Stamford is a town and civil parish within the
South KestevenSouth Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
district of the county of
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. It is approximately 100 miles (160.9 km) to the north of
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on the east side of the A1 road to
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and on the
River WellandThe River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
. The resident population at the 2001 census was 21,800, including the adjacent parish of St Martin's Without.
The town is best known for its medieval core of 17th-18th century stone buildings, older timber framed buildings and five medieval parish churches.
History
Stamford was the first conservation area to be designated in England and Wales under the Civic Amenities Act 1967. Since then the whole of the old town and St Martin's has been made an outstanding area of architectural or historic interest that is of national importance. Therefore there is much interest in its vibrant local history.
In June 1968, a specimen of the sauropod dinosaur
CetiosaurusCetiosaurus meaning 'whale lizard', from the Greek cetus/κητος meaning 'sea monster' and saurus/σαυρος meaning 'lizard', was a sauropod dinosaur from the Mid to Late Jurassic Period in what are now Europe and Africa. It is estimated to have been about long and to have weighed roughly...
oxoniensis was found by Bill Boddington in the Williamson Cliffe quarry, close to
Great CastertonGreat Casterton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.-Geography:...
. It was calculated to be around 170 million years old, from the
AalenianThe Aalenian is a subdivision of the Middle Jurassic epoch/series of the geologic timescale that extends from about 175.6 Ma to about 171.6 Ma . It was preceded by the Toarcian and succeeded by the Bajocian.-Stratigraphic definitions:...
or
BajocianIn the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 171.6 Ma to around 167.7 Ma . The Bajocian age succeeds the Aalenian age and precedes the Bathonian age....
part of the
JurassicThe Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period. The Rutland Dinosaur is one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons found in the UK, being fifteen metres long, and since 1975 has been in the
New Walk MuseumThe New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is a museum on New Walk in Leicester, England, not far from the city centre. Two dinosaur skeletons are permanently installed in the museum — a cetiosaur found in Rutland , and a plesiosaur from Barrow upon Soar.Other permanent exhibits include an Egyptian area,...
in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
.
The
Stamford MuseumStamford Museum was located in Stamford, Lincolnshire in Great Britain. It was housed in a Victorian building in Broad Street, Stamford and was run by the museum services of Lincolnshire County Council from 1980 to 2011.-The building and area:...
was in a Victorian building in Broad Street and run by the museum services of Lincolnshire County Council from 1980 to 2011.
The Romans built
Ermine Street across what is now Burghley Park and through the middle of the town, where it forded the Welland, eventually reaching Lincoln; they built a town to the north at
Great CastertonGreat Casterton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.-Geography:...
. In AD 61
BoudicaBoudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
followed the Roman 9th Legion (
Legio IX HispanaLegio Nona Hispana was a Roman legion, which operated from the first century BCE until mid 2nd century CE. The Spanish Legion's disappearance has raised speculations over its fate, largely of its alleged destruction in Scotland in about 117 CE, though some scholars believe it was destroyed in the...
) across the river. Although the Romans made Great Casterton a bigger town, the Saxons later chose Stamford as their main town, being on a more important river than the
River GwashThe River Gwash, a tributary of the River Welland, flows through the English counties of Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire. It rises just outside the village of Knossington in Leicestershire, near the western edge of Rutland...
.
In 972 King Edgar made Stamford a borough. The Anglo-Saxons and Danes faced each other across the river. The town originally grew as a
DanishThe Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
settlement at the lowest point that the Welland could be crossed by ford or bridge. Stamford was the only one of the
DanelawThe Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
Five Burghs ("boroughs")The Five Boroughs or The Five Boroughs of the Danelaw were the five main towns of Danish Mercia . These were Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stamford...
not to become a
county townA county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
. Initially a pottery centre, producing
Stamford WareStamford Ware is a type of lead glazed earthenware, one of the earliest forms of glazed ceramics manufactured in England. It was produced in Stamford, Lincolnshire between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. It was widely traded across Britain and the near continent. The most popular forms were...
, by the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it had become famous for its production of
woolWool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and the woollen cloth known as Stamford cloth - which "In Henry III's reign ... was well known in Venice". There is an example of this cloth, also called
haberget, in Stamford Museum. Stamford was a walled town but only a very small portion of the walls now remain. Stamford became an inland
portA harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
on the Great North Road that superseded the
Roman roadThe Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Ermine StreetErmine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
, which passes near the town, where it forded the River Welland. Notable buildings in the town include the mediaeval
Browne's HospitalBrowne's Hospital is a medieval almshouse in Stamford, Lincolnshire. It was founded in 1485 by wealthy wool merchant William Browne to provide a home and a house of prayer for 12 poor men and 2 poor women.-The Hospital:...
