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This article is about the English town. For other uses, see Grantham (disambiguation). Grantham is a town in Lincolnshire. It may also refer to Grantham New Hampshire Grantham Pennsylvania For the script, see Grantham
Grantham
Grantham (Lincolnshire)
Grantham

Grantham shown within Lincolnshire
Population 34,592
OS grid reference SK915365
 - London 110 mi (177 km) NW
District South Kesteven
Shire county Lincolnshire
Region East Midlands
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town GRANTHAM
Postcode district NG31
Dialling code 01476
Police Lincolnshire
Fire Lincolnshire
Ambulance East Midlands
European Parliament East Midlands
UK Parliament Grantham and Stamford
List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire

Coordinates: 52°55′06″N 0°38′18″W / 52.9182, -0.6382

Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one The East Midlands is one of the Regions of England and consists of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The NG postcode area, also known as the Nottingham postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Nottingham including areas in Derbyshire, southern The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Lincolnshire Police is the Home Office police force covering the Non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is the statutory Fire and Rescue service serving the county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands Region of the The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS is the NHS ambulance service serving the East Midlands region of England. East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the D'Hondt method of Party-list proportional This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Grantham and Stamford is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of places in the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Located along the course of the River Witham, twenty-four miles (39 km) to the south-southwest of the city of Lincoln, it has a total resident population of 34,592. The River Witham is a River, almost entirely in county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. in around 18,000 households, including the village of Great Gonerby. Great Gonerby is a large village of around 825 houses located less than 1 mile west of Grantham in Lincolnshire.

The town is best known as the birthplace and childhood home of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and as the place where Isaac Newton went to school. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements The town is situated within short walking distance of an ancient Roman road, and was the scene of Oliver Cromwell's first advantage over Royalists during the English Civil War at Gonerby Moor. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Grantham is also notable for having the first female police police officers in the United Kingdom, who began their role together on November 27, 1914, during the First World War. Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales (administration of Police matters The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Miss Mary Allen and Miss E. F. Harburn reported for duty on the beat. Mary Allen was a former suffragette and had been previously arrested outside the House of Commons and later went on to be the commandant of the UK's women's police force from the 1920s up to 1940. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords She helped to set up women's police forces in other countries, including Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Edith Smith became the first female with powers of arrest in August 1915.

Contents

Geography

Grantham once lay within the ancient Winnibriggs and Threo wapentake in the Soke of Grantham in the Kesteven. The Parts of Kesteven are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England.

Political representation

Politically the town is part of the Grantham and Stamford constituency and is represented in Parliament by Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Quentin Davies. Grantham and Stamford is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. John Quentin Davies (born 29 May 1944) is a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Grantham and Stamford Davies had been elected to the seat as a member of the Conservative Party before crossing the floor to join Labour; the constituency has a long history of electing Conservative members of Parliament. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. In Politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines especially where this is considered unusual or controversial The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom.

The local authority - South Kesteven District Council - is currently Conservative led, with the current political spread as 35 Conservative, 15 Independent, 2 Labour and 6 Liberal Democrat councillors. South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom.

History

Etymology

The origin of the name "Grantham" is uncertain, though is said to probably be Old English language "Granta+ham", meaning "Granta's village", and appeared as early as 1086 in the Domesday Book in its present form of Grantham. The River Cam is a Tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey [1]

Prehistory

Late neolithic vessels from a burial were found at Little Gonerby, in the north of the town, in 1875. [2]

Military history

During the famous Dams Raids Royal Air Force (RAF) mission in May 1943, the RAF Bomber Command's No. 5 Group and the operation HQ, as Barnes Wallis nervously learnt the grim news, was in St Vincents, a building which later housed a district council planning department. Operation Chastise was the official name for the attacks on German Dams on 17 May 1943 in the Second World War using a specially developed " RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968 No 5 Group (Motto "Undaunted") was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part (February 1943 Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE, Kt, FRS, RDI, FRAeS ( 26 September 1887  &ndash 30 October It was built by Richard Hornsby in 1865, lived in by Richard Hornsby's son, and is now a private house. Richard Hornsby was born in Elsham in Lincolnshire (now North Lincolnshire) on June 4 1790. In 1944 (including D-Day), this was the headquarters for the USAAF's Ninth Air Force's IX Troop Carrier Command [1], being known as Grantham Lodge. D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central is a Numbered Air Force in Air Combat Command (ACC IX Troop Carrier Command was an operational command of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and its immediate aftermath RAF Spitalgate trained pilots in the war, and was not an operational base. RAF Spitalgate was a Royal Air Force base located close to Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. RAF Spitalgate is now a Territorial Army (RLC) barracks called Prince William of Gloucester Barracks. The Territorial Army ( TA) is the principal and Volunteer reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces branch of the United Kingdom Royal Logistic Corps is the British Army Corps that provides the logistic support for the Army Grantham College use the site for football development. The large mast on the base was part of the BT microwave network. The British Telecom microwave network was a network of point-to-point microwave radio links in the United Kingdom operated at first by the General Post Office, and subsequently

