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55-581: Woodhall Spa is a former spa town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire , England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds , 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Horncastle , 23 miles (37 km) west of Skegness , 15 miles (24 km) east-south-east of Lincoln and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Boston . It is noted for its mineral springs , historic cinema and its Second World War association with

110-476: A cricket ground , which is home to Woodhall Spa Cricket Club. On 22 December 2010, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the half-hour-long Australian Wanted in Woodhall Spa , presented by Chris Ledgard and detailing overseas players playing for English amateur cricket clubs. In December 2010, East Lindsey Council sold Jubilee Park to the Woodhall Spa residents for £1. It is currently undergoing renovations. Jubilee Park

165-463: A shaft over 1,000 feet deep, the enterprise was abandoned on account of the now rising spring . The spring flows daily through soft spongy rock at a depth of 520 feet. About 1834, the then Lord of the Manor, Thomas Hotchkin, ascertained by analysis that the water was in fact valuable, being an iodine and bromine containing mineral spring . He spent nearly £30,000 sinking a well and erecting

220-515: A German air raid during World War II in August 1943, although part survived and became the Mall Hotel. The Petwood Hotel is so called because it was originally built at the turn of the 20th century as a house for Grace, Lady Weigall, who had it constructed in her favourite wood, her "pet wood". Lady Weigall turned her former home into a hotel in 1933. The heyday of Woodhall Spa was recorded by

275-494: A black Labrador dog; the photo-caption asks if this "mysterious" animal was Guy Gibson's dog , which was run over and killed shortly before Gibson departed to bomb German dams. Most of the Royal Hydro Hotel and Winter Gardens was destroyed by a German parachute mine which fell on 17 August 1943, although part of it did survive and became the Mall Hotel. Two civilians were killed. The Spa Baths finally closed when

330-463: A field system south of the village and east of Ostler's Plantation. A Sestertius of Marcus Aurelius was found along Horncastle Road. Kirkstead Abbey was founded as a Cistercian monastery in 1139 by Hugh Brito, Lord of Tattershall and was originally colonised by an abbot and twelve monks from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire . The abbey remained in existence until 1537, when it was dissolved ;

385-456: A large rural area, including many smaller settlements. The district lies on the east coast, bordering the North Sea . The north-west of the district includes part of the Lincolnshire Wolds , a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The neighbouring districts are Boston , North Kesteven , West Lindsey and North East Lincolnshire . The district was created on 1 April 1974 under

440-696: A local photographer, John Wield, and many of his photographs are displayed in the Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum , which was his home. East Lindsey East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire , England. Its council is based in Horncastle and the largest town is Skegness . Other towns include Alford , Burgh le Marsh , Coningsby , Louth , Mablethorpe , Spilsby , Sutton on Sea , Wainfleet All Saints , Wragby and Woodhall Spa . The district also covers

495-471: A mile to the west of the grounds, close to the present Kinema, Thomas Hotchkin had built a spa bath in the late 1830s, having by chance discovered the healing properties of the iodine-rich water in a disused mine shaft on his land. In 1842 White's Directory describes Woodhall Spa as "a modern watering place … with just over 300 souls" and Thomas Hotchkin as living in Woodhall Lodge, "a neat mansion near

550-579: A nature reserve. To the east of the village between Horncastle Road and Kirkby Lane lie Kirkby and Roughton Moors. Once open heathland, these are now almost all wooded, with parts owned by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and managed as two nature reserves: Kirkby Moor Nature Reserve and Roughton Moor Wood Nature Reserve . Both are open to the public and can be accessed from either Kirkby Lane, Wellsyke Lane or Horncastle Road. There are more areas of woodland towards Horncastle to

605-562: A variety of other complaints, and it can be obtained in a bottled form direct from the Spa or through any chemist. The Victoria Hotel burned down on Easter Day , 4 April 1920, when an electrical fault in the boiler room spread to the linen room above. In 1846 the Great Northern Railway company purchased the land to build a rail link from Peterborough to Lincoln via Boston and Woodhall Junction . Work commenced in 1847 and

