankney Fen
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Lincolnshire memories
Great Grandfather West
I have no personal memories of Kirkstead, but it was an important place in the history of my family.
My great grandfather, William Gilbert West, and his wife Rebecca farmed somewhere in the Kirkstead area during the 1870s. From census entries we know that their 9th, 10th and 11th children, all girls, were born there, the first of these being in 1874. The three girls were Gertrude (my grandmother), Nellie and Alice West.
The family must have moved to Kirkstead from the coast in the early 1870s. The births of the previous children had been registered in Hogsthorpe or Trusthorpe. The 1891 census shows them as having returned to Hogsthorpe (where Rebecca had been born) and Chapel-St-Leonards, but exactly when they went we don't know.
As a child I knew some of William Gilbert's and Rebecca's children as great aunts. Of the three sons I never knew Richard and William Gilbert who must have died before I was born. The third son, and sixth child,... Read more
A Townie in Timberland 1947
My memory is of arriving in Timberland with my widowed mother to look after my grandad, George Curtis. I had to go to Timberland C of E school, imagine me, 9 years old and wiv a Sussex accent, everyone called me a Cockney and tried to make me talk in class. The Head Mistress was Miss Kirk, there was also Mrs Creasey who lived in Walcot. Having spent all the war time in Bomb Alley with ration books, we now had chickens and all the eggs we could wish for, and later we kept pigs so that meant real bacon, 7 pork sausages. It was great.
Rose Cottage.
I was born at Bardney in 1946. We moved away from the area as my Dad was a farm worker so moved to different farms. My Grandparents used to live in Rose Cottage at Bardney which in my days as a young child along with my younger brothers and sister we used come to visit and I remember having to cross a field with geese in it to get to the Cottage. We all had to sit on a long bench at the very large kitchen table just a couple of memories that stick in my mind. I dont think the cottage is there now but would love to hear if anyone else can remember it. I hope to go back to Bardney one of these days to have a good look around as I know we had a very big family connection there. Vanda Miller nee Shucksmith.
Billinghay Parish Office
The Old Vicarage Cottage in Church Street is now home to the Parish Office and is a local access point for North Kesteven District Council. There is a good display of village photos, the building itself is about 350 years old, and is of interest as it is a rare example of the mud and stud buildings found in the village prior to the fire in 1864.
Old photos are often reproduced in the 'Billinghay Times' the parish newsletter. Staff at the office are willing to try to help anyone with family history enquiries and are always pleased to receive any donated photos for the heritage room.
Billinghay used to have many public houses, including The Cross Keys in Victoria St, and The Mill in West Street. These days the village has 3 pubs, the Coach and Horses, The Golden Cross and The Ship.
There is an open air swimming pool in the village and many thriving clubs, clubs and groups offering leisure activities and... Read more
My Grandfather
I was told by my mother that my grandparents moved to Tattershall in 1912 from Buckinghamshire so my grandfather could find work helping to restore the castle he was a carpenter. His name was William Bywater, known as Roger, they lived in the village for many years.
METHERINGHAM FEAST
My family used to visit Metheringham regularly to vist my mother's aunt. Her name was Nellie Garrick and she lived in Lime Tree Avenue (I think that is the right name). She was married to Jack Garrick. We used to go on a Friday night. Dad would go to the pub and we would stay at Great Aunty Nellie's house. We would always have fish and chips.
Each year we would visit Metheringham Feast. I used to love the atmosphere of the Fair Ground...the Candy Floss, Toffee Apples, the rides and side shows. I learnt later that Mum and Dad had met at the Feast. The dinner set we always used at Christmas with 12 settings of everything was bought at the Feast...so Mum told me.
We would drive to Metheringham in our little car and Dad would be a bit worst for wear on the drive home. Mum says she often had to grab the steering wheel. Luckily the cars didn't travel so fast in those days and... Read more
No Actual Memories ...!
Kirkby Green. I was born here in December 1941. My family lived in the house at the side of 'The Beck' which had a water wheel used for driving a mill. My father worked for a local farming family, the Wrights. I have no memories of my life here as we left the area in 1942, but my brothers and sisters have told me about life there. Some years later I was involved in a road accident which resulted in my being in hospital in Lincoln for a while. The person in the next bed to mine was the son of the Wright family my father had worked for, small world.
I paid a visit to see my birthplace as I was told it had fallen into a state of ruin. I found a beautifully restored house still with a working water wheel and was made welcome by the present occupier, a member of the original Wright family.
Brian Williamson.
