< PreviousFor more information please visit www.lacebymanor.co.uk or call 01472 873 468 Escape the chaos of Christmas with a Limited Edition Winter Warmer Spa Day or Festive Dining and drinks in the Oak Room Restaurant. Complete your shopping list while you’re here with a selection of luxury gifts available in our Spa Boutique and Golf Pro Shop or give the gift of choice with a voucher. For a more chilled ChristmasLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 61 CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION We’re open Monday - Sunday 12pm - 8pm Bar open until later Christmas Menu November 22nd - 31st December 3 Courses for £28.95 • 2 Courses for £24.95 Please call and book to avoid disappointment 01652 628247 Under new management The Cross Keys, Brigg Road, Grasby, Barnetby DN38 6AQ certainly know what other golfers like to buy – and that’ll help you out. The same goes for any activity, from photography to cooking, painting to cars, football to fashion. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, because not only will they be able to give it, but the recipient of your gift is likely to be far happier with something they can use. Try and stay away from online articles promoting “gift ideas” however, as those tend to be incredibly generalised and often keyed toward specific products. When writing an article like that, you have to remember the writer has penned it down to accommodate to completely different cultures, and what an “American man” may want could be very different to what a man in England would like, and vice versa for women. It’s much better to talk to locals, or other people close to the person you’re buying for. This can be closeness in terms of being friends or family of them, or even just closeness in terms of age and hobbies if you’re asking advice from someone working at a store. If you’re looking for a videogame for a young man of 18 years, then the 18-year old working in a game store can probably offer you some good advice! Switching on the lights If you’re interested in attending Lincoln’s Christmas Lights Switch-On ceremony on the 23rd of November, then here’s the itinerary. * 4.30 pm: BBC Lincolnshire’s DJ (Charlie Burley) * 6.00 pm: Sam Bickmore (Drummer) * 6.10pm: Compere introductions from BBC Radio Lincolnshire * 6.15 pm: County Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society (CAODS) performance from ELF * 6.30 pm: BBC Lincolnshire’s Scott and Fran * 6.40 pm: Performance from the cast of ‘Aladdin’ – New Theatre Royal * 6.55 pm: A Christmas message from the Mayor of Lincoln * 7pm - 7.05 pm: THE BIG SWITCH ON featuring a switch on musical montage ‘live’ on BBC Radio Lincolnshire * 7.05pm - 7.20pm - DJ set 62 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY L et’s start with some pre-history; an Iron Age hill fort from about 800 BC. Although others are known I think Lincolnshire’s best is at Honington “Heath” above the A153. The banks and ditches are extremely well defined and lie beside a public footpath. For something even older we must travel to the Wolds near Tathwell. There we can see seven Bronze Age burial barrows on the skyline that date from about 2,000 years BC. Almost modern by comparison are two stone Roman coffins at Ancaster, both massive but well preserved. They can be found in the cemetery behind the church. Still on a Roman theme there is a replica at Coleby (supposedly; though it bears little resemblance) of Lincoln’s famous Newport arch. One natural curiosity (as opposed to man-made) is the Bowthorpe Oak at Bowthorpe Park about four miles southwest of Bourne. It is one of England’s oldest trees with a girth of 44 feet. The trunk is hollow with seats inside, and has reputedly been used as a dining room for twenty people. Two unusual water features are worth mentioning. At Horbling in Spring Lane is a perpetual spring rising into three inter- connected stone troughs. It dates from 1711. At Branston down Waterwheel Lane is the restored waterwheel built in 1879 to supply Branston Hall remaining in use until mains water became available in the 1960’s. Two rare village lock-ups survive; one at Digby and one at Deeping St James. The former, opposite the church, is quite small but the other is much grander having been converted in 1819 from the market cross. The ancient oak door has a hole through which prisoners could be given a drink. Long before Lincoln got its university Lincolnshire had a much earlier one at Stamford. In 1333AD students and tutors from Oxford attempted to found a rival Brazenose College. It only lasted about two years but in St Pauls Street a gateway with a (replica) Brazenose door knocker mark its probable site. Throughout south Lincolnshire there are links to various wars. At Winceby, in front of Winceby House is a memorial to the Civil War battle fought there in October 1643 and made from a piece stone from Louth station. At Old Woodhall stands the impressive Wellington memorial erected (belatedly) in 1844 to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo; on top Wellington faces away towards Belgium. Another unusual wartime link, but this time in Africa, is the hamlet of Thurlby, a few miles southwest of Lincoln. The Hall is the seat of the Bromhead family; Gonville Bromhead fought at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu War