Bracebridge Heath is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

North Kesteven North Kesteven is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The council is based in Sleaford. The district also contains the town of North Hykeham, which adjoins the neighbouring city of Lincoln, England, L ...

district of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. It is south of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

and straddles the border with the Lincoln and North Kesteven district boundaries. It lies at the junction of two major roads the A15 to

Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. On the edge of the The Fens, Fenlands, it is north-east of Grantham, west of Boston, Lincolnshire, Boston, and sou ...

and the A607 to

Grantham Grantham () is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies south of Lincoln, England ...

. It was part of the Boothby Graffoe

Wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of ...

in the

Kesteven The Parts of Kesteven ( or ) are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England. This division had long had a separate county administration (quarter sessions), along with the two other Parts of Lincolnshire, Lindsey and Holland. Etymology T ...

riding. The village is on top of Lincoln Cliff, overlooking

and the valley of the

River Witham The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...

. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 4,530, increasing to 5,656 at the 2011 census.

History

Until 1898 Bracebridge Heath was part of the parish of Bracebridge. Bracebridge may have had its origins in the Old English ''braesc'' + ''brycg'', meaning 'bridge or causeway made of branches'. The

runs to the west, lending some credibility to this theory. The village is mentioned in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' as "Brachebrige". Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

was held by Ulf Fenman, and after by Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances, who also became

Tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...

. Bracebridge Heath lies on the route of the Roman

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...

that runs approximately from London to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. The central road junction in Bracebridge Heath is the junction of three Roman roads, now the A15 (the Sleaford Road), the A607 (the Grantham Road), and Cross O'Cliffe Hill into Lincoln. The line of Ermine Street, when extended from its last traceable part at Harmston, south of Bracebridge Heath, runs north through Waddington to Heath Road in Bracebridge Heath. Heath Road continues the line of Ermine Street. According to ''White's 1876 Lincolnshire'', the parish of was part of

Boothby Graffoe Boothby Graffoe is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 223. It is situated approximately south from the city and county town of Lincoln, ...

, and consisted of the Lincoln County Lunatic Asylum on Sleaford Road, All Saints' church, and a

vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...

. In 1876, 340 persons were recorded as living in the parish, the most notable of which included: *Thomas Allen, MD (at the Asylum) *William Andrew, Solicitor *Rev. William Bromehead BA, Vicar *William Coupland, Blacksmith and Beerhouse *William Green, Blacksmith *George Kirkup, Asylum Steward *William Mills, Wards Brickyard *Edward Palmer, MD, Asylum Superintendent *George Wheatley, Carpenter *Charles White, Pattern and Clog Maker *John Wollfit, Licensed Victualler, at The John Bull *Thomas Butler, Farmer *Charles Clarke, Farmer *Edwin Scrivener, Farmer *William Toulson, Farmer *Mrs Mary Winn, Post and Carrier from Lincoln *Harry Webber, Hall Farm hand

Present day

Bracebridge Heath has changed considerably since White's description of 1876. The village boundary has extended northwards in the direction of Lincoln and southwards towards the village of Waddington. The parish of Bracebridge Heath was created out of the complete parish of Bracebridge by a Local Government Order (Kesteven) on 1 April 1898. To date, it has remained basically as it was created apart from one minor boundary adjustment. A local landmark is the finely worked stone water pumping station and reservoir located on Grantham Road, known locally as 'The Water Tower', as opposed to the white 'Hospital water tower', a header tank for the hospital laundry boilers was another prominent landmark, but this was demolished in 2014. This 'new' (1912) subterranean reservoir, of which only the 'pumping machinery tower' can be seen, was an overflow for the main reservoir in Westgate Water Tower, and replaced an 'old' open reservoir on Bracebridge Heath on London Road, built in 1871 and closed in 1925. It had been left water-filled from 1912 as an emergency supply in case of fire at the Asylum until the new 'Hospital' water tower was erected and connected to the mains in 1925, from whence it lay empty, and decaying until 1972 when it was filled in and built on, today it is known as Stanley Crescent.

Buildings

Other than the old mental hospital chapel (now private accommodation), there is St John's Church (Church of England) on Grantham Road and the Methodist Church, on almost the opposite side of the road. There is also a Deeper Life Bible Church. St John's primary school, (now an Academy School) formerly Bracebridge Heath County Primary School,(1880) is situated on the same road along with a small row of shops, and opposite, a new shopping centre. Just off Sleaford Road (A15) in the direction of Lincoln is the village hall almost behind 'The Bull' Public House (formerly the 'John Bull' public house). Earlier the church hall, situated behind St John's Church, served in that capacity, until the current village hall was built in the 1970s. The Church Hall was taken over by the local Scout group (21st Lincoln) in the early 1980s. They had used it as their headquarters. A local benefactor purchased the hall and donated it to the group. There was a police station on Whitehall Crescent, which was (in June 2012) enlarged and refurbished, it later underwent further work and is now a Nursery. Next to the Nursery is a public library. Also on London Road is a Medical Centre and GP's Surgery. A 1921 war memorial and Remembrance garden is situated on the eastern side of the junction of the Sleaford, London, and Grantham Roads.