Industrial history

In 1905 Richard Hornsby (1790-1864) & Sons of Grantham (founded 1815) invented the revolutionary caterpillar track, for use with Hornsby's oil engines; these engines were developed by Herbert Akroyd Stuart, from which compression-ignition principle the diesel engine evolved, being manufactured in Grantham from July 8 1892. Richard Hornsby & Sons was an engine and machinery manufacturer in Lincolnshire, England from 1828 until 1918 Herbert Akroyd-Stuart ( January 28 1864, Halifax Yorkshire, England - February 19 1927, Halifax) was The hotbulb, or hot bulb engine or Vaporizing oil engine is a type of Internal combustion engine. A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr Although these engines were not wholly compression-ignition derived. Later in 1892 a prototype high-pressure version was built at Hornsbys whereby ignition was achieved solely (100%) through compression which ran continuously for six hours, being the first known diesel engine. In 1909, Hornsbys showed the British Army their invention, who were bemused, but took the idea no further than that, although they subsequently bought four caterpillar tractors in 1910 to tow artillery. A short time later, Hornsbys sold the patent for the caterpillar track in 1914 to The Holt Manufacturing Company of California, USA for $8,000, having only sold one caterpillar tractor commercially. Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Hornsby's design was far ahead of anything else around at the time. Thanks to the ownership of the patent, this company would become the world-dominating Caterpillar Inc. Tractor Company. Caterpillar Inc ( is a United States -based Corporation headquartered in Peoria Illinois. Benjamin Holt even claimed to be the real inventor. Benjamin Holt (January 1 1849 Concord, New Hampshire &ndash December 5 1920 Stockton was an American inventor who developed In December 1914, the British Army's Colonel Ernest Swinton saw one of Holt's caterpillar tractors towing a piece of artillery, and realised its literally ground-breaking role as an attack vehicle. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton KBE, CB, DSO, RE (1868 -1951 was a military writer and British Army officer One year later the tank was born (using Hornsby's initial designs), being made in nearby Lincoln by William Foster. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. William Foster & Co Ltd was an agricultural machinery company based at Lincoln, UK and usually just called "Fosters of Lincoln" It first saw action at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September, 1916 and lasted for one week was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the In 1918 Hornsbys amalgamated with Rustons and the company became Ruston and Hornsby.

Aveling & Porter of Rochester, Kent, would join with Barford & Perkins of Peterborough to become Aveling-Barford Ltd in 1934, largely due to financial help from Ruston & Hornsby. Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and steam roller manufacturer Rochester is a town in Kent, England. It is located within the Unitary authority area of Medway and is at the lowest bridging point of the History Early history Present-day Peterborough is the latest in a series of settlements which have at one time or other benefited from its situation where the Nene Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and steam roller manufacturer Ruston was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England, the company's history going back to 1840 The new company took a former site of Hornsbys, naming it the 'Invicta' works, from the motto on the coat of arms of Kent, and translates as 'unconquered'. Invicta (meaning undefeated) is the motto of the county of Kent, England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format It initially prospered but with the sinking market for large dumper trucks and road rollersm declined and now as Barford Construction Equipment, it makes dumpers for construction sites, being owned by Wordsworth Holdings PLC, owned by the entrepreneur Duncan Wordsworth. A dumper is a vehicle designed for carrying bulk material often on building sites A Public Limited Company ( PLC, plc or plc or p l c is a type of Limited company in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland which is A trailer company, Crane-Fruehauf, has moved into part of the factory, from its former home of Dereham, when it went into receivership in early 2005. Dereham, also known historically as East Dereham, is a Town and Civil parish in the English County of Norfolk.

British Manufacture and Research Company (or BMARC), on Springfield Road, made munitions notably the Hispano cannon for the Spitfire and Hurricane from 1937 onwards. BMARC ( The British Manufacture and Research Company) was a UK -based firm designing and producing defence products particularly aircraft cannon and The Hispano-Suiza HS404 Autocannon was one of the most widely used aircraft weapons of the 20th century used by British, American WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout It was owned by the Swiss company, Oerlikon, from 1971 until 1988, becoming part of Astra Holdings PLC then being bought by British Aerospace in 1992 who then closed the site. British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. Now it has been developed - as a new housing estate. The site's former offices are now business units for the Springfield Business Centre. Grantham's register office was moved there in 2007, due to the catering service being up to wedding reception standard. In England and Wales The Register Office is primarily the local office for the registration of births deaths and marriages (BD&M and for the conducting of civil marriages A wedding reception is a Party held after the completion of a Marriage ceremony

The food processing industry now employs the largest contingent of Grantham's citizens, including Fenland Foods (part of Northern Foods) on the Earlesfield Industrial Estate, Moypark (formerly Padleys) in Gonerby Hill Foot, and a large frozen vegetable factory (PAS) near Easton. Northern Foods plc ( is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds in the north of England. Frozen food is food preserved by the process of Freezing. Freezing food is a common method of Food preservation which slows both food decay and by Easton is a Village just off the A1, north of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth and Colsterworth in south Lincolnshire. The Woodland Trust is based on Dysart Road. The Woodland Trust, founded in London, England in 1972, and now based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, is a conservation charity in There is a small FM transmitter near the town's bypass on Gorse Lane from which Radio Lincolnshire can be heard on 104. 7 and Lincs FM on 96. Lincs FM is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark from the Humber to The Wash. 7, and national radio.