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660-612: Is based at The Hub on Mareham Road in Horncastle, which was completed in 2023 as a joint campus with Boston College . Prior to that the council had its headquarters at Tedder Hall in Manby , with additional offices at Skegness Town Hall. East Lindsey has an area of 1,760 km , making it the fifth-largest district (and second-largest non- unitary district) in England. It borders North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire to

715-558: Is next to a caravan park of the same name. The Pinewoods is a 19 acres (7.7 ha) woodland at the centre of the village, owned by the Woodland Trust . It is made up of mature oak, Scots pine, beech and birch. Originally scrub land, later becoming part of the grounds of the Victoria Hotel, it attracts visitors, particularly in the spring and autumn. Ostler's Plantation is a Forestry Commission working woodland along

770-700: Is served by BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire broadcasting from the Belmont transmitter. Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Lincolnshire , Lincs FM , Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire , and community based stations: County Linx Radio and Endeavour FM . Lincolnshire Echo is the local newspaper. The whole district is divided into civil parishes . The parish councils for Alford, Burgh le Marsh , Carrington and New Bolingbroke , Coningsby , Horncastle, Louth, Mablethorpe and Sutton , Skegness, Spilsby and Wainfleet All Saints have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take

825-415: The 2023 election , being run by a Conservative minority administration. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 2001 have been: Following the 2023 election , the composition of the council was: Of

880-586: The Local Government Act 1972 , covering nine former districts which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named East Lindsey, reflecting its position within Lindsey , one of the three historic Parts of Lincolnshire , which had been an administrative county between 1889 and 1974. In 2020 the council agreed to share its management and other staff with neighbouring Boston Borough Council. South Holland District Council joined

935-577: The Mablethorpe loop railway , Horncastle Railway and Spilsby branch . These connected small towns with the mainline and all closed between 1950 and 1970, with only the spur at Louth to Grimsby surviving until 1981. A section of the former East Lincolnshire Railway north of Louth has been restored as a heritage railway called the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway , centred on Ludborough station . In terms of television, East Lindsey

990-570: The RAF 617 Squadron , commonly referred to as 'The Dambusters'. Much of the village's Victorian elegance remains, with large parts of the centre being designated as a conservation area since January 1991. A mesolithic flint blade and a neolithic stone axe have been found in Woodhall. From the Bronze Age there is a dagger and a barrow. Evidence exists of Roman activity in the area with

1045-501: The RAF and Pinewoods was used to hide military equipment, especially on its northern perimeter. RAF Woodhall Spa airfield was built to the south of the village in the parish of Tattershall Thorpe . It closed for operational purposes in 1964, although it is still owned by the Ministry of Defence , used mainly for jet engine maintenance and testing and is operated as a satellite unit of nearby RAF Coningsby . A memorial wall depicting

1100-589: The 1920s. Womersley House was built by the Hotchkin family, which was instrumental in the development of the adjoining Hotchkin Golf Course—now the headquarters of the English Golf Union , who bought the course in 1995 to set up a National Golf Centre . A second course, "The Bracken", opened for play in 1998 alongside the original course, now named "the Hotchkin". The St Andrews Trophy was held at

1155-535: The 3rd green of the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa Golf Club . It is a notable feature of the course and has been adopted as the emblem of the golf club. The building and grounds of Woodhall Spa Manor are intrinsically linked to the development of the village from its formative years. The earliest references to this site show that a small hunting lodge was present here in the late 18th century. The inner library room still retains original Jacobean carving over

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1210-535: The North, the North Sea to the east, Boston (borough) to the south, and North Kesteven and West Lindsey , to the west. The boundary between the district and North Kesteven , and part of Boston borough, is the River Witham . The furthest west settlement in the district is Wragby , and the furthest south is Frith Bank , around three miles from Boston . The Lincolnshire Wolds AONB run north-south through

1265-632: The Spa Baths, as well as building the Victoria Hotel. A description from 1919 of the therapeutic benefits patrons might expect to enjoy after 'taking the waters' ran as follows: The water is used both internally and externally and has been of the greatest efficacy in arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, articular and muscular rheumatism , gout (especially of joints), neuritis, sciatica and nervous complaints, glandular swellings, catarrh, high arterial tensions, skin diseases, sterility, fibroid tumours and inflammatory diseases of women, as well as in