, several churches and the buildings of
Stamford SchoolStamford School is an English independent school situated in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It has been a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference since 1920.-History:...
, a
public schoolA public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
founded in 1532.
The historian David Roffe has made a study of many aspects of the Danelaw, and his web site includes an extensive and scholarly history of Stamford Castle.
A Norman castle was built about 1075 and apparently demolished in 1484. The site stood derelict until the late twentieth century when it was built over and now includes a bus station and a modern housing development.
A small part of the curtain wall survives at the junction of
Castle Dyke and
Bath Row. From the doorway within it hustings were held until around 1971, the candidates speaking from a position above the crowd.
Stamford has been hosting an annual fair since the Middle Ages. Stamford fair is mentioned in Shakespeare's
Henry IV part 2Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
(act 3 scene 2). The mid-Lent fair is the largest street fair in Lincolnshire and one of the largest in the country. On 7 March 1190, crusaders at the fair led a
pogromThe history of the Jews in England goes back to the reign of William I. The first written record of Jewish settlement in England dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times...
; many Jews in the town were massacred.
For almost 700 years Stamford was host to a renowned bull-running festival on 13 November annually, until it was abandoned in 1837 after a campaign by the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
. Stamford residents defended their ancient custom as a "traditional, manly, English sport; inspiring courage, agility, and presence of mind under danger." Its defenders argued that it was less cruel and dangerous than fox hunting, and one local newspaper asked "Who or what is this London Society that, usurping the place of constituted authorities, presumes to interfere with our ancient amusement?"
According to local tradition, the origin of the custom dated from the time of King John when, William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, standing on the battlements of the castle, saw two bulls fighting in the meadow beneath. Some butchers came to part the combatants and one of the bulls ran into the town, causing a great uproar. The earl, mounting his horse, rode after the animal, and enjoyed the sport so much, that he gave the meadow in which the fight began, to the butchers of Stamford, on condition that they should provide a bull, to be run in the town every 13 November, for ever after. The town of Stamford acquired common rights in the meadow specified, a grassy flood plain next to the Welland, which until the last century was known as Bull-meadow, and today just as The Meadows - still a popular place of summer relaxation. In 1839, on one of the last bull runs, the bull was forced off the bridge into the river.
The last known witness of the final bull running was James Fuller Scholes who spoke of it in a newspaper interview in 1928 before his 94th birthday; "I am the only Stamford man living who can remember the bull-running in the streets of the town. I can remember my mother showing me the bull and the horses and men and dogs who chased it. She kept the St Peter's Street - the building that was formerly the Chequers Inn at that time and she showed me the bull-running sport from a bedroom window. I was only four years old then, but I can clearly remember it all. The end of St Peter's Street (where it was joined by Rutland Terrace) was blocked by two farm wagons, and I saw the bull come to the end of the street and return again. My mother told me not to put my head out of the window - apparently because she was afraid I should drop into the street."
Seventeenth-century historians described how the bull was chased and tormented for the day before being driven to the Bull-meadow and slaughtered. "Its flesh [was] sold at a low rate to the people, who finished the day's amusement with a supper of bull-beef."
Governance
Stamford is part of the Parliamentary constituency of Grantham and Stamford. The incumbent Member of Parliament is the
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Nick Boles.
Since April 1974 Stamford has been within the areas of Lincolnshire County (upper tier) and South Kesteven District Council (lower tier); previous to that it was part of
KestevenThe Parts of Kesteven are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration , along with the other two parts, Lindsey and Holland.-Etymology:...
County Council. Stamford is in the East Midlands region.
Stamford has a
town councilA town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
. The arms of the town council are
Per pale dexter side Gules three Lions passant guardant in pale Or and the sinister side chequy Or and Azure. The three lions are the English royal arms, the blue and gold chequers are the arms of the de Warennes, who held the Manor in the 13th century.