of 1879. (Remember the film “Zulu” with Michael This month we discover more Lincolnshire curiosities by visiting the south of the county. Lincolnshire explored WAINFLEET SIGNAL BOX CONINGSBY CHURCH CLOCKLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 63 Caine?) In the church a bench has a carved Victoria Cross. Moving on to WWII there are some huge gun emplacements and stores at Frieston Shore and in the grounds of the Petwood Hotel at Woodhall Spa is the remains of one of the Dambusters bouncing bombs. Down on the fens there are two curious features at Wainfleet – both examples of curiosities turning up unexpectedly. Barkham Street is named after Sir Edward Barkham of the East India Company whose Lincolnshire property he left to the Bethlem Hospital in London. Their architect Sidney Smirke, without visiting Wainfleet, designed some new houses for them. Built in 1847 this typical Victorian London street stands marooned in the Lincolnshire fens! At the other end of town Wainfleet has a Grade II listed signal box of 1899 still with its original equipment. Whilst on the subject of railways there was from Sleaford a branch line up to Cranwell, built surprisingly by the Admiralty during WWI. What is now RAF Cranwell was then HMS Daedelus; the line closed in 1956 but a few traces of it can still be located on OS maps. There are literature and artistic surprises too. Bassingham village has many bright, colourful mosaics, created by villagers under the guidance of artist Arik Halfon, depicting scenes of village life and local wildlife. Irnham was the subject of the important mediaeval book, the Luttrell Psalter commissioned by Geoffrey Luttrell around 1320AD and showing life at the time in Irnham. A remarkable facsimile can be seen in St Andrew’s church. Aswarby Hall, near Sleaford, however features in M R James famous ghost story - “Lost Hearts”. Naturally Lincolnshire’s rich church heritage provides a source of many things curious - some surely unique. Coningsby’s one-handed church clock for example is 16 feet in diameter and believed to be the world’s largest. Bratofts St Peter and St Paul has a C17th painting of the Spanish Armada whilst Surfleet’s St Laurence’s spire amazingly leans over six feet from the perpendicular and the churchyard has the grave of Samuel Stockton, murdered in 1768. Also, there are two churches that ignore the usual east-west alignment; St Margarets at Well and St Andrew at Stainfield. Much further south two churches – Corby Glen and Pickworth - have remarkable, surviving mediaeval wall paintings; Pickworth’s, dated around 1380AD, had been overpainted and were only revealed during WWII when a stray German bomb dislodged some paint and plaster. Great Humby’s tiny chapel can – at 30 feet by 15 feet - lay claim to being one of Lincolnshire’s smallest places of worship. And, Monksthorpe, near Gunby, has a Baptist chapel of 1701AD with one of only two of England’s surviving outdoor total submersion fonts. And finally! Two churches that have some unexpected animal images. At Gosberton St Peter and St Paul’s has a prominent elephant gargoyle whilst at Heckington the great east window contains a stained-glass polar bear. A move to West Yorkshire, regrettably dictates this series must end. I hope readers have enjoyed them and learnt more about our wonderful county. by Hugh Marrows DIGBY LOCK-UP BASSINGHAM MOSAIC REPLICA NEWPORT ARCH AT COLEBY BOUNCING BOMB WOODHALL SPAELEPHANT AT GOSBERTON64 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY WEDDINGS Crafting a lasting experience Crafting a lasting experience LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 65 WEDDINGS If you’re busily pulling together the details for a wedding as a chill and mystical winter haze touches everything, chances are you’re proudly unique and want to show it off at your big day. Here’s everything you need to know. T he festivities of the season evoke magic, costumes and big glittering themes that’ll wow your wedding guests and warm their hearts in equal measure. So, with that in mind, why not start there? Creating a winter wonderland to begin your life of wedded bliss is a classic choice that still has plenty of room for personal touches. Icy blue and silver decorations, sparkling fairy lights and faux snow could combine with a cosy around-the- fireplace feel for any indoor venue, especially fitting for December dates with that festive feeling already in the air. If you’ve decided on a stately home, or anywhere that happens to feature a grand fireplace, there’s no end to the Christmas vibes you could create around the main ceremony or reception. Candles and piles of pillows and blankets will make every guest feel welcome and warm. You might serve hot chocolate and eggnog, give traditional sweets as favours and arrange your wedding gifts around a light tree, or even a real fern or spruce dressed up to the nines. The directions you could take with a tree centrepiece are infinitely personal too. Think of the way we look forward to hanging those handcrafted, bespoke or named decorations on each branch. There’s no reason you can’t bring the same quiet joy to the arrival of your guests. You could make a game of finding their names on ornaments that guide them to their seats, or have hangable notes they can write for keepsakes in the place of a wedding book. 