| Ruskington | |
All Saints church |
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Ruskington
Ruskington shown within Lincolnshire |
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| Population | 5,169 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | TF082508 |
| District | North Kesteven |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SLEAFORD |
| Postcode district | NG34 |
| Dialling code | 01526 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Sleaford and North Hykeham |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
Ruskington is a large village in the English county of Lincolnshire, on the north-south B1188 road, just north of the A153. The village has approximately 2,200 dwellings, and from east to west is two kilometres long.
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Ruskington's Anglo-Saxon burial ground is situated on the Lincoln Road near the Mill House. The remains of a Roman road also run parallel (west of) to the Lincoln Road, but this is only detailed on aerial photos. Ruskington was recorded in the Domesday Book as Rischintone (Farmstead where rushes grow’. OE *ryscen (with Scand. -sk-) + tūn.), in the ancient Flaxwell Wapentake.
Ruskington is approximately four miles north of Sleaford, 20 miles from Newark & Grantham, 15 miles from Boston and Lincoln; the main surrounding settlements. The landscape is significantly flat. The Spires and Steeples Trail passes north-south through the village, following the River Slea into Sleaford.
The High Street is split into two parts; High Street North and High Street South, by the Beck, a mini-stream, that flows from Bloxholme five miles west of the village, before disappearing into the Slea at Haverholme Park. Only after falling into the Beck were you considered a "Ruskingtonian". There is also a large population of Mallard ducks that inhabit the beck and surrounding gardens.
West of the civil parish is Roxholm. The boundary passes south of Roxholm Grange. On the road to Dunsby, it meets Brauncewell. It passes eastwards through Cottage Farm, crossing the road to Bloxholm. It crosses the B1188 Lincoln Road a half-mile north of the village where it meets Dorrington, skirting the northern-edge of the village.
It crosses the railway south of Cedar Farm (in Dorrington) then follows to the south of the road from Dorrington out onto the fens (Ruskington Fen). At Sylcote it meets North Kyme, following Farroway Drain to the south at Ruskington Dales. It follows Anwick Bank westwards, where it meets Anwick, to the south. At Highfield, it follows the Anwick road to the south, crossing the A153. North of Haverholme Priory (outside the parish) it meets Ewerby and Evedon at the River Slea, which it follows for around 300 metres to the west, meeting Leasingham. It follows the northern edge of the wood westwards along a tributary of the River Slea, then follows parallel to the A153 westwards, to the south. It crosses the A153 south of the 400kV pylons and meets Roxholm at a copse north of Rigg Farm.
Weekly Dads, Lads & Lasses sessions are held during term times.
St George's Academy, which is next to Winchelsea Primary School.[2] This is the former Cotelands School, which merged with the St George's School of Sleaford to become a larger academy. The school had faced problems for many years. In the 1990s it was faced with closure due to its low examination results, and (hence) falling school roll. In 1998 it only had 170 pupils, and gained a pass mark for 5 good GCSEs of 2%, the second lowest in England. By 2003 the pass rate had improved to 38% due to the new headteacher David Veal (a former pupil of Carre's Grammar School), whose experience with sport helped motivate his pupils. The school had success under his leadership with volleyball. He retired in 2007 after 13 years as head.
The B1188 road runs all the way through the village, and terminates a mile south of the village, at Speedway Corner. There is also a railway station, which originally opened on 1 August 1882, and reopened on 5 May 1975. It is on the Peterborough to Lincoln Line. Trains do not run on Sundays. Ruskington is also on a bus route between Sleaford and Lincoln.
Ruskington's High Street North has a Co-op (that includes a pharmacy and sub-post office), an optician, farm shop, three charity shops, a carpet shop, three men's barbers, a number of ladies hairdressers, two tea and coffee shops, a florists, one Indian, one kebab, and three Chinese take-aways, a Chinese restaurant, and two fish and chip shops, one with a restaurant. On High St South is a bakers and a sweet shop. Church Street has a card shop, a butcher-cum-bakers, and a butchers' cash-and-carry factory shop. There is a pet supply outlet, and a general supply with hardware shop on Manor St, and two newsagents, a building society-cum-estate agents, a computer shop, and Ruskington Garden Centre[3] on Newton Lane. There is another farm shop on Priory Road, and a petrol station-cum-garage (that includes Spar retailing), on Rectory Road. The village hall is off Parkfield Road.