Geography
It is a town and civil parish within the
South KestevenSouth Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
district of
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. It is situated on the
River WellandThe River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
, in a south-westerly protrusion of Lincolnshire, between
RutlandRutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
to the north and west, and
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
to the south. It borders
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
to the south-west at the only point in England where four
ceremonial countiesThe ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
meet. Stamford was declared a conservation area in 1967 (the first urban conservation area) and has over 600 listed buildings, more than half of the total for the County of Lincolnshire. In April 1991, the boundary between
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and
RutlandRutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
(then
LeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
) in the Stamford area was re-arranged and now mostly follows the A1 to the railway line. The conjoined parish of Wothorpe is in the city of
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. Barnack Road is the
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
/
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
boundary where it borders St Martin's Without.
The river downstream of the town bridge, and some of the meadows fall within the drainage area of the Welland and Deepings
Internal Drainage BoardAn internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
.
Economy
There is substantial presence of professional firms, law and accountancy. Health, education and other public services employers play a role in the local economy, notably the hospital, two large medical general practices, schools (including independent schools) and the further education college. Hospitality is provided by a large number of hotels, licensed premises and many restaurants, tea rooms and cafés. The licensed premises reflect the history and geography of the town with
The Lord Burleigh,
The William Cecil,
The Danish Invader and
The Scotgate, (and previously
The Daniel Lambert) together with the
Easton on the HillEaston on the Hill is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire, England. The parish extends from the River Welland in the north to the western end of RAF Wittering, in the northernmost part of the county between Stamford and Collyweston....
nearly thirty premises serve real ale.
Jim's Yard is on
Ironmonger Street. The surrounding villages and Rutland Water provide additional venues and employment opportunities, as do the several annual large events at Burghley House
Retail
The town has a significant retail and retail service sector. The town centre is home to many independents and draws people from a wide area for the pleasure of shopping. There are numerous gift shops, homewares, men's and women's outfitters, shoe shops,and florists, as well as hair salons, beauty therapists, and eateries.
National supermarkets
WaitroseWaitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
,
Marks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
,
TescoTesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, and
MorrisonsWm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
are represented. Two retail parks a little way from the centre provide, on one - Homebase DIY, Curry's electrical, Carpetright floor covering and McDonald's fast-food; and on the other - catalogue shop (
ArgosArgos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
), a discounter, Lidl supermarket, Halfords car spares and bicycle shop. The town has three builders' merchants, and a number of other specialist trade outlets. There are two large car sales showrooms (a third - a Ford show room was converted to residential in the early twenty-first century), and a number of car-related businesses. There are also local service retailers: convenience stores, post offices, newsagents and take-aways (fish and chips and others).
National jeweller
F. HindsF. Hinds is a jewellery retailing chain, operating in England and Wales. There are currently 110 F Hinds stores within the United Kingdom.The chain is an independent retailer which was founded in 1856 by George Henry Hinds, although his father Joseph was also a clockmaker in Stamford,...
can trace their history back to the clockmaker Joseph Hinds, who worked in Stamford in the first half of the nineteenth century and they also have a branch in the town.
Engineering
South of the town is
RAF WitteringRAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
, a main employer, and the
Home of the HarrierThe Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
. The airbase originally opened in 1916 as
RFCThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
Stamford, which closed then re-opened in 1924 under its present title.
The engineering company
Cummins Generator TechnologiesCummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
(formerly Newage Lyon, then Newage International), a maker of
electrical generatorIn electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
s, is based on
BarnackBarnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
Road. C & G Concrete (now part of Breedon Aggregates) is on
Uffington Road. The area is known for its
limestoneThe Lincolnshire limestone is a feature of the Inferior Oolite Series of the Middle Jurassic strata of eastern England. It was formed around 165 million years ago, in a shallow, warm sea on the margin of the London Platform and has estuarine beds above and below it...
and slate quarries.
Collyweston stone slateCollyweston stone slate is a traditional roofing material found in England.It is not a proper slate but a limestone found in narrow beds. The slates are quarried near the village of Collyweston in Northamptonshire, near Stamford and close to the borders of Lincolnshire and Rutland. It is...
, the cream-coloured stone, is found on the roofs of many of Stamford's stone buildings.
Stamford Stone, in
BarnackBarnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
, have two quarries at Marholm and
ClipshamClipsham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The village is well-known for its limestone quarries. Clipsham stone, part of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation, can be found in many of Britain's most famous buildings including King's College Chapel , the...
; Clipsham stone is found on
York MinsterYork Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
.
