Friskney

Friskney
Church of All Saints, Friskney
Friskney  Friskney shown within Lincolnshire
Population	1,563 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	TF460555
- London	105 mi (169 km)  S
Civil parish	Friskney
District	East Lindsey
Shire county	Lincolnshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BOSTON
Postcode district	PE22
Dialling code	01754
Police	Lincolnshire
Fire	Lincolnshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
List of places UK England Lincolnshire

Friskney is a village and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.^[2] The 2011 Census recorded a population of 1,563.^[1] in 652 households.

History

In 1885 Kelly's reported two Wesleyan chapels, one built in 1804.^[3] The chapel built in 1839 is Grade II* listed.^[4] It recorded that Friskney parish was a centre for brick making, and the catching of shrimps and cockles. In the early part of the 19th century, much of the land was wetlands or swamp, where wild fowl were caught by use of decoy ponds.^[3] One of these ponds is now a listed ancient monument.^[5] The swamp was drained in the early 19th century and the land converted for arable cultivation.^[3]

Geography

Friskney is situated 11 miles (18 km) north-east from the town of Boston, and 8 miles (13 km) south-west from the coastal town of Skegness.^[6] The nearest railway station is at Wainfleet All Saints, 3 miles (5 km) to the north-east. The nearest major roadway is the A52^[6] which runs 1 mile (1.6 km) from the eastern side of the village. Friskney, with its surrounding farmland, is the largest village by area in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Community

The Grade I^[7] listed Anglican church is dedicated to All Saints. The original church was constructed in the late 12th century; it had elements added up to the 15th.^[8] Restoration to the chancel was carried out in 1849. During an extensive restoration in 1879, Norman and Early English Gothic architectural fragments were discovered. The lower stage of the tower, with large lancet windows, is Early English, as is the second stage. The two upper stages are 15th-century, as is the font. In the north aisle is an incised stone slab to John de Lyndewode (rector, 1374) and a mutilated effigy of a 14th-century knight, likely damaged during the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation.^[9] The 1879 restoration discovered a series of faded wall paintings between the arches of the arcades.^[8][9]

Abbey Hills,^[10] the site of an old religious house connected with Bolington [Bullington] Priory^[3] or Bardney Abbey, lies half a mile west from the church.

On the western side of the village on Dickon Hill Road is the Parrot Zoo and National Parrot Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was opened in 2003 on a one acre site and now covers an area of over twenty. With 100 different species it is the largest parrot rescue centre in the World.^{[citation needed]}

The village has a church hall, two public houses, The Anchor and The Barley Mow, and a village shop-cum-post office. There are sports clubs for archery, bowls and cricket, and a football team. The cricket club first XI completes in the South Lincolnshire and Border League.

The reigning king of the parish is Casey Friskney. It is widely known that he puts the heads of his enemies on stakes along the walls of the community as a warning to other potential enemies. There is legend of Casey keeping the teeth of the vanquished in a vat below the castle floors.

References

External links

• Media related to Friskney at Wikimedia Commons
• Media related to The Parrot Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
• Friskney Village Website
• The Parrot Zoo
• Friskney Bowman Archery Club
• Friskney Bowls Club