TALLINGTON: South Kesteven Parish #63 of 83

TALLINGTON – Tael’s Farmstead Next up in South Kesteven we have the lovely village of Tallington between Stamford and Market Deeping. This one is close to the River Welland and the route of the East Coast Main Line. It has around 200 houses, most of which line the A1175. The name Tallington comes from Old English. Scholars read it as “Tael-ing-tun”, meaning “Tael’s estate” or farmstead. In Domesday Book it appears as “Talintone” where it was held by Robert de Tosny and others, with a church and mill recorded on this fertile riverside land. People have farmed here since early medieval times, using the Welland floodplain. Tallington was a small manor with arable fields, meadow and that first church. Later came the Stamford Canal in the 1600s, the watermill around 1700, and then the Great Northern Railway. Today the place is best known for Tallington Lakes Leisure Park, created from some former gravel pits. Over 200 acres of spring-fed water now host water skiing, wakeboarding, sailing, paddleboarding and fishing. It gives the place a very modern, outdoorsy feel. Alongside the lakes, other landmarks include St Lawrence’s church, with its Norman doorway, 14th century tower and later medieval work; a former school of 1841, which is now the village hall; and the Whistle Stop pub by the railway crossing. Work here has changed over time. Farming on the Welland meadows was for a long time, the mainstay, until in the 20th century the Dow-Mac concrete works became a major employer, casting bridge sections for motorways across Britain. ---- Consequently, the very gravel extraction that took place at Dow Mac, then created the lakes, which now support new jobs in leisure and hospitality. Railway staff and Dow-Mac engineers also brought skills and experience from further afield, and so now, employment is very varied here Local tales cling mainly to the railway here. The level crossing on the East Coast Main line is notorious for being closed more than its open, and so there are countless stories of drivers nipping into the pub next door for a quick drink before the gates reopened. There has been a long running campaign for a bypass or some sort of bridge over the railway, which still continues today. Ironically, Dow Mac did offer to donate a bridge when they were here but it was never built. So, as we set off on our walk today, we have a place shaped by the river historically, and the railways and the gravel pits turned lakes, latterly. The sound of both express trains and water birds are common here. You don’t get much more varied than that. **** #Tallington, #Lincolnshire, #SouthKesteven, #Stamford, #Peterborough, #Bourne, #Churches, #Railways, #Stations, #Pubs, #Lakes, #Watersports, #ECML, #LevelCrossings, #Halls, #Mills, #Rivers, #Welland, #Canals, **** 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