1320-459: The banks of the River Witham . Between Woodhall Spa and Lincoln it consists of a tarmacked path that runs along the route of the former railway line from Boston to Lincoln. It was built and financed by Sustrans , and was finally completed and opened in November 2008. It is open to all forms of non-motorised transport, forming part of NCN Route 1 . Named primarily after its route and former use,

1375-727: The breaching of the German dams in Operation Chastise , otherwise known as the "Dam Busters" raid, stands in the Royal Gardens (the site of the Royal Hydro Hotel) in the centre of the village. It is dedicated to the memory of those from 617 Squadron who were killed during the war. The memorial is the location of a local school choir photograph, published in Lincolnshire Life magazine, which included

1430-708: The central and northern reaches of the district. To the east along the North Sea coast lies the Lincolnshire Marsh , with the Fens to the south and south-west. Along the boundary with West Lindsey to the west can be found the Lincolnshire Lime Woods . East Lindsey has a greater land area than several English counties , in particular being larger than the two-tier counties of Worcestershire , East Sussex , Surrey , and Hertfordshire . Landmarks from top left to bottom right: The economy in

1485-573: The district is divided between the coast and rural inland areas. The coastal towns of Mablethorpe and Skegness attract recreational and tourist traffic, and are characterised by a highly seasonal economy. The rural inland areas are dominated by agriculture. East Lindsey is highly rural and contains no dual carriageways . The A158 runs east-west from Lincoln , entering the district at Wragby , passing Horncastle and near by Spilsby , before terminating in Skegness . The A16 runs from Boston to

1540-651: The early 1980s, thus formalising what was already a reality. The Kinema in the Woods is located at the centre of the Pinewoods, next to the now derelict Spa Baths and opposite the site of the former Victoria Hotel. Housed in a converted cricket pavilion, it opened in 1922 as one of the first cinemas in Britain. It is the last cinema in the country to employ back projection and also offers regular entertainment on an original Compton Kinestra 3 Manual / 9 Rank organ . The organ

1595-415: The fireplace and is believed to be the earliest remaining feature from the hunting lodge days. Woodhall Lodge or Wood Corner, as it was then known, became the property of one Thomas Hotchkin of Rutland, Lord of the Manor of Thimbleby and Woodhall . Hotchkin had inherited many manors throughout Rutland and Lincolnshire but Woodhall Lodge was his particular favourite and where he spent most of his time. Half

1650-403: The former RAF Woodhall Spa now managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust . Much of the land on which the village is built was once extensive heathland with a light fluvial sandy soil. Well-preserved areas of heathland can be seen at Moor Farm Nature Reserve on Wellsyke Lane, where plants include tormentil , bell heather and climbing corydalis . The abundance of sand and gravel in

1705-524: The golf course in 1996. Most recently, it was voted 20th best course in the world by Today's Golfer magazine in 2010. The Viking Way is a 147 miles (237 km) long-distance footpath which passes through Woodhall Spa en route between the Humber Bridge and Oakham in Rutland . The Spa Trail runs for 3.4 miles (5.5 km) along the former Horncastle Branch Line between Sandy Lane on

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1760-473: The golf course would have to find another new home as the land was again required for the expansion of the spa town. Local landowner Stafford Vere Hotchkin, offered a sandy tract of land off the Horncastle Road to build an 18-hole course. The course was designed by Harry Vardon and was formally opened for play on 24 April 1905. It was remodelled in 1911 by Harry Colt, and again by Hotchkin himself in

1815-607: The independent councillors, 13 sit with the Green councillor as the "East Lindsey Independent Group", one sits with the Liberal Democrat as the "District Independent / Liberal Democrat" group and the other two do not belong to a group. The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 55 councillors representing 37 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council

1870-588: The last abbot, Richard Harrison, and three of his monks were executed by Henry VIII following their implication (probably unjustly) in the Lincolnshire Rising of the previous year. The land passed to the Duke of Suffolk and later to the Clinton Earls of Lincoln , who built a large country house. By 1791 that too had gone and all that remains today is a dramatic crag of masonry - a fragment of