The Pick Motor company was located in Stamford. A number of smaller firms — welders, printers and so forth — are either located in small collections of industrial units, or more traditional premises in older mixed-use parts of the town.
Being in the midst of some of the richest farmland in England, and close to the famous "double cropping" land of parts of the fens, agriculture provides a small but steady number of jobs for the town, in farming, agricultural machinery, distribution and other ancillary services.
Publishing and broadcasting
The
Stamford MercuryThe Stamford Mercury based in Stamford, Lincolnshire claims to be "Britain's oldest newspaper". Berrow's Worcester Journal and London Gazette also claim this honour...
claims to have been published since 1695, and to be "Britain's oldest newspaper". The
London GazetteThe London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
also claims this honour, having been published since the 1660s; however, it is not now a newspaper in the usual sense.
Local radio provision is shared between Peterborough's
Heart CambridgeshireHeart Cambridgeshire is an Independent Local Radio Station broadcasting to Cambridgeshire from studios in Peterborough. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Peterborough and Heart Cambridge...
(102.7 - Heart Peterborough closed in July 2010) and the smaller
Rutland RadioRutland Radio is a Independent Local Radio station broadcasting since December 1998 from Knights Yard, Gaol Street in Oakham to Rutland on 107.2FM and Stamford on 97.4FM ....
(the 97.4 transmitter is on
Little CastertonLittle Casterton is a small village and civil parish in Rutland. It is about two miles north of Stamford on a minor road that runs to the south of the River Gwash between Great Casterton and Ryhall.The village has a church ....
Road) from
Oakham-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
. Then there are the BBC's
Radio CambridgeshireBBC Radio Cambridgeshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Cambridgeshire. It originally broadcast from studios on Hills Road close to the train station in Cambridge - which have now moved to a new multi-million pound centre at the Cambridge Business Park on Cowley Road - ...
(95.7 from
PeterboroughThe Peterborough transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Morborne Hill, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, ....
),
Radio NorthamptonBBC Radio Northampton is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Northamptonshire. It broadcasts from its studios in Broadcasting House, Northampton on 104.2 and 103.6 FM. The station also has two studios in Daventry and Corby...
(103.6 from
CorbyCorby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
) and
Radio LincolnshireBBC Lincolnshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Lincolnshire — apart from the northern parts, which are covered by BBC Radio Humberside...
(94.9). NOW Digital broadcasts from the East
CastertonCasterton can refer to:*Casterton, Victoria*Casterton, Cumbria*Little Casterton, Rutland*Great Casterton, Rutland...
transmitter covering the town and
SpaldingSpalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
, which provides the
PeterboroughNOW Peterborough is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Peterborough and the surrounding area. NOW Peterborough is transmitted on frequency block 12D 229.072 MHz from trasmitters at Huntingdon , Peterborough and Stamford. It launched in November 2002...
12D multiplex (BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and
Hereward FM102.7 Heart Peterborough was an Independent Local Radio station for Peterborough, Boston, King's Lynn, Cambridgeshire, south Lincolnshire and west Norfolk...
). Stamford has its own lower-power television relay transmitter, due to the town being in a valley which takes the transmission from
WalthamThe Waltham transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facilityat Waltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles north-east of Melton Mowbray. It sits inside the Waltham civil parish near Stonesby, in the district of Melton, Leicestershire, UK. It has a guyed steel tubular mast...
, and not
BelmontThe Belmont transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated next to the B1225, one mile west of the village of Donington on Bain in the civil parish of South Willingham, near Market Rasen and Louth in Lincolnshire, England . It is owned and operated by Arqiva.It has...
.
Local high-profile publishers are
Key PublishingKey Publishing is a magazine publishing company specialising in aviation titles, based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It claims to be Europe's leading aviation publisher.-History:Airliner World was launched in 1999....
(aviation) and the
Bourne Publishing GroupBourne Publishing Group is a small publishing group based in Stamford, Lincolnshire UK. Founded in 1989 as an independent private publisher formed primarily to publish a new launch, the Shooting Gazette, but with the long-term objective of adding other titles, which sat comfortably together.BPG...
(pets). Old Glory, a specialist magazine devoted to steam power, was published in Stamford.
Landmarks
The
Industrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
largely left Stamford untouched. Much of town centre was built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in Georgian or Jacobean style. Stamford is characterized by street after street of timber-framed and stone buildings (using the local
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
that
Lincoln CathedralLincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
is built from), little shops tucked down back alleys. The main shopping area was pedestrianized in the 1980s.
