| Tattershall | |
Tattershall Village |
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Tattershall
Tattershall shown within Lincolnshire |
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| Population | 2,049 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | TF212578 |
| Parish | Tattershall |
| District | East Lindsey |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Lincoln |
| Postcode district | LN4 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Louth and Horncastle |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
Tattershall is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, located on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the point where that road crosses the River Witham. At its eastern end, Tattershall adjoins the village of Coningsby, 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north of the village. In the same parish is the hamlet of Tattershall Thorpe. At 2001 census, the population of Tattershall civil parish was 2,049.[1]
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There is much of historical interest in the village: the church of the Holy Trinity, the ancient buttercross, Tattershall Castle, the Collegiate College, and even Tom Thumbs house and grave.
Tattershall Castle was built in 1434 by Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell - Henry VI's Lord High Treasurer - on the site of an earlier 13th century stone castle, of which some remains can still be seen. Of Lord Cromwell’s castle, the Grand Tower and moat still remain.
A remarkably well kept octagonal 15th century buttercross stands in the Market Place. It is both a Grade I listed structure, and an ancient scheduled monument. [2] A charter to hold a weekly market was granted by King John in 1201 in return for an annual fee of a trained goshawk.[3] Markets are no longer held but the buttercross is still surrounded by shops.
Tattershall railway station was a station on the line between Boston and Lincoln until closure. The Stationmasters house and ticket office, known today as Old Station House, is a Grade II listed building[4] as is the former Goods Shed.[5]
The former railway line has been converted into a cycle path at a cost of £2 million. The path was officially opened in October 2008.[6]
Next to the castle is the Grade I listed perpendicular style Holy Trinity Collegiate Church, richly endowed by Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell, but built after his death.[7] It received its charter from Henry VI in 1439 but building was not begun until 1472, reaching completion around 1500. The church is renowned for its size, its very fine medieval stained glass, its collection of brasses and its intact rood loft. It was restored between 1893 and 1897.[7]
Near the font is a plaque marking the grave of Tattershall's famous local resident, Tom Thumb, who was reputedly 47 cm tall and died in 1620, aged 101. Tom Thumb's tiny house can be seen on the roof of another, larger house in the Market Place.[8]
Alongside the Market Place can be seen the remains of Tattershall College which was built by Lord Cromwell for the education of the choristers of Holy Trinity Church. The College was another splendid example of the perpendicular style of Gothic architecture.
In the late 18th century, it was converted into a brewery before being left empty and allowed to deteriorate into the ruin that it is today. The walls that remain standing are shored up by modern brick. Heritage Lincolnshire is currently managing the site, which is Grade II* listed, and an ancient scheduled monument.[9]
The current Lord of the Manor of Tattershall is Julian Fellowes, actor, screenwriter and youngest son of Peregrine Fellowes.[10] The current Lady of the Manor, Emma Kitchener-Fellowes, is the great great niece of Lord Kitchener who was the renowned adversary of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, the benefactor and restorer of Tattershall Castle.
The Gartree Community School (built 1954) is a secondary modern school for ages 11–16 on Butts Lane. The school also serves Coningsby and Woodhall Spa.[11]
Local public houses are the Black Horse on the High Street and the Fortescue Arms in the Market Place. The Fortesque Arms dates from the fifteenth century and is a Grade II listed building.[12]
The remaining wreckage of the Boeing jumbo jet that was blown up on 21 December 1988 over Lockerbie in Scotland is stored a mile or so out of Tattershall, on the B1192 towards Woodhall Spa at Roger Windley's scrapyard.[13] The remains include the nose of the Boeing 747 that became the iconic image of the disaster, and the cockpit is still in one piece.[14]
Germantown, Maryland (USA) has a "Tattershall Drive" within a development with British themed street names.