There are three pubs. The pubs are the Shoulder of Mutton Inn on Church Street, the Red Lion on High Street North and the Black Bull on Rectory Road. "Potters Restaurant" on Chestnut Street is now closed
The Medical Centre is situated in Brookside Close, which is signed off Lincoln Road. There is also a dental surgery on High St North, and an optician on High St South.
There is also a veterinary surgery, in Brookside Close, With another vet's surgery on High Street North.
It has a bowls club, and children's football teams called Ruskington Lions; the Ruskington Lions girls team is now entering a newly founded Lincolnshire County Intermediate Womans Football League.
There is a dance school at the village hall on Saturdays, and another on Brookside Close near the Doctors surgery. Also, the village has a local table tennis club which runs every Wednesdays from September to May
The village is served by several churches. All Saints Parish Church is perhaps the easiest to find, being sited at the west end of the main shopping area. The Norman Church was built in 1086, replacing an earlier, Anglo Saxon, wooden structure. Parts of the tower are believed to remain from this date but the Chancel portion was built in the 13/14th century. The Tower was damaged in 1618 and rebuilt in 1620. There is also the Ruskington Methodist Church, South Lincs Church[4] (a Pentecostal church formerly known as Emmanuel Christian Centre) and Ruskington Free Church.
1 From the church, walk along High Street (North) beside The Beck.
2 Turn left along Parkfield Road and take the first right into East Close which leads onto Tomlinson Way. Walk to the far end, then between two houses and over a bridge.
3 Turn right and after approximately 20m, bear left across the field to the hedge/fence bordering the railway line. Cross the stile, look right and left and if clear, cross the double railway track. If a train is visible, return to the hedge until the track is clear. Cross the stile and bear diagonally left towards a lone bush on the skyline. At the field corner and drain, continue in the same direction across the next field.
4 At the field corner and junction of a restricted byway and footpath, turn right along the restricted byway to a road.
5 At the road, turn right and follow it back to the village centre.
1 Facing the church gate, turn left along Church Street to a crossroads.
2 Turn left along Station Road.
3 After approximately 350m and after passing Chestnut Street, take the public footpath signed on the left. Pass the school and cross the blue railway footbridge. Walk straight on alongside the hedge and at the second field bear diagonally right to the field corner and bridge.
4 Cross the bridge, turn right and the path opens out into a field, bear left and walk alongside the hedge and enter the next field through a gap in the far hedge. Bear slightly right across the next field to a track.
5 Turn right along the track.
6 At the end of the track, turn right for the SHORTER WALK along the lane and restricted byway. At the junction with the road turn right and follow it into Ruskington. Rejoin the directions at 10.
For the LONGER WALK, turn left at the end of the track along a restricted byway to a main road (A153). Cross this busy road with care and walk straight on along the lane to Haverholme bridge.
7 Cross the bridge and turn right, walk across the car park and follow the footpath alongside the river. At the lock and weir, cross the two bridges and turn left to continue alongside the river but on the opposite bank.
8 After approximately 800m (? mile) and at a fence and sign, turn right and then almost immediately right into a wooded area. Continue through the woodland and then walk straight across the field to a bridge.
9 Cross the bridge and turn left along the edge of the stream. Cross a second bridge and track and follow the footpath diagonally right across the next field, heading for the light-coloured buildings in the distance, to the main road. Cross the road with care and follow the lane opposite into Ruskington.
10 Turn right along Chestnut Street and at the T-junction turn left to return to the start
The main employer in Ruskington is Tulip, a division of Danish Crown (previously 'George Adams'), a pork products factory which originally produced mainly sausages and pork pies. Tulip's Ruskington site now produces fried crumbed products like Scotch Eggs and cocktail sausages. It was the manufacturer of Spam fritters and Wicked Pigs, but these product have now been discontinued. Stores and local shops provide other employment.
Near Ruskington on the A15, it has been alleged that a dark figure, sometimes with the appearance of a witch, runs in front of cars, lies across windscreens, and raises a hand as the vehicles drive off.[5]