Willoughby, Lincolnshire
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Willoughby is small inland village, 3 miles south of the town of Alford, Lincolnshire. Willougby lies just on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.
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[edit] Facilities
The village life mainly revolves around the large village green and church. At present there is just one main shop that sells convenience goods and also acts as a petrol station. There is also a former blacksmiths shop that now sells and repairs gardening equipment. A fish and chip wagon also comes every Wednesday to the village and is always very popular. The pub, 'The Willoughby Arms' is also a focal point of the village and a small church of England school currently has about 70 pupils and about 5 teachers operating in it.
[edit] History
For such a small village, Willoughby has a surprising history. The village used to be a lot larger and had a lot more services than today. There used to be a butcher, post office, tavern and a large dairy. These have all dissolved now along with the railway line and station that used to link the village with the rest of the county. To the rear of Tavern Way is a large field that has been preserved because it contains a Viking moat that was the protector of a lot larger structure in ancient times. The Viking name for the village was Willow with the addition of '-by' being later added in the branding of Viking villages.
[edit] Captain John Smith
The most iconic figure to have come out of Willoughby is the founder of New England, John Smith. He was born and bred in the village having been christened at St Helena's Church and living in a cottage down a small lane in the village that is still standing today. Every year on the anniversary of the founding of New England hundreds of Americans come to the village to see where the captain lived all those years ago. He was most famously connected to the Indian girl, Pocohontas whom he met in Virginia when he travelled to America in the 16th Century. Related to this story there have been many film adaptations of the quest to New England with Disney' adaptations being the most well known.
[edit] Architecture
Although several new houses have been built in the village such as those on Tavern Way and John Smith Close, the village has seen little growth in the way of building, it mainly consists of newer houses to the west of the village on the old grounds of the tavern and older houses in the east of the village near the church. A large manor house can also be found at the eastern edge of the village towards Bonthorpe. The school in the village was opened in 1948 and has recently seen big changes to the older main building. In the 1980s a new hall and extension was constructed and in the 1990s and 2000s further work was done to improve facilities. It's headteacher is Sue Belton. There is also a large amount of manor houses, one of which used to be the rectory and lies in the grounds of the church.
[edit] Agriculture
Willoughby has 2 main farms on the Clover Industrial Estate on Clover Road and on Hanby Lane on a corner across from the petrol station. Both farms have wide field access and both have sheep in the summer months. Willoughby Farms LTD owns several farms around East Lindsey as far reaching as towards Spilsby. Most fields in the immediate area around Willoughby are owned and managed by Willoughby Farms.
[edit] Transport
After the east coast main line closed in the 1960s transport in the village has been a very small feature. There are only a few daily buses operated by Lincolnshire bus company Translinc and Stagecoach. There are also three locally run school bus services that run through the week to the local town of Alford. The village is within easy reach of the coast with Skegness just 12 miles away and Chapel St Leonards 7 miles. Willoughby has 3 main roads, Church Road, Station Road and Hanby Lane which run through the village.
[edit] Community & Events
The village is very much church orientated and most residents often visit it for the Sunday service and many use it for weddings, funerals and baptisms. The church is one of many in the local parish which stretches as far as Chapel St Leonards. The parish runs a monthly magazine, Wold & Marsh which is given free of charge to all residents. The Reverand of the Willoughby Parish of Churches is Rev. Daffyd Robinson. The Village Hall and Green often run a number of events throughout the year including the Garden Competition ran by the Willoughby Garden Club, the Summer Fayre and a Christmas dinner. People can also hold events there for their own purpose. There is also a Bowls Club in the village that meets weekly and players are free to use it when ever they please. The Bowling green is situated near the Village Hall. The Playingfield is another popular feature of the Village hosting the annual school sports day and many other functions. Many locals use the new play equipment that was also recently installed. On the same grounds of the Playing Field is a set of allotments used by the villagers.
[edit] The Future
At the moment there are no plans for any other bungalows or houses to be built, however in October 2006 the Elderly residential homes were demolished in preparation for a new larger elderly care replacement to be finished in mid 2007.