Near Stamford (actually in the historic
Soke of PeterboroughThe Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
and the parish of Barnack) is
Burghley HouseBurghley House is a grand 16th-century country house near the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England...
, an Elizabethan mansion, vast and ornate, built by the First Minister of
Elizabeth IElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, Sir William Cecil, later
Lord BurghleyWilliam Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
. The house is the ancestral seat of the
Marquess of ExeterMarquess of Exeter is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1525 for Henry Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon...
. The tomb of William Cecil is in Saint Martins Church in Stamford. The parkland of the Burghley Estate adjoins the town of Stamford on two sides. Also inside the district of Peterborough is the village of Wothorpe.
Another historic country house near Stamford is
Tolethorpe HallTolethope Hall in the parish of Little Casterton, Rutland, England, PE9 4BH is a country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire at . It is now the location of the Rutland Theatre of the Stamford Shakespeare Company....
, now host to outdoor theatre productions by the Stamford Shakespeare Company.
Tobie Norris had a famous
bell foundryBellfounding is the casting of bells in a foundry for use in churches, clocks, and public buildings. A practitioner of the craft is called a bellmaker or bellfounder. The process in Europe dates to the 4th or 5th century. In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in...
in the town in the 17th century; his name is now better known as a popular pub on
St Pauls Street.
Transport
Road
Lying as it does on the main north-south route (
Ermine StreetErmine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
and the A1) from
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, several
ParliamentThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
s were held in Stamford in the Middle Ages. The
GeorgeThe George Hotel is a former coaching inn on the route of the Great North Road in St Martin's Without near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.-External links:*...
, the
Bull and Swan, the
Crown and the
London Inn were well-known
coaching innIn Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s. The town had to manage with Britain's north-south traffic through its narrow roads until 1960, when the bypass was built to the west of the town, only a few months after the
M1The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
opened. The old route is now the B1081. There is only one road bridge over the Welland (excluding the A1): a local bottleneck.
Until 1996, there were firm plans for the bypass to be upgraded to motorway standard, since shelved. The
Carpenter's Lodge roundabout south of the town has been replaced with a grade-separated junction. The A16 (
Uffington Road), which heads to
Market DeepingMarket Deeping is a market town in Lincolnshire, England, on the north bank of the River Welland and the A15 road.-Geography:It is the second largest of The Deepings and its eponymous market has been held since at least 1220. The river here forms the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire border with...
, meets the north end of the A43 (
Wothorpe Road) in the south of the town.
On foot
Foot bridges cross the Welland at the Meadows, some 500 yards upstream of the Town Bridge, and with the Albert Bridge a similar distance downstream.
The
Jurassic WayThe Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England...
runs from
BanburyBanbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
to Stamford. The
Hereward WayHereward Way is a long-distance footpath in England.The path takes its name from Hereward the Wake, the 11th century leader who fought against William the Conqueror, who had his base on the Isle of Ely that is located near to the middle of the path....
runs through the town from Rutland to the
Peddars WayThe Peddars Way is a long distance footpath in Norfolk, England. It is 46 miles long and follows the route of a Roman road. It has been suggested by more than one writer that it was not created by the Romans but was an ancient trackway, a branch or extension of the Icknield Way, used and...
in
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, along the Roman
Ermine StreetErmine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
and then the
River NeneThe River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
. The
Macmillan WayThe Macmillan Way is a long-distance footpath in England that links Boston, Lincolnshire to Abbotsbury in Dorset. The route's distance is . It is promoted to raise money for the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief....
heads through the town, finishing at
BostonBoston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
and there is also Torpel Way to Peterborough, which follows the railway line, entering Peterborough at
BrettonBretton is a residential area and civil parish in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Bretton has been designed as a green environment; the major roads are tree-lined and there are several large parks and playing fields.-History:...
.
Rail
Closure of
Stamford East railway stationStamford East railway station was the Stamford & Essendine Railway station in Water Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire. The line was worked by the Great Northern Railway but retained its independence until 1886, when the GNR took the line on perpetual lease....
in 1957 saw services to
EssendineEssendine railway station was a station in Essendine, Rutland. It was situated on the East Coast Main Line of the Great Northern Railway.-Overview:...
handled at the town station, until the Stamford & Essendine line closed in 1959. The surviving
railway stationStamford railway station serves the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England. The station is west of Peterborough on the Syston and Peterborough Railway, the line is now part of the much bigger Birmingham to Peterborough Line. CrossCountry operate the majority of services as part of their...
