Nettleham

History

The now-demolished Bishop's Manor House at Nettleham was the property of Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor and later Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I, before passing into the possession of the Bishops of Lincoln, who enlarged it to create a Bishop's Palace appropriate to one of the country's most important Sees. On 7 February 1301 King Edward I was staying in the Bishop's Palace when he created his son Edward (later King Edward II) as the first Prince of Wales. The building was damaged during the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536 and completely demolished by 1650, only traces of foundations remaining on the site now called Bishop's Palace Field.

The parish church of All Saints dates from the Saxon period, with medieval and 19th century additions. It is now in the benefice of Nettleham with Riseholme and Grange de Lings.

Within the church's graveyard is a headstone in memory of Thomas Gardiner, a post-boy murdered hereabouts by two highway robbers in January 1733. The inscription declares he was 'barbarously murdered' aged 19. The robbers - two brothers by the name of Hallam - committed another murder near Faldingworth before being arrested. They were convicted of murder at Lincoln and executed at the site of their crimes. (Thomas Gardiner's headstone declares he was killed on 3 January 1732 since at the time Britain used the Julian Calendar.)

The Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC) was based in Nettleham, on the Green. It gained its new name in 1981 from the Society for the Promotion of Nature Conservation (SPNC), and had been the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves before 1976. The Nature Conservation Trusts became known as Wildlife Trusts. The organisation became known as the Wildlife Trusts in 1996 and has been based in Newark-on-Trent since 1999, being been based on Witham Park in Lincoln from 1990. The site became the home of the WATCH Trust for Environmental Conservation, but this also moved to Newark a few years ago. The Wildlife Trusts had their junior section, known as Wildlife Warch, on Witham Park in Lincoln, until it moved to Newark. Newark is on the East Coast Main Line. In June 2004 the organisation became the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT).

Government

Nettleham forms part of the Gainsborough parliamentary constituency which is represented by Sir Edward Leigh MP

Geography

No other settlement shares Nettleham's name. Since April 1974 Nettleham has formed part of the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. The village is located 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east from the city of Lincoln between the A46 and A158.

The parish boundary meets Greetwell on the A158 Horncastle/Wragby road. It follows the A15 Wragby Road into Lincoln for about 110 yards (100.6 m) where it meets Lincoln, and skirts the edge of the housing estate (Glebe Park) next to the bypass; the Lincoln bypass (A158) from the A46 to the A158 is in the parish. The boundary crosses Nettleham Road (B1182, former A46), south of the bypass roundabout, and follows south of the A46 bypass for about 550 yards (502.9 m) and meets Riseholme (south of the bypass). The bypass passes northwards skirting, the edge of the University of Lincoln's Riseholme College. 550 yards north of Nettleham Hall, it meets Grange de Lings, and borders this parish along a farm track until the A46, where it meets Scothern just north of Nettleham Heath Farm. It crosses Scothern Beck north of Skelton House Farm, passes south, and at Nettleham Beck it meets Sudbrooke, crossing Sudbrooke Lane east of Richmond Farm. North of Manor Farm, it meets Reepham on the A158 Roman road and follows the A158 to North Greetwell, where it meets Greetwell.

Community

The village has a total resident population of approx 3500.

Nettleham has won the "Best Kept Village Award" several times, and the centre of the village is a conservation area. Large modern housing estates surround the old village centre. Nettleham is also the location of the Lincolnshire Police headquarters to the west of the village near the A46. It was opened by the Queen in 1980.

Village public houses are the Black Horse on Chapel Lane, the Plough on Church Street, the Brown Cow on Lincoln Road, and the White Hart on High Street.

JCT Consultancy is based at Deepdale Enterprise Park, off Deepdale Lane, which makes LINSIG software for traffic lights. The company holds courses on training for the traffic signal control industry.

The parish includes an oil well owned by Star Energy, north of the A158 bypass, which has been producing since 1985.

Sport

Nettleham F.C. have been members of the Lincolnshire League since their relegation from the Central Midlands League. They have twice played Aston Villa football club in friendlies. Nettleham Cricket Club play in the Lincolnshire ECB League. Both teams play their home fixtures at Mulsanne Park, Nettleham. The village also has a tennis club.

Twinning

Notable people