ASK LEO
Wansford THE MAKING OF WANSFORD Settlement at Wansford, with its ford across the River Nene, must have taken place long ago. Roman villas and quarries have been found nearby and possibly they built a bridge for the movement of soldiers and officials to take Ermine Street across the river. There was also an east-west route just above the valley where goods such as corn, pottery, stone and timber could be brought and loaded onto river boats. These route-ways continued to be important in the Saxon era; important enough for the village to have a stone-towered church. That tower remains as the lower part of the present tower including a pre-Conquest window inside the church. The rest of the original church would have been wooden; however it was soon rebuilt in stone and by the early 13th century the nave and aisles had taken the shape they have today. About the same time Henry III granted oak to repair the bridge so there was certainly a wooden bridge by then. Medieval Wansford centred on the crossroads north of the river with wharves and jetties, warehouses and mills along the river itself. The bridge was badly damaged in 1571 and was replaced with one of 13 stone arches in 1577. Alterations were made in 1672 and the southern end rebuilt (after another serious flood) in 1795 but much remains. A 1748 Act of Parliament required the improvement of the Great North Road between Stamford and Wansford and such Improvements meant the village became an increasingly important staging post with a number of inns and hostelries. Fine, stone and Collyweston-tiled buildings are witness to the continued prosperity of both river and road in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The coming of the railway sent these activities into decline. Instead, the village became home to agricultural and estate workers with new cottages extending along the approach roads. As the 20th century dawned the bridge intended for pedestrians, animals, wagons and coaches was not suitable for the motor car and certainly not for the motor lorry! A bypass for the Great North Road was built as early as the 1920s. HAYCOCK The Haycock has served travellers since the 16th century when it was known as the Swan. By 1632 it was a posting house serving
82
Jean Orpin and Sue Lee have been to visit Stamford’s nearest neighbour on the Old Great North Road.
the many coaches travelling north and south, providing fresh horses, food and accommodation for travellers. A hundred and fifty horses could be stabled there. There was also a cock fighting loft. Mary Queen of Scots reputedly stayed at The Haycock on her way to Fotheringhay. In 1832 Princess Victoria (later the Queen) stayed there on her way to meet the Archbishop of York. Many other princes and princesses are also known to have stayed there. During the 19th century the hotel owned a farm of 625 acres, enabling the hotel to be self- sufficient. Anthony Percival, the owner, had won the hotel in a game of cards. The inn was converted into a private house in 1898 for Major General Charles Cavendish, 3rd Baron Lord Chesham but then he was killed hunting with the Pytchley. In 1911 Stanley Brotherhood lived there while his house at Thornhaugh was being built. The next occupant was Sir Bache Cunard grandson of the founder of Cunard shipping line. He moved there in 1914 from Nevill Holt for financial reasons. Sir Bache opened an ordnance factory in the cock fighting loft to make shells during WWI.. In 1928 it reverted again to an inn after Cunard’s death. It was bought by Charles Allday, a local dairy farmer. In the 1930s a sprung floor from Covent Garden was bought for the ballroom. The Embassy Theatre, Peterborough, booked accommodation for stars including Laurel and Hardy and George Formby. In WWII the hotel was popular with the RAF. It has changed hands several times since 1960 and is now run by Macdonald Hotels. It has been renovated and restored and as well as accommodation is now a popular restaurant, wedding venue and conference centre.
THE 1920S BRIDGE From the 1920s the engineer-architect Sir Owen Williams created many daring concrete structures. These included, in collaboration with the architect Maxwell Ayrton, Wansford bridge (1925-9) which carried the A1 over the River Nene on the Wansford Bypass. Today it carries only the northbound carriageway. It is listed Grade II*.
STAMFORD LIVING SEPTEMBER 2016
82-83 ASK LEO.indd 2
17/08/2016 20:55