, hidden away between
Wothorpe Road and the Welland, has direct services to
LeicesterLeicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
,
BirminghamBirmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
and
Stansted AirportStansted Airport railway station serves London Stansted Airport in Essex, England.It is situated at the end of a short branch from the West Anglia Main Line. The branch was constructed at a cost of £44 million and opened in 1991, to coincide with the completion of the airport's new terminal building...
(via
CambridgeCambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
) on the
Birmingham to Peterborough LineThe Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
. Trains arriving from, or departing for
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, pass through a short tunnel that runs beneath St Martins.
Bus
The town has a bus station on part of the old Castle site in
St Peter's Hill. The main bus routes are two routes to
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, via Helpston or via Wansford, and to
Oakham-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
,
GranthamGrantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
,
UppinghamDisambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
and
BourneBourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
. There are also less frequent services to
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
by other routes. Delaine services terminate at their old depot in
North Street. Other operators active include Kimes, Blands and Peterborough Council.
On Sundays and Bank Holidays from 16 May 2010,there are five journeys to Peterborough operated by Peterborough City Council, on routes via Wittering/Wansford, Duddington/Wansford,
Burghley HouseBurghley House is a grand 16th-century country house near the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England...
/
BarnackBarnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
/Helpston and Uffington/Barnack/Helpston. There is also a
National ExpressNational Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
coach service between
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
each day including Sundays. Route maps and timetables are on Lincolnshire County Council's website, as responsibility for overseeing transport lies with that level of government.
Waterways
Although commercial shipping traffic brought cargoes along a canal from Market Deeping to warehouses in
Wharf Road until the 1850s, this traffic is no longer possible because of the abandonment of the canal and the shallowness of the river above
CrowlandCrowland or Croyland is a small town in south Lincolnshire, England, positioned between Peterborough and Spalding, with two sites of historical interest.-Geography:...
. There is a lock at the Sluice in
Deeping St JamesDeeping St James is a large village in Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Deeping St James lies east of Market Deeping on the River Welland, in the middle of rich sedimentary agricultural land on the B1166 and B1162 roads. With a population of 6,923 in 2837 households, it is the largest of The...
but it is not in use. The river was not conventionally navigable upstream of the Town Bridge.
Education
Stamford has five state primary schools - Bluecoat, St Augustine's (RC), St George's, St Gilbert's and Malcolm Sargent, and the independent Stamford Endowed Schools Junior School, a co-educational school for children from ages two to eleven.
There is one state secondary school in the town itself Queen Eleanor School
http://www.queeneleanor.org.uk/. This was formed in the late 1980s after the dissolution of the town's two comprehensive schools - Fane and Exeter.
Stamford SchoolStamford School is an English independent school situated in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It has been a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference since 1920.-History:...
and
Stamford High SchoolStamford High School is an English girls' Independent School situated in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England on .-Education:...
are long established independent schools with approximately 1,500 pupils combined. Stamford School (boys) was founded in 1532, with the High School (girls) founded in 1877. The schools have taught co-educational classes in the sixth form since 2000.
Other secondary pupils travel to nearby
Casterton Business and Enterprise CollegeCasterton Business and Enterprise College is one of three mixed comprehensive schools in the county of Rutland, England. Located in the village of Great Casterton, the school provides education for 11 to 16 year olds, as well as a Childcare Centre for the under 5s and an adult education programme...
(which introduced sixth-from provision in 2010) or further afield to other schools such as
The Deepings SchoolThe Deepings School is a co-educational secondary school on Park Road in Deeping St James, near Peterborough in England. The school was recently awarded the status of Enterprise Academy.-Background:...
or
Bourne Grammar SchoolBourne Grammar School is a co-educational selective state secondary school in Bourne, Lincolnshire. The school has been awarded Arts College Status. It is situated on South Road .-Heraldry:...
.
New College Stamford offers post-16 further education: work-based, vocational and academic; and higher education courses including
BA degrees in Art & Design awarded by the
University of LincolnThe University of Lincoln is an English university founded in 1992, with origins tracing back to the foundation and association with the Hull School of Art 1861....
and teaching related courses awarded by Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln. The College also offers a range of informal adult learning.
