| Bicker | |
|
Bicker
Bicker shown within Lincolnshire |
|
| Population | 826 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TF224379 |
| District | Boston |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BOSTON |
| Postcode district | PE20 3 |
| Dialling code | 01205 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Boston and Skegness |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
Bicker is a village in Lincolnshire, England. It is around 9 miles (14.5 km) west-south-west of Boston, on the A52.
Contents |
It is one of 18 parishes which, together with Boston, form the Borough of Boston in the county of Lincolnshire, England. The local government has been arranged in this way since the reorganization of April 1, 1974, which resulted from the Local Government Act 1972. This parish forms part of the Five Villages electoral ward.
Hitherto, the parish had formed part of Boston Rural District, in the Parts of Holland. Holland was one of the three divisions (formally known as parts) of the traditional county of Lincolnshire. Since the Local Government Act of 1888, Holland had been in most respects, a county in itself.
The civil parish has an area of around 3,800 acres (15 km2), and includes the hamlet of Hoffleet Stow.
Mill Lane (B1181) joins the bypass to the A17. Bicker and Donington lie either side of the South Holland and Borough of Boston boundary. The boundary follows to the south of the B1181, north of Donington Eaudike. To the west is North Kesteven on the other side of the South Forty-Foot Drain.
The boundary with Donington follows the Old Eau to the south-east, passing the northern edge of Rabbit Hills Farm. To the south it meets the parish of Wigtoft. It passes to the west of the A17/B1181 junction at Bank House, named after the former sea bank of Bicker Haven. It follows the A17 to the west, and meets Swineshead at Bolle Hall, following the west of the A17. About 100 metres of the A17 is in the parish, including the Bicker Bar roundabout at the A52, and the Bicker Bar motel and Texaco services. The boundary with Swineshead follows to the north-west along a drain south of East Low Grounds, and includes Bicker Gauntlet. It follows North Drove to the north, along Bicker Fen, south of West Low Grounds. At Holt Hills it meets North Kesteven and borders Great Hale for around 300 metres, then at Ferry Farm borders Little Hale. Near Eau End Farm (on the other side of the drain), it meets South Holland om Middle Fen then passes close to the line of the pylons on North Fen.
| Great Hale, Heckington, Sleaford | South Kyme, Dogdyke, Tattershall | Swineshead, Hubberts Bridge, Boston | ||
| Swaton, Spanby, Grantham | Hoffleet Stow, Kirton, Frampton | |||
| Bicker | ||||
| Donington, Dowsby, Dunsby, Bourne | Quadring, Gosberton, Spalding | Wigtoft, Sutterton, Algarkirk |
The medieval estuary, Bicker Haven took its name from the town of Bicker, which is now a village. It originally formed the outlet of the River Witham which diverted to Boston after a flood in 1014. Once the English settlers began to enclose the marsh for pasture and the tide no longer flushed-out the haven, it silted up and Bicker changed from port to farming village. This was a process which had already begun in the Donington branch of the haven. Bicker seems to mean 'the town marsh' (cf. Swedish Bykärr, meaning the same), the town being Donington.
The parish church is dedicated to St Swithin.
The A52 used to go through the village, but it is now bypassed to the south. The Bicker Bar roundabout is part of the Swineshead bypass which opened in 1985.
The Yeo Olde Red Lion public house is on Donington Road. The village has a shop.
North of the main line of 275kV pylons is the Bicker Fen windfarm consisting of 13 turbines producing 26MW (2MW each), enough for 14,000 homes. They are north of Poplartree Farm and were built in June 2008 by Wind Prospect for EdF. Not everyone wanted them built. They are of the type REpower MM82, made in Hamburg.
| Year | Population[1] |
| 1801 | 485 |
| 1811 | 541 |
| 1821 | 644 |
| 1831 | 712 |
| 1841 | 859 |
| 1851 | 819 |
| 1881 | 723 |
| 1891 | 661 |
| 1901 | 668 |
| 1911 | 664 |
| 1921 | 674 |
| 1931 | 730 |
| 1941 | N/A (World War II) |
| 1951 | 799 |
| 1961 | 552 |
| 2001 | 826 |