Recently in Places Category
We've added a new page to the MACLA site that features a side by side comparison of 2 different aerial imagery sources. Both maps have full interactive functionality and are linked, so that what you do in one is reflected in the other.
You don't have to stick to the Metheringham Area. If you zoom out far enough, re-centre on the place you are interested in and then zoom back in, it'll still work.
If you can work out which of the imagery sources, Google or Microsoft, is the most current, then add a comment below.
Thanks
The Web Team
The Metheringham Area is a largely agricultural area. Using the various national census reports from 1801 onwards, it is possible to see how the population has varied over the past 200 years.
The graphs are adapted from information obtained from A Vision of Britain Through Time website, a lottery funded project run by the University of Portsmouth.
Calling all library users
There are serious suggestions that village libraries, including Metheringham Library, are going to see drastically changes. It is a know fact that there are ongoing issues being discussed about opening hours for this service.
Already there have been articles in the Sleaford Standard and in the Lincolnshire Echo on this subject and there has also been phone-in on Radio Lincoln on Tuesday 12th Feb about the fact that library opening hours are to be changed by the Lincolnshire County Council following their new financial year (1st April) should the new proposals be accepted. Most of our rural libraries (again including Metheringham) are to have their hours cut drastically, with the idea being that if your local library has its hours reduced you can always travel to another one within reasonable travelling distance. Some people have already written to the Lincolnshire County Council expressing their horror at these changes.
If you don’t want to see Metheringham lose its library or see this excellent facility vanish like so many other rural facilities (including Post Offices) put pen to paper and vent your feelings. The more letters sent the stronger our fight will be respected and considered – we hope!!!
Excerpts from the 1947 Ordnance Survey 1 inch to the mile map sheet have been added to the Metheringham Area Map Archive. The map sheet forms part of the Sixth (New Popular) Edition of the OS series. Whilst the publication date is 1947, there doesn't appear to be any updates to the sheet after 1939 as there is no evidence of any WW2 building activity. The absence of any of the many military airfields in our area demonstrates this.
The Map Archive already contains maps from the Ordnance Survey First Edition of 1890/1891 and from a much earlier survey by A Bryant of 1840.
Whites Directories are a valuable source of information about locations in England during the 19th century. They give a comprehensive description of cities, towns and village throughout England. Unlike the national census returns, they are not comprehensive, tending to give only a list of landowners and tradespeople. They are nevertheless indispensable as a research tool.
Thanks to some sterling research work by local amateur historian, Pete Ford, the coverage of Whites Directories for the Metheringham area has now been extended to include relevant entries from 1872, 1882 and 1892. This is in addition to the 1842 and 1856 entries which this site has hosted for some time.
All the Whites entries can be accessed from this page, or from individual village pages.
Please provide feedback on the Metheringham Area Family History forum if you find this feature useful.
Following the request in your recent magazine on your website may I be allowed to provide some details regarding the Flax Factory on Metheringham Heath.
The Flax Factory was built early in WW2, the brick building housing the machinery and the ten Dutch Barns to store the Flax. This was a new crop for Lincolnshire, the reason being that war was underway. Much more home grown food was needed so many acres of old rough grass came under the plough but a chief menace, the "Wire worm" grub became prevalent in the corn crops. With no spray on the market to kill them off a recommendation was made by the Ministry of Agriculture that one or two crops of Flax be used and this would clear the soil of the grubs. If the land was then to be used for potatoes a thick lush crop of mustard was ploughed in.
The first drilling of Flax was in March 1940 while the factory was being built. Given good weather it grew very quickly and by late June it was ready for harvesting, thus being out of the way before the corn harvest. Long strong green stalks were pulled by a machine just when the flowers had fallen. The roots were pulled because they held fibre which was then made into sheaves. "Stooking", the same as corn, it was left to dry until the sheaves were brown and then it was stacked and thatched.
At the factory the dry sheaves were elevated to the top of the building so the process began. Words like "retted", "scotching" and "green-scutching" were used by the ladies who worked there. What these words mean only these ladies will know and hopefully this article might rekindle a few memories from those still alive.
In the process some parts were awash with water while others were dry with plenty of dust about. Buses conveyed the works to the factory from the surrounding villages with others even coming from further afield including Ireland to then settle here after the conflict of war.
In 1941 the crop produced was some 8,000 tons processed from 3,000 acres.
The manager was a Mr William Dalton who came from Cottingham near Hull. He lived at Dunston Pillar and was awarded the BEM for his Service to Flax.
Mr Ellis of Digby was the Overseer of the "Carting" and came to the farms for helpers to load the lorries.
The late Mr Eric Parker of Scopwick House was Chairman of the company.
One of the Secretaries was Eileen Kew the daughter of the then Station Master at Metheringham Station.
As stated - perhaps this article will rekindle a few old memories of the ladies who worked there doing an excellent job for King and Country.
Peter Baumber Brookside, Scopwick
The Geograph British Isles project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK. This is a voluntary project which aims to create a pictorial archive of the UK.
The area around Metheringham has largely been completed. You can start your exploration at grid square TF0661
Image used under a Creative Commons license.
Ken has also taken many more beautiful images around our area. See his profile on Geograph for details.
There are a further 600 plus images, all taken within a 10km radius of TF0661. In addition to Ken, other photographers include Ian Carrington, Les Carruthers, Richard Croft and Ian Paterson.
With some beautiful images, this is an excellent collection, well worth a visit.
His Recollections and Reminiscences of Metheringham; pre and post WW2.
Reg Rush - Aged 17
Reg Rush was born in Metheringham around 86 years ago and in the last issue we wrote about his grand-father Amos Cooling. Reg himself has had a more than interesting life and leaving the village as a sixteen year old he went on to attend the Midland Agricultural College in Leicestershire. He was never to return to live in the village as he became a member of the crack 30 Commando Unit in WW2. This Assault Unit was the brain child of Lord Mountbatten and Commander Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond books) and until recently their actions in the war were top secret. An interesting website www.30AU.co.uk shows Reg as a 20 year with the unit. Another member of this unit was Charles Wheeler who later became a journalist with the BBC. Reg later became the Secretary of the Royal Marine Command Veterans’ Association and now lives a busy life in Wells next the Sea, Norfolk. Below is his "Recollections and Reminiscences of Metheringham.
Need a helping hand onto the Property ladder?
With house prices and interest rates on the up, new affordable housing opportunities
are being developed in North Kesteven, then shared ownership could be the solution for you.
Further details are contained in this leaflet from North Kesteven District Council.
Shared Ownership (pdf, 129 kB)
What is Geotagging and how does it apply to the Metheringham area?
Geotagging uses metadata (or tags) in referencing an item to a geographic place. The Metheringham Area Photo Archive contains over 450 images, many of places in our local area. By adding geotags to these images and then plotting the positions on a map, it is possible to place the photos into a more meaningful context for users. Of course this doesn't apply to all the photographs in the archive, some of people or football teams don't need geotagging.
The web team has started to geotag the photographs in the archive and display them on the map interface provided by Google. Only about 20 have been tagged so far but look out for more over the coming weeks.
An additional menu item, Map, has been added to the archive where the tags are displayed. There are other instances throughout the archive where you'll find tagged maps popping up. Click on the tag markers to see which image they refer to.
Metheringham Area Photo Archive Map
We hope you like this new feature.