On an historical note: during 1333-4, a group of students and tutors from Merton and Brasenose Colleges, dissatisfied with conditions at their university, left Oxford to establish eventually a
rival college at Stamford. Oxford and Cambridge universities petitioned the King, and Edward III ordered the closure of the college and the return of the students to Oxford. Oxford MA students were obliged to swear the following:
You shall also swear that you will not read lectures, or hear them read, at Stamford, as in a University study, or college general, an oath which remained in place until 1827. The site, and limited remains, of the former 'Brazenose College, Stamford' where the 14th century Oxford secessionists lived and studied, forms part of the Stamford School premises.
Religion
In the 2001 Census of Population, over 80% of the population of Stamford Town identified themselves as Christian, while under 13% identified themselves as of "no religion".
Stamford has several Christian churches.
- All Saints' Church, Stamford
All Saints' Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England located in Stamford, Lincolnshire.-History:All Saints' Church is medieval and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was substantially rebuilt in the 15th century....
at 39 Red Lion Square, with its wooden war memorial
- Christ Church, Green Lane
- Stamford and District Community Church http://www.stamfordcc.com Queen Eleanor Technical College, off Green Lane
- Stamford Free Church (Baptist), Kesteven Road
- St George's in St George's Square,
- St John the Baptist
St John the Baptist's Church, Stamford, is a redundant Anglican church in the centre of the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England . It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.-History:The church...
,
- St Mary's Church, Stamford
St Mary's Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England, located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, lending its name to St Mary's Hill on which it stands, and which runs down to the river crossing opposite The George Hotel.-History:The church was built by the twelfth century, the tower in...
on St Mary's Street
- St Mary and St Augustine
The Parish Church of St Mary and St Augustine, Stamford, Lincolnshire, is home to a congregation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham. St Augustine’s was designed in a “robust High Victorian Early English” style by George Goldie, one of the foremost Catholic architects in England in the...
, Roman Catholic church,
- St Martin's Church, Stamford
St Martin's Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. The area of the town, south of the River Welland, was in Northamptonshire until 1889 and is called Stamford Baron or St Martin's.-History:...
on the High Street St Martins.
- St Michael the Greater, at the bottom of Ironmonger Street, is now a parade of shops.
- St Paul's Church, St Paul's Street. Now a chapel for Stamford School
- Strict Baptist Chapel, North Street
- Salvation Army, East Street - this is now disused and the congregation worships elsewhere
- Trinity Methodist, Barn Hill
- United Reformed Church, Star Lane
Filming location
Television shows
- Middlemarch
George Eliot's novel Middlemarch has been adapted for television twice. The most recent version in 1994 was directed by Anthony Page from a screenplay by Andrew Davies...
(1994)
- East Midlands Today
East Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for its East Midlands region, which covers Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, and the Grantham and Stamford areas of Lincolnshire....
- Top Gear
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
(2004)
- Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...
- Bargain Hunt
Bargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques at a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version...
(2007)
- The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
(2009)
Films
- Pride & Prejudice
Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
(2005) - used as the village of Meryton.
- The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
(2006)
- The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl is a 2000 American/British/French drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is based on the 1904 novel of the same title by Henry James, who considered the work his masterpiece.-Plot:...
(2000)
Notable residents
- Torben Betts
Torben Betts is an award-winning English playwright and screenwriter.A consistently controversial dramatist, who has written heavily naturalistic plays as well as epic, poetic works, he has been hailed as a successor to writers as diverse as Alan Ayckbourn, Edward Bond and Howard Barker...
, playwright
- David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter
David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter KCMG , styled Lord Burghley before 1956 and also known as David Burghley, was an English athlete, sports official and Conservative Party politician...
, as Lord Burghley, gold-medal-winning Olympic Hurdler
- William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
- Sarah Cawood
Sarah Cawood is an English television presenter.-Career:Cawood grew up in the Cambridgeshire village of Maxey and was educated at Stamford High School, Lincolnshire near Peterborough, United Kingdom. She also attended the Royal Ballet School and Arts Educational Schools London.Between 1995 and...
, television presenter
- Malcolm Christie
Malcom Neil "Malcolm" Christie is an English footballer who is a free agent. He has previously played for Nuneaton Borough, Derby County, Middlesbrough and Leeds United and has earned 11 England under-21 caps.-Career:...