66 Á66 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY WEDDINGS The wonderful thing about themes this special is that you can mix and match, choose to go all-out, or keep it simple and reserved yet still memorable for everyone. Taking greenery and flowers that small step further, a winter wildlife wedding can be elegantly framed by blooms that brave the cold, like amaryllis or winter berries (mistletoe, anyone?). A cheeky twist on the bridal bouquet may centre hellebore flowers, better known as winter roses. The helleborus niger or Christmas rose’s coronet of white petals, with delicate golden stamens and leaves that fade from green to pink, is just the thing for bringing tradition together with seasonal sleekness and a touch of magic. When you’re looking for wedding attire, always go for what’s going to keep you as comfortable and warm as possible. Nobody wants to be shivering or chafing in the cold on what’s meant to be a joyful occasion. Opt for long- sleeved dresses, faux fur stoles or capes for the bride and bridesmaids. Grooms and groomsmen can wear thicker suits or even velvet jackets for a sophisticated look. If you’ve got young guests or kids at heart, choices like this could lead a Narnia theme, perhaps with stuffed animals, magical creatures or a visit from Santa to match. In this case, the guys could wear fur coats for a robust and rugged look that still holds onto a romantic softness, especially for any outdoor photos. A costume party theme is a vibrant way to take something you both love and surround yourselves with it on your special day. The sky’s the limit with concepts here too, as swathes of couples have picked Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings or any number of other fandom-centric weddings. Pick a shared favourite film, book, TV show, or anything else that’s special to you. Then you can have fun brainstorming who or what you might dress up as, which colours best represent main characters or themes, and if there’s any music you could weave into the ceremony or first dance. Your shared passion for anything that brings joy to your lives could become the main focus down to the © stock.adobe.com/Maksim ShebekoLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 67 WEDDINGS smallest details, from the cake to the table settings. How about your vows – is there a love scene with lines that mean a lot to you both? Or could you get creative and write your own with funny references, or from the perspective of characters you relate to? Entertainment that suits either the season, a festive holiday or even a fandom is one of the easiest and most impactful ways of carrying an exhilarating atmosphere long into the night. If you’re going classic with a winter twist, you might think about a live band or choir, or even a jazz ensemble to create a wonderful glowing ambience. If you’re leaning towards a party atmosphere including themed outfits and props, then games, novelty photo set-ups for guests, or a costume competition could all be part of the memory making for kids and adults alike. Of course, one of the most important parts of entertaining at winter is the food. Serving warm and hearty dishes like soups and roasts lends a banquet feel, also perfectly matched to a fantasy or historical themed wedding. But for pure comfort food, serve reliable favourites whether in buffet or waited forms. Think burgers or sliders, or any fakeaway like spring rolls or warming curries. Mini meat pies, stuffed mushrooms or pigs in blankets become hot hors d’oeuvres, and desserts should be similarly cosy along the lines of an apple crumble, bread pudding, or a molten chocolate lava cake. If you take us up on the hot chocolate idea, maybe have a bar with a selection of toppings, syrups, or some choice liqueurs for those drinking alcohol. Mulled wine and signature winter cocktails or mocktails can be a hit for anyone, and makes a change from champagne (which most of us pretend to like anyway, let’s be honest). Just space for a final tip – if you’re lucky enough that it snows, make sure to embrace this for your photos too. Snowy backdrops will complete your day, make for incredible pictures, and give your celebration of love and joy an aura of divine magic to treasure forever. © stock.adobe.com/andriyyavor68 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY COUNTY MOTORING Future BMW iX2 Future LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 69 COUNTY MOTORING As we move toward the end of 2023, it’s worth taking a look at the future to see what motors are being revealed across the world’s shows, and what we could look forward to seeing on our roads in 2024. BMW iX2 The new BMW iX2 sees the BMW Group accelerating the ramp-up of electric mobility. The company now has at least one pure electric vehicle in all major model segments and is aiming to have more than two million fully electric vehicles on the road by the end of 2025. By 2030, it is anticipated that every second vehicle sold by the BMW Group worldwide will have an all-electric drive system. A flexible vehicle architecture allows the new BMW X2 and BMW iX2 to be produced on a single assembly line at BMW Group Plant Regensburg. The high-voltage batteries for the fully electric variant are also made at the Regensburg site. The iX2 xDrive30 starting from £56,540 RRP. 70 ÁNext >