1925-429: The line opened on 17 October 1848. Kirkstead Station, later renamed Woodhall Junction , was one of seven between Lincoln and Boston. A branch line to Horncastle , which included Woodhall Spa railway station , was opened on 11 August 1855. The railways brought increasing popularity, and an elegant spa town with hotels and guest houses on wide tree-lined avenues, largely designed by Richard Adolphus Came, grew up around

1980-517: The north of the Viking Way/Spa Trail: Highhall Wood is private but with a permissive access footpath through it; White Hall Wood is open to the public and Thornton Wood is private. The first nine-hole golf course was opened in Woodhall Spa in 1890, but only survived until 1895 when the land was required for building. A new site was found and another nine-hole golf course was laid out, but by 1902 it became clear that

2035-523: The original facilities. He stated in his designs that none of the roads shall be "streets", which is still true today, and the roads built since have also been lined with various trees. In 1886 the estate was purchased by a syndicate , and extensive alterations and improvements were made. The Victoria Hotel and the Spa Baths were greatly modified by the syndicate, a group of investors including Lord Alverstone , Lord Iddesleigh and Edward Stanhope MP in 1887. Woodhall and Woodhall Spa stations closed along with

2090-601: The outskirts of the village and Thornton Lodge at Fifty Acre near Horncastle. It is concurrent with the Viking Way and forms a continuous traffic-free footpath between Woodhall Spa and Horncastle . Along the route can be found sculptures an information board on the history of the railway and local area. The Water Rail Way is a 25 miles (40 km) long part of the National Cycle Network that runs from Boston to Lincoln , following as closely as possible

2145-405: The partnership in 2021, which is now described as the "South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership". East Lindsey District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lincolnshire County Council . The whole district is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since

2200-508: The path is also named after a native but seldom-seen wading bird called the water rail . The Legacy Woodhall Spa Hotel opened in 1882 as the Eagle Lodge Hotel. It was converted into a nursing home in the 1960s and reopened as a hotel in 1991. The Golf Hotel was originally called Clevedon House and has been a school, a club and a hotel of the same name. The Royal Hydro Hotel and the attached Winter Gardens were mostly destroyed in

2255-604: The property to the National Farmers Union and it was converted into offices as the company's regional headquarters. Around twenty five years later, it was sold to a local businessman, who continued to run it as offices for various Lincolnshire companies. In 2013 new owners renamed it Woodhall Spa Manor and it now serves as a wedding and event venue. Woodhall Spa came about by accident in 1811 after John Parkinson of Old Bolingbroke made several attempts to find coal . After spending several thousand pounds and sinking

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2310-651: The rest of the Boston to Lincoln line in 1971 and demolition of Woodhall Spa station came soon afterwards. The trackbed between Woodhall and Horncastle is now a bridleway known as the Spa Trail and forms part of the Viking Way . Woodhall Junction remains in private ownership. In the Second World War Woodhall Spa's two main hotels, The Golf Hotel and The Petwood Hotel, were requisitioned for

2365-488: The soil around Woodhall Spa explains the formation of acidic heathland, in a county otherwise characterised by calcareous bedrock and naturally alkaline soils. Lincolnshire's heathland has historically been eroded by agriculture, forestry, quarrying and peat-cutting and is threatened by falling water-tables. To the northwest, south and immediately west can be found arable farmland, with the River Witham lying one mile to

2420-417: The south side of Kirkby Lane to the east of Woodhall Spa. It is open to the public for a range of recreational activities throughout the year. It is primarily pine with oak, birch and some other species around the fringes. It is bordered to the east by Kirkby Moor Nature Reserve and to the south by the former RAF Woodhall Spa, which has recently been purchased by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust soon to become

2475-456: The south transept wall of the abbey church - and the earthworks of the vast complex of buildings that once surrounded it, which is Grade I listed , and an ancient scheduled monument . The Tower-on-the-Moor, an octagonal, four-storey, red brick-built tower, is the stair turret of what is believed to have been a hunting lodge, built in the mid–15th century for Ralph de Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell whose fortified house, Tattershall Castle ,

