(1) The 'Church' is in fact a Chapel of Ease, one of about half a dozen still in regular use in the country. It was built so that the people of Heighington did not have to walk over the hill and down to the parish church in Washingborough; hence the 'Ease'! One of the earliest references to the age of the village is in the Calendar of Petent Rolls in 1397 which says:-
"Pardon to John Scalfyn of Heighington for the death of Robert Webster of Boston at Heighington at vespers on Tuesday in Easter Week 1393".
The eastern arch of the tower is Norman. A Grammar School, which taught Latin, was established in the Chapel of Ease by the will of Thomas Garratt in 1621, and was held there until 1865 when the pews and stained glass window were put in. The school was then moved into two newly built rooms, which now form the Heritage centre. By the 1770's pupils from all over the country attended Heighington Grammar School. Before the Chapel of Ease, now known as 'St Thomas' Chapel of Ease', was built there was a Celtic Cross, dedicated to St Martin just to the south and is now commemorated by the street name Martin Close.
(2) The house to the north, erroneously known as the 'Manor House' since the beginning of the century, was the home and surgery of the local doctors for 50 years. One of the quoins on the southwest corner shows the name and date "Robert Bailie 1794".
(3) The plain stone house next door was, until recently, the schoolmaster's house and belonged to Garratt's Charity.
(4). The Post Office on the corner has an unusual green tile frontage. This was installed in the early 20th century replacing the original front destroyed by a cart with a heavy load which 'got away with the horse' coming down Lintin's Hill, now Potterhanworth Road.
(5) The 'Turks Head' dates back to the 16th century. It was originally called 'The Talbot'. During the period 1675-1725 some rooms were let to dowager ladies. A bake house, brew house and stables stood where the current car park lies until about 1960.
(6) Just past the Turks Head, on the right hand side, is Swan Cottage. This is one of the oldest houses in the village, still retaining its original form in not having a first floor added. Like the other old houses in the village, it would originally have been thatched.
(7) The red brick house on the corner of Merrycock Lane dates from the 18th century, and has an interesting 'dogtooth' frieze in the brickwork under the roof. The raised gable ends would enclose the thatch and protect it from the winds.
(8) The twin culverts routing the beck under the High Street are lined with white brick similar to that used in the Victorian alterations to Heighington Hall. In 1827 there was still a ford here. It is believed the owners of the Hall had the bridge built sometime in the middle of the 19th century to keep their carriages clean.
The flagpole on the corner was erected after the 14-18 war and is sufficiently unusual to feature in bus timetable. "Two to the flagpole, please" brings you from Lincoln to Heighington.
The village sign on the other side of the road was erected by the Women's Institute in 1988.
(9) The area to the next road junction is known as Town End as the "town" of Heighington stopped at Park Lane. There are several interesting houses; the two just north of the bridge on the left hand side are known as "Victoria House" and "Albert House" respectively. The architecture of the houses are very different. The names suggest a connection with the Royal Marriage.
"Heighington House" the last on the left, had a new front built on by William Arden in 1741, which he commemorated by incorporating a sundial on a south-east quoin stone. "Williams Arden fecit 1742".
"Park View" on the corner of Park Lane is a large house with a Georgian front (2 storey), built on the north side of a much older building (3 storey). It has an interesting roof of graduated Westmoreland slate.
(10) The Stackyard of "Park View", now the site of a small estate on the right hand side of Park Lane, is shown to contain a moated area on the 1827 enclosure map. This was connected to the beck to the north, but fed by springs which were also the origin of a pond, where bungalows now stand to the east of Hudson's Lane (originally Mud Lane). This area of springs is the source of the "syke".
(11) Park Lane, derives its name from the fact that the hill to north was enclosed and emparked, for deer in about the 12th century.
(12) The "Syke" (ditch), running parallel to the south side of the land, carried the spring water from the Hudson's Lane area through this tract of pasture land. The springs are seasonal and the Syke remains totally separate from the beck running through the village and bordering the pasture to the south.
13) "Sandy Furze Farm" is so called due to the sandy nature of the soil which would, before the advent of modern ploughs and fertilizers, support only the growth of gorse (furze), which was harvested as fuel, especially valued for heating bread ovens. The first building, was originally a barn later lived in and wallpaper can still be seen on the walls now a garage for tractors. The field opposite was originally three small ones, the most easterly of which was called "The Hopyard" in the 17th century and still has hops growing in the hedges. In the centre one, some traces of medieval "ridge and furrow" can be seen.
(14) At the most easterly point of the walk the road crosses the beck by a concrete bridge. This was built in the 1980's to replace an old brick arch under which swallows nested. The first house on the left on the return route has a date stone 'I.H. 1841' over the front door, the 'I' is an old form of 'J', this house having been built by James Herd.
(15) Opposite the garage is Newcot (properly Newgate) Lane. Both hedges have been estimated to be come 800 years old. Dating is carried out by counting the number of woody plant species, excluding briar and bramble, in a 30 yard length of hedgerow. The hedge, after the sharp left turn at the top is much younger, some 400 years old! This puts it to about the time of some early enclosure of village land recorded in the village terrier of 1st June 1575.
(16) Opposite Almond Avenue is the site of an old blacksmiths shop and stables. The last blacksmith brought horses from Argentina just after the first world war. They were fetched from Maipu (200 miles south of Buenos Aires), taken by boat to Liverpool and thence by train to Heighington and kept in the village pound (pinfold) over night. The adjacent houses bear the name 'Maipu' and in its west end can be clearly seen the shape of the original house, which must have been very similar to Swan Cottage (6). The high white gates were erected so the horses were not disturbed by passing traffic, whilst being shod.
17) A little further on the right, 15/17 Fen Road, are two brick houses. The lower side walls show that they were originally based on a much smaller house of hand made local brick. The houses were extended and new Edwardian frontages added.
(18) The new house, where Fen Road Changes to the High Street, was the site of the village "pinfold", animal pound. Stray animals were captured and impounded there. If they were not reclaimed and the fine paid, they were sold to defray the cost of any damage caused, and for their keep. No. 85 was the site of the village diary.
(19) The Jubilee Hall stands on the site of the old board school built in 1876 and closed in 1976. It took boys up to the age 7 and girls up to the age of 14. The stone house to the right was the schoolmistress's house.
(20) "Clarkes Farm" was owned by Sir Edward Clarke's charity, and was known originally as "Charity Farm".
(21) The "Butcher & Beast" was originally the "Bull & Butcher". It was extended and modernised in the 1860's. The shape of the old building can be seen from the stonework on the side walls. The Old Village Hall, on the right hand side was built in the 1890's with funds raised by the ladies of the village.
(22) The white cottage opposite the village store was originally a single storey thatched building. Early in the 19th century the family were struck by consumption. After the occupants died the landlord set fire to the interior of the building so the wood and thatch were destroyed and the germs killed. The house was rebuilt and the roof line raised to its present level. The change in building materials can clearly be seen.
(23) The smallest cottage at the east end of the row opposite the Post Office was the last thatched house in the village. Note the water stand-pipe which brought the first mains water to the village circa 1930. Now return to the Heritage Room to complete this walk.
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