Landmarks

St.Wulfram's church
St. Wulfram's church
The living pub sign of The Beehive, at 10 Castlegate
The living pub sign of The Beehive, at 10 Castlegate

The main local landmark is the impressive parish church of St Wulfram's, which has the sixth highest spire (282 ft) among English churches, and is also home to the country's first public library. Saint Wulfram of Fontenelle or Saint Wulfram of Sens (also Vuilfran, Wulfrann, Wolfran, Latin: Wulframnus, French From the Middle Ages until the advent of the Skyscraper, Christian churches have been among the tallest buildings. In 1598, Francis Trigge, the rector of Welbourn gave £100 for a small library of books for the clergy and literate laity of Grantham. Francis Trigge Chained Library is a Library in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England which was founded in 1598 Welbourn is a village in North Kesteven, central Lincolnshire on the A607 between Leadenham and Wellingore. Two hundred and fifty of the original volumes remain and are kept in the parish church.

Grantham is home to the country's only 'living' pub sign: a beehive of South African bees located in outside since 1830. A beehive is in a general sense an enclosed structure in which some species of Honey bees (genus Apis) live and raise their young The African honey bee ( Apis mellifera scutellata) is a Subspecies of the Western honey bee.

Edith Smith Way is the name of the road beside the Guildhall Arts Centre,on 'St Peter's Hill'; it is named after Englands first policewoman. The Angel & Royal Hotel is one of Britain's oldest inn c1200. King John held court there in 1213, when the site was a hostel run by the [[Knights Templar]. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death The George Hotel nearby (known as St Peter's Place in 1992 becoming now the George Shopping Centre) was mentioned in Charles Dickens’ novel Nicholas Nickleby. Also in the town is the Blue Pig one of many "Blue" pubs. The Blue Pig is a pub in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. History The Blue Pig is part of a 16th century building in Vine Street Much of the town's property is owned by Buckminster Estates, since the time of the Earl of Dysart. See also Buckminster Fuller and Eclipse Buckminster Buckminster is a village and Civil parish within Earl of Dysart (pronounced " Die -z't" is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.

Nearby are many historic houses including 17th century Belton House, early 19th century Harlaxton Manor, Stoke Rochford Hall (once the training centre of the NUT), and the 11th century Belvoir Castle (in Leicestershire). Harlaxton Manor is a Mansion in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, England. Stoke Rochford is a small village near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The National Union of Teachers ( NUT) is a Trade union for School Teachers in England and Wales. Belvoir Castle (pronounced Beaver) is a Stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir ( Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics

Transport

Grantham railway station is served by the East Coast Main Line (between the stops for Peterborough and Newark Northgate), Nottingham to Skegness Line, and Liverpool to Norwich Line. Grantham railway station serves the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line 170 km (105⅓ miles The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line (ECML History It was built by the Great Northern Railway and opened as part of their "Towns" direct route from Peterborough to Doncaster Route The towns and villages served by the route are listed below Grantham Ancaster Rauceby Central Trains was a Train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. The town has the A1 main road from London to Edinburgh running past it (the town was bypassed in 1962). London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. The main shopping High Street, until recently, was part of the busy A52 (which runs to nearby Nottingham), and Wharf Road and London Road (next to Sainsbury's) still are, meeting the A607 (for Lincoln) at a busy junction. The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest The A607 is an A road in England that starts in Leicester and heads northeastwards through Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, terminating There is a motorway-style service station at the north end of the bypass, on the new junction which has recently replaced a roundabout.

Sport

Grantham Town Football Club is the local football team, currently playing in the Unibond First Division South. The major claim to fame of Grantham Town Football Club (nicknamed 'The Gingerbreads') is that Martin O'Neill started his management path from there. Grantham Town is a football club based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill OBE, (born 1 March 1952 in Kilrea, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Ireland national football team captain The club was founded in 1874 and they currently play in the 7,500 capacity (covered 1,950, seats 750) South Kesteven Sports Stadium (although average attendances are well below capacity). The ground also doubles as the town's athletics stadium (one of only three in Lincolnshire), next to the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre on Trent Road.

Notable people

Others

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Mills, A. D. (1991) "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ MAY Jeffrey (1976) Prehistoric Lincolnshire page 84, published by History of Lincolnshire Committee
  3. ^ Nicholas Parsons on Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 9th November, 2007. Desert Island Discs is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme It was first broadcast on 29 January 1942 and is said by the Guinness
  4. ^ Detail taken from a copy of The Royal Charters of Grantham 1463-1688 published by Leicester University Press in 1963

External links

Video clips

Grantham College is a British Further education and Sixth Form college located in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
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