Ruskington
| Ruskington | |
 All Saints' Church |
|
  Ruskington Ruskington shown within Lincolnshire | |
| Population | 5,169 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TF082508 |
| - London | 105 mi (169 km) S |
| 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 |
| |
Ruskington is a large village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, located on the north-south B1188 road and slightly north of the A153 road. The village contains approximately 2,200 dwellings and is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in length, measured from east to west.
Ancient sites
Ruskington's Anglo-Saxon burial ground is situated on Lincoln Road near Mill House. The remains of a Roman road also run parallel and to the west of Lincoln Road, but are apparent only in aerial photographs. Ruskington was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Rischintone" ("farmstead where rushes grow", OE *ryscen (with Scand. -sk-) + tūn.), and was part of the ancient Flaxwell "wapentake" (a collection of local parishes).
Geography
Ruskington is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north of Sleaford, 20 miles (32 km) from Newark and Grantham, and 15 miles (24 km) from Boston and Lincoln, with a flat landscape. The Spires and Steeples Trail passes north-south through the village, following the River Slea into Sleaford.
High Street is split into two parts, High Street North and High Street South, by the Beck, a brook that flows from Bloxholm 5 miles (8 km) west of the village before disappearing into the Slea at Haverholme Park. Only after falling into the Beck was one considered to be a "Ruskingtonian". A large number of Mallard ducks inhabit the Beck and surrounding gardens.
Roxholm is to the west of the civil parish, and the boundary passes south of Roxholm Grange. On the road to Dunsby it meets Brauncewell, passes eastward through Cottage Farm, crossing the road to Bloxholm, then crossing the B1188, Lincoln Road, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of the village, where it meets Dorrington, skirting the northern edge of the village.
The border 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 then follows Anwick Bank westward, 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), meeting Ewerby and Evedon at the River Slea, which it follows for over 300 yards (270 m) to the west, before meeting Leasingham. It follows the northern edge of the wood westward along a tributary of the River Slea, then follows parallel to the A153 westward to the south. It crosses the A153 south of the 400kV pylons, before meeting Roxholm at a copse north of Rigg Farm.
Education
Primary schools
- Chestnut Street School to the east of the village
- Winchelsea Primary School to the west of the village
Secondary schools
A prominent educational institution in Ruskington is St George's Academy, which is a co-educational state school formed by a merger involving St George's College of Technology, The Aveland High School, and Coteland's School, Ruskington.[2] The school faced various problems but, by 2003, the pass rate had improved to 38% under the guidance of the new headteacher David Veal (a former pupil of Carre's Grammar School), whose experience with sports helped motivate his pupils. Under his leadership, the school developed a successful volleyball program. He retired in 2007 after 13 years as headteacher.
Transport
The B1188 road runs through the village, terminating 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village, at Speedway Corner. A railway station, which originally opened on 1 August 1882, and reopened on 5 May 1975, is on the Peterborough to Lincoln Line. Passenger trains do not run on Sundays. Ruskington is on a bus route between Sleaford and Lincoln, and a local bus operating company, Phillips of Ruskington, operates the local school buses.
Amenities
Shops
Ruskington's High Street North has a co-op (including a pharmacy and sub-post office), an optician, farm shop, three charity shops, a carpet shop, three barbers, a number of ladies hairdressers, two tea and coffee shops, a florist, five take-aways (one Indian, one kebab and three Chinese), a Chinese restaurant, and two fish and chip shops, one with a restaurant. Church Street has a card shop, a butcher-cum-baker, and a butchers' cash-and-carry factory shop. There is a pet supply outlet and a general supply with hardware shop on Manor Street, and two news agents, a building society-cum-estate agent, a computer shop, and a garden centre[3] on Newton Lane. Priory Road has another farm shop, and Rectory Road has a petrol station-cum-garage (which includes Spar retailing). The village hall is off Parkfield Road.
Pubs and clubs
There are three pubs, 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.
Health care
The medical centre is situated in Brookside Close. There is a dental surgery on High Street North, and an optician on High Street South. Brookside Close has a veterinary surgery, with another vet's surgery on High Street North.
Sport
The village has a bowls club and a junior football team called the Ruskington Lions. The Ruskington Lions girls' team is now entering a newly founded Lincolnshire County Intermediate Women's Football League. The village also has a local table tennis club, which meets every Wednesday from September to May.
The village hall hosts a dance school on Saturdays, and another dance school is located on Brookside Close near the doctors' surgery.
Churches
The village is served by several churches. All Saints Parish Church is sited at the west end of the main shopping area. The Norman church was built in 1086 to replace an earlier, Anglo Saxon wooden structure. Parts of the tower are believed to date from 1086, but the chancel portion was built in the 13th–14th century. The tower was damaged in 1618 and rebuilt in 1620. Other churches include the Ruskington Methodist Church, South Lincs Church[4] (a Pentecostal church formerly known as Emmanuel Christian Centre) and the Ruskington Free Church.
People from Ruskington
- George Davy Kelley, Labour MP from 1906–10 for Manchester South West
- Sir Robert Pattinson, Liberal MP from 1922–23 for Grantham
- Samuel Pattinson, Liberal MP from 1922–24 for Horncastle
Employment
The main employer in Ruskington is Tulip, a division of Danish Crown (previously "George Adams"), a pork products factory which originally produced primarily 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 products have been discontinued.[citation needed] Stores and local shops provide other employment.
Ruskington Horror
Near Ruskington on the A15, a dark figure, sometimes with the appearance of a witch, allegedly runs in front of cars, lies across windscreens, and raises a hand as the vehicles drive off.[5]
References
- ↑ Staff (2012). "Statistics about Ruskington, North Kesteven". Lincolnshire Research Observatory. Lincolnshire Research Observatory (LRO). Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ↑ Staff (2012). "Schools – St George's Academy". The Good Schools Guide. The Good Schools Guide. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ↑ Ruskington Garden Centre
- ↑ South Lincs Church
- ↑ Lincolnshire Ghosts: The Ruskington Horror, H2g2.com – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 31 January 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011
External links
Media related to Ruskington at Wikimedia Commons
Ruskington travel guide from Wikivoyage- Parish council
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