2530-553: The south, through Spilsby and Louth , and then on to Grimsby . The district's only modern railway line is the Poacher Line in the south of the district, which connects Skegness to Nottingham via Boston and Grantham . Historically the area was served by the East Lincolnshire Railway , which connected Boston to Grimsby via Alford and Louth. There were also spurs and branch lines, which included

2585-527: The south-west corner and east wings were built, greatly enlarging the footprint of the property, leaving the front entrance wholly Georgian, whilst, to the left and right are the Edwardian additions. The magnificent sweeping staircase, the beautiful hallway and Queens Room fireplaces, and the mahogany panelled entrance to the library all date from this period of high elegance. In 1965, Thomas Hotchkin's great great-grandson, Neil Stafford Hotchkin (1914–2004), sold

2640-537: The south. The nearest active railway stations are now in Boston , Lincoln , Skegness , Metheringham , Ruskington and Sleaford . An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward includes Kirkby on Bain with a total population taken at the 2011 Census of 4,298. The village is within the Louth and Horncastle Parliamentary constituency. The more ancient parish of Kirkstead was amalgamated with Woodhall Spa in

2695-546: The spa'. After his passing, four further generations of the Hotchkin Family lived in Woodhall Lodge. At some point during the last century, it was renamed as the Old Manor or Manor House. During the residence of Thomas Hotchkin's great-grandson, Stafford Vere Hotchkin (1876–1953), who helped to redesign the adjacent world-rated golf course which bears his name, there were major additions to the building. Around 1905

2750-465: The style "town council". Many of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. 53°15′N 0°03′W  /  53.25°N 0.05°W  / 53.25; -0.05 Stafford Hotchkin He was the only son of Thomas John Stafford Hotchkin of The Manor House, Woodhall Spa by Mary Charlotte Edith Lucas, elder daughter of George Vere Braithwaite of Edith Weston Hall. He

2805-684: The well collapsed in 1983. After spending many years in a derelict state, the site is now being redeveloped. Woodhall Spa lies at the southwestern edge of the Central Lincolnshire Vale, between the Rivers Witham and Bain . The village is largely flat rising gently towards the east, and is surrounded towards the north and east by a mixture of ancient and planted woodland. To the south west can be found many sand and gravel excavation pits, some still in use and some abandoned, many of which are now protected nature reserves such as

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2860-504: The west of the village centre and arable fenland beyond that. The civil parish of Woodhall Spa borders the civil parishes of Tattershall Thorpe , Timberland , Martin , Stixwould and Woodhall , Roughton , and Kirkby on Bain . The village is served by the B1191 running west from Martin through Woodhall to Horncastle to the north-east, and by the B1192 from Coningsby and Tattershall to

2915-733: Was educated at Shrewsbury School . He married Dorothy Arnold in 1906. Their issue included Neil Hotchkin (1914–2004). He served in the 21st Lancers and Leicestershire Yeomanry , but throughout the First World War he served with the Royal Horse Artillery in Palestine. He was awarded the Military Cross in the 1918 Birthday Honours . Hotchkin developed an interest in golf course architecture and he set up his own golf course design company, Ferigna, in

2970-538: Was installed in 1987; its console (which is the only surviving Japanese Lacquered console in the UK) was originally installed in the Super Cinema, Charing Cross Road, London between 1927 and 1943. Jubilee Park, opened in 1937, lies adjacent to the Pinewoods and includes Jubilee Park Swimming Pool , a heated outdoor swimming pool . The park also offers tennis courts , a bowling green , children's playground, croquet and

3025-508: Was located 4 miles (6 km) to the south at Tattershall . It is a Grade II* Listed Building and a scheduled Ancient Monument . Documentary sources indicate that the tower was partly dismantled in 1472, when bricks from the Tower on the Moor were used for repairs at Tattershall Castle. One of the older roads in Woodhall Spa, Tor-O-Moor Road is named after the tower. The Tower is adjacent to

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