| Colsterworth | |
A drawing of Colsterworth Church, by the antiquarian William Stukeley |
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The crossroads in the centre of the village |
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Colsterworth
Colsterworth shown within Lincolnshire |
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| OS grid reference | SK932240 |
|---|---|
| Parish | Colsterworth |
| District | South Kesteven |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GRANTHAM |
| Postcode district | NG33 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
Colsterworth is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The village, together with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, had a population of 1,508 according to the 2001 census. It lies half a mile to the west of the A1, seven miles south of Grantham and 13 miles north of Stamford. The name Colsterworth is from the Old English colestre + worth for "enclosure of the charcoal burners"; the name appeared as Colsteuorde in the Domesday Book.
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The village dates from the Roman era. It is close to Ermine Street, the old Roman road that runs directly north to Lincoln.
Colsterworth is raised upon a slight limestone ridge, with the River Witham running below on the western side and bisecting the two villages. The ancient hamlet of Twyford has been incorporated by the expansion of Colsterworth to the south but the name is preserved in the names of certain houses. At one time Colsterworth lay on the Great North Road, but was bypassed when the was realigned and renamed in the 1920s. Colsterworth also lies one mile to the west of Twyford Wood, which was the second world war airfield RAF North Witham, and still retains military artefacts, including open runways and a derelict control tower. After the war the grassed part of the airfield was planted with oak and conifer trees. The grassland habitat is home to a regionally-important colony of dingy and grizzled skipper butterflies.
In 1884 the Rev'd J. Mirehouse, rector of Colsterworth, was responsible for the Home Office Baby publicity stunt.
The nucleus of the village lies along the High Street where, in the hey-day of the coaching trade there were numerous inns - ten at one time. The old coaching stops have been transformed into houses or business properties, such as The George House and The Sun Pottery, or demolished completely. The White Lion public house, standing opposite the parish church of St John the Baptist, alone now serves the population. The origins of St John the Baptist go back to Saxon times, as indicated by the herring-bone stonework in the chancel. The Norman arches were preserved during Victorian renovation, of which this church is a prime example. The surrounding churchyard has been closed for almost a century but is kept in order by the Parish Council. Inside the church, behind the organ, is a stone sundial plate that was cut with a penknife by Sir Isaac Newton when nine years of age. The stone, which has no gnomon, is mounted upside down below a carved wooden effigy of the scientist. Newton's mother, Hannah Ayscough and father, also called Isaac, are both buried in the church.[1]
Due to a lack of clergy, there is one Church of England priest for Colsterworth and another four parishes; the Colsterworth Group of Churches consists of The Holy Cross at Great Ponton, Saint Guthlac at Little Ponton, St James at Skillington and St Andrew and St Mary at North and South Stoke Rochford with Easton. There is also a Methodist Church in the village.
Although the oldest dwellings are of limestone, 1920s and 1930s brick homes are interposed amongst them. During the 1970s a large estate, Woodlands Drive, was built on ground previously belonging to Colsterworth House, a mansion now completely obliterated. The land between the village and the A1 has been completely developed into a new housing estate.
There is little employment in the village itself. During, and for some time after, the Second World War work was available at the ironstone excavations,[2] but after operations ceased the site was filled and levelled. A tyre depot and Christian Salvesen food cold-store offer local employment. Farming, the traditional occupation that previously absorbed most of the available workforce, still provides some employment. There is part-time work at quick food restaurants Little Chef and Travelodge on the A1, and employment at the nearby Stoke Rochford Hall, a conference and function centre. Newcomers to the village in the main tend to commute to work out of the area, some as far as London.
The village has a post office, surgery, Co-op store and hairdresser, with greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger mobile shops. The County Council library and travelling bank call once a week. The village is policed by a touring police constable.
Colsterworth's Church of England primary school also provides education for neighbouring villages whose children are bussed in. It has approximately 120 pupils divided into five classes.
The A1 trunk road at Colsterworth was redeveloped in 2010 with the removal of Colsterworth roundabout and an added road bridge over the A1 for local traffic, this to address safety and traffic congestion concerns.[3]
A village archive group was founded to record memories of Colsterworth people for posterity. The group aim is to chronical local social history and changes in dialect, and publish material as a resource and educational tool in book and DVD form. It has been funded by Lincolnshire Community Champions and the Local Heritage Initiative, now under the auspices of the Heritage Lottery Funding.[4]
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth is for administrative purposes attached to Colsterworth. It is famous as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton, his home, Woolsthorpe Manor, being a visitor attraction. Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth village hall was built as a result of an appeal in Newton's memory, and is named after him. Newton was christened in the church of St John the Baptist, where a copy of the entry in the register is to be seen.
The local council bars the building of new property between the villages of Colsterworth and Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, although infilling has taken place as large gardens are split up and odd plots, overlooked for years, are utilised.[says who?]