, professional footballer
- Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
author, creator of Inspector Morse
- Tom Ford
Tom Ford is a motoring journalist and television presenter sometimes referred to by the nickname Wookie. He is married with 2 children.Ford was the co-host of Five's Fifth Gear beginning in Spring 2007...
, broadcaster, presenter 5th Gear
- John George Haigh
John George Haigh , commonly known as the "Acid Bath Murderer" , was an English serial killer during the 1940s. He was convicted of the murders of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine...
, "The Acid Bath Murderer", was born in Stamford in 1909
- Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, newspaper publisher
- Nicola Roberts
Nicola Maria Roberts is a British recording artist and entrepreneur. In 2002 Roberts auditioned for the reality televisions series and competition Popstars The Rivals which saw her finish in the final line-up of a girl group named Girls Aloud...
, British singer (most famous for being a member of Girls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
)
- Sir Mike Jackson
General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...
, British army general
- Rae Earl, author and broadcaster
- Francis Peck
-Life:He was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, and educated at Stamford School. Peck was educated at Charterhouse School, before continuing on to St John's College, Cambridge...
(1692–1743), antiquarian
- Robert of Ketton
Robert of Ketton was an English medieval theologian, astronomer and Arabist.Ketton, where Robert was either born or perhaps first took holy orders, is a small village in Rutland, a few miles from Stamford.Robert is believed to have been educated at the Cathedral School of Paris...
, Medieval theologian, first European translator of the Qu'ran
- James Mayhew
James John Mayhew is a well-known English illustrator and author of children's books.Brought up in Blundeston, Suffolk, on leaving school Mayhew studied art at Lowestoft School of Art from 1982 to 1984, and then illustration at Maidstone College of Art, graduating BA in 1987 with first class honours...
, writer and illustrator of children's books
- Sir Malcolm Sargent
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
, conductor
- Nigel Sixsmith
Nigel Sixsmith is a British musician.He lived most of his early childhood in Ryhall before moving with his family to Barnack where his love for music was spotted by his primary school teacher, Mr. Sharp, who encouraged Nigel to learn and play the piano...
, founder member of The Art Of SoundThe Art of Sound was formed in Peterborough, England in 1973, to promote the use of synthesizers in both modern and classical music. The originating members of The Art of Sound were: Nigel Sixsmith, Thomas Wright, Michael Bale and Shirley Feischer....
- Sir Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
, composer
Arts and entertainment
Stamford and nearby villages have their own substantial entertainment sector, as well as being able to access what is on offer in Peterborough, Leicester and other nearby cities. The local sector includes:
Organisations
- Stamford Pantomime Players
- Stamford Gilbert and Sullivan Players
- Stamford Brass (Stamford's Brass Band)
Venues
- Stamford Arts Centre
- Tolethorpe Hall
Tolethope Hall in the parish of Little Casterton, Rutland, England, PE9 4BH is a country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire at . It is now the location of the Rutland Theatre of the Stamford Shakespeare Company....
- The Corn Exchange
Sport
Football teams
- Stamford A.F.C.
- Blackstones F.C.
Blackstones F.C. is an association football club based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, who play their home games at Lincoln Road .The first football club with links to Blackstones was the "Rutland Ironworks"...
- Stamford Belvedere F.C.
There are a number of junior teams in each age group as well as school teams.
Rugby teams
- Stamford Rugby Club
- Stamford School Rugby Team
- Stamford College Rugby Team
- Stamford College Old boys Rugby Team
Netball teams
- Blackstones ladies netball team
Cricket teams
Burghley Park Cricket Club
BowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
teams
Festivals and events
- Burghley Horse Trials
The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is an annual three day event held at Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, currently in early September...
annually in early September
- Stamford Blues Festival
The Stamford Blues Festival is a major international blues music and folk music festival that takes place each summer in Stamford, England. Many notable musicians have performed at the festival, including Thomasina Winslow, Nick Katzman, Steve Lockwood, Chris Wright, and Mister Doo,-External links:*...
- Stamford Riverside Festival
Stamford Riverside Festival is an annual, English music festival, devoted to music of all genres including rock, punk, indie, acoustic and more recently dance...
- Stamford Mid Lent Fair
- Stamford Music Festival
- Stamford Transition Town launch: 18–23 October 2010 at Stamford
See also
- Outline of England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Its 51,092,000 inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population, while its mainland territory occupies most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain. England is bordered by Scotland to the north, Wales to the...
External links