Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire.
Understand
Sleaford has a population of around 17,700 (2011). In the town centre stands Money's Mill, a 1796 windmill. It no longer has sails, and for several years served as Sleaford's tourist information centre.
Get in
Sleaford Railway Station serves destinations of Lincoln, Peterborough, Doncaster, Grantham, Skegness and Nottingham.
Via Nottingham there are connections to Cardiff (via Birmingham), Liverpool, Leicester, Derby and Worksop.
Via Grantham or Peterborough there are connections to London Kings Cross, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen
Stagecoach run a bus service from the Railway Station to Lincoln via Ruskington and Metheringham.
Get around
The best way to get around Sleaford is walking. At rush hour the High Street gets heavy traffic making it quicker to walk.
See
- St. Denys, 52.999722°, -0.408889°. Parish church forms the eastern side of the town's market place.
- The Hub National Centre for Craft & Design, 52.998679°, -0.407356°.
- Cogglesford Mill, 53.001687°, -0.400187°. It dates from the 17th century. It is Lincolnshire's last working water mill and is possibly the last working Sheriff's Mill in England (making it of national importance). It is probably on the site of an earlier Mercian estate mill. The adjacent house where the mill worker would have lived is now a restaurant.
- Heckington Windmill, 52.977059°, -0.29521°. In the village of Heckington, near Sleaford is the only surviving eight sailed windmill in the country. It has a museum and tearooms, as well as a shop selling produce. Open 7 days a week from mid-July to mid-September, at weekends from mid-September to the end of October and from Easter to mid-July, and on Sundays only from November to Easter.
Other town landmarks include the Handley Monument, the semi-derelict Bass Maltings, the ruins of Sleaford Castle, and the Picturedrome (once a cinema and a Snooker hall, now unoccupied).
Do
Since 1912, an annual charity raft race has taken place on the River Slea. It is coupled with the Water Festival local music event.
Buy
Sleaford holds a market in the town on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Eat
Subway on Southgate
Greggs on Southgate (although there is no restaurant)
Weatherspoons on Northgate
Drink
Sleaford's Bull & Dog pub, formerly the Black Bull, dates from 1689 (according to a date-stone set in its front wall) and is said to have the oldest surviving bull-baiting pub sign in England.
Sleep
- Travelodge Hotel - Sleaford, A17 / A15 Sleaford Bypass, Holdingham, +44 871 984 6104.
- Carre Arms Hotel & Conference Centre, 1 Mareham Lane, +44 1529 303156.
Connect
Sleaford and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. As of Nov 2022, there is 5G from O2 in town centre.
Go next
Close to Sleaford is Lincoln, Grantham, Ruskington, Digby, Dorrington, Metheringham, Spalding, Skegness, Cranwell and Waddington.
Reasonably close to Sleaford is Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Cleethorpes, Nottingham and Kingston upon Hull.