TOFT WITH LOUND AND MANTHORPE: South Kesteven Parish #70 of 83

TOFT WITH LOUND AND MANTHORPE – Homestead with Grove and Mani’s Settlement Welcome to the parish of Toft with Lound and Manthorpe, just off the A6121. This one has three small villages which sit on gentle ground above the fens, with fields, woods and lanes linking them all together. The names tell us a lot. “Toft” is a common word in eastern England for a plot or homestead. “Lound” comes from Old Norse lundr, meaning a grove or wood, and “Manthorpe” is from an Old Danish personal name, Manni. People have farmed this ridge since early times, with the parish recorded in the Domesday Book under several lords, including Hereward “the Wake” and Peterborough Abbey. Today the parish holds around 300 residents, with modern housing threaded among older farmsteads. These might be small places but they have a lot to talk about. Amelia will be busy today – and especially so at The Bowthorpe Oak, a vast, hollow tree which may be around a thousand years old. With a girth of over 13 metres, its now carefully protected. Other places catch the eye too. To the north, Toft Tunnel was once the only tunnel on the Midland and Great Northern railway system. That’s now a wildlife reserve rich in flowers and butterflies. Toft Golf Course is also going to be highlighted here. Work here has long centred on the land. Manor Farmhouse in Toft, a 17th century listed building, tells us of centuries of mixed farming. Today agriculture still matters, but it’s the Golf Club and the attached country house hotel that provide most of the important local jobs now. ---- Famous names are modest rather than grand here. Hereward “the Wake” held land here before the Norman Conquest. More recently, local historians such as Sue Cork and Dick Mundy have written detailed booklets about Manthorpe, Toft and Lound. Stories cling to The Bowthorpe Oak. Its said to have hosted dinners for twenty guests inside its hollow trunk, and later teas for chapel children. There are railway tales surrounding Toft Tunnel, from the hard work of the navvies who built it, to those who actually used it. Parish life today has its practical concerns. This is a very rural area so things like lambing time and keeping dogs under control are big concerns. Then again, so are food waste collections, and the mobile library route! It’s a mixed bag! So, as we set off along these lanes, we’ll be driving through a place shaped by an oak tree, a railway, and golf. The ridge above the fens carries deep roots and busy present life, and its all on display within Toft, Lound and Manthorpe. **** #Toft, #Lound, #Manthorpe, #ToftwithLoundandManthorpe,, #Lincolnshire, #SouthKesteven, #Stamford, #Peterborough, #Bourne, #Churches, #Pubs, #Trees, #BowthorpeOak, #FarmShops, #Chapels, #Golf, **** Some of the following music tracks may appear in this video: Brendan Perkins - “Foxsnow” (B. Perkins)    • Foxsnow   Brendan Perkins - “Mickey's House” (B. Perkins)    • Mickey's House   The Keyhouse - "Voices" (H. Flunder)    • Voices   The Keyhouse - "Circles" (H. Flunder)    • The Keyhouse - Circles (official audio)   Helen Flunder - "Sun" (H. Flunder)    • Helen Flunder - 'Sun' (Official Audio)   Helen Flunder - “Angels” (H. Flunder)    • Helen Flunder - Angels (Official Audio)   Helen Flunder - “C Song” (H. Flunder)    • Caistor and the Lincolnshire Wolds   Ending Song made by Suno AI I have me a Facebook page too!   / the-village-idiot-226069228730989   And now an INSTAGRAM - @andythevillageidiot Come and join The Village People! (Subscribers only!)   / 1037756120085304   Please consider buying me a coffee to support the channel! The more I get the faster I'll get to your parish! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevilla... Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @thevillageidiot