St John the Evangelist's Church

St John The Evangelist's Church, Bracebridge Heath is a former mission church of All Saints Church, Bracebridge. The church was built between 1908 and 1910, the architect being Charles Hodgson Fowler of Durham. It was built for the villagers of Bracebridge Heath until it became a

in 1971 and separate from Bracebridge which later would become part of the

City of Lincoln Lincoln () is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district, district in Lincolnshire, England, of which it is the county town. In the 2021 Census, the city's district had a population of 103,813. The 2021 census gave the Lincoln Urban Area, u ...

in 1974. While Bracebridge Heath would become part of the

district that same year. It is in the Deanery of Lincoln and remains active for local community.

St John's Hospital

St John's Hospital closed in December 1989 and the site has been sold to a property developer who has built 183 luxury homes and apartments there. The original hospital buildings are classified as Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Public houses

Bracebridge Heath has three public houses. 'The Blacksmiths Arms' now shortened to 'The Blacksmiths', on the site of the Victorian blacksmith's shop and beerhouse built, opened and run by the family of William Green, a Harmston farmer, in 1852. It stands at the point where London Road divides into the Sleaford Road (A15) and the Grantham Road (A607). It has recently been refurbished and re-opened after standing derelict for some years. Directly opposite this on the western side of Grantham Road is the 'John Bull' since 2007 renamed 'The Bull'. Its first spirit license was granted to Thomas Spain, 16 October 1849. 'The Homestead' public house is a late-1990s building conversion of one of the former hospital buildings, which served originally as the hospital Superintendent's residence. (Built in 1906 for Dr. Thomas Leonard Johnston).

Facilities

The village is home to the headquarters of the local Area Health Authority. It is based around the home of one of the Newsum family, (formerly Wood Merchants). Arthur Crookes Newsum J.P., built 'Cross O'Cliffe Court' in 1908/9. To the west of London road (A15), is an area of open land which was known locally as 'The Hillies'. Although privately owned (by the Church), it served for many years as unofficial common land, used for sheep grazing, dog walking and for a rough and ready village football pitch. A public footpath which forms part of The Viking Way runs through it. For several years it has been given over to crop growing.

Sport and Leisure

Cricket

Bracebridge Heath Cricket Club was founded in 1948 and their ground can be found on Cross O'Cliff Court. Bracebridge Heath CC has a significant success record, with 12 Lincolnshire County Board Premier League championship titles to their name and a recent championship win in the Lincoln & District Sunday League in 2023. Bracebridge Heath field four senior teams: The 1st team compete in the Lincolnshire County Board Premier League (a designated

ECB Premier League The ECB Premier Leagues are a series of regional cricket leagues organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that form the top tier of club cricket in England and Wales. The ECB published "Raising the Standard" in 1997, the ECB Manageme ...

), a 2nd team in the Lincolnshire County League and two Sunday teams compete in the Lincoln & District League. They also have an established junior training section that play competitive cricket in the Lincoln Youth Cricket League.

Viking Way

The

Viking Way The Viking Way is a long distance trail in England running between the Humber Bridge in North Lincolnshire and Oakham in Rutland. History The route was officially opened on 5 September 1976 at Tealby, by the Deputy Chairman of Lincolnshire C ...

, a long footpath from the

Humber Bridge The Humber Bridge is a single-span road suspension bridge near Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. When it opened to traffic on 24 June 1981, it was the longest of its type in the world; the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge surpassed ...

Oakham Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...

, runs along the cliff top to the west of the village.

RAF Bracebridge Heath

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

(RFC) aerodrome at Bracebridge Heath originally opened in 1916 for use by the Robey-Peters aircraft factory, in the manufacture and flight testing of their own designs and licence-built Sopwith aircraft. .

RAF Bracebridge Heath Bracebridge Heath is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is south of Lincoln and straddles the border with the Lincoln and North Kesteven district boundaries. It lies at the junction of two ...

enlarged circa 1919–1920, housed

No. 121 Squadron RAF No. 121 Squadron was a Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft squadron that during the Second World War was one of the three Eagle Squadrons manned by American volunteers. There is a Royal Air Force Air Cadets squadron, based in Nuneaton, which shares ...

and No. 4 Aircraft Acceptance Park RAF. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, an aircraft repair organisation at Bracebridge Heath, managed by A V Roe and Co Ltd, recovered 'battle damaged'

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

bomber parts, which would otherwise have been scrapped, returning them to service and making a contribution to the bomber offensive against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. An MAP B.1 type aircraft hangar from this period survived in 2014. There was a Grade II listed triple-bay Belfast truss aircraft

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

here (built c1917), but this was demolished on safety grounds in 2001.Aircraft, made in Lincoln published 2000, Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. Two other modified and re-clad single-bay Belfast truss hangars survived.

References

External links

*

Bracebridge Heath Parish Council
"Bracebridge"
GENUKI, Genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2011
"Bracebridge Asylum"
Genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2011 * {{authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire North Kesteven District Lincoln Urban Area Areas of Lincoln, England