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Colsterworth is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, less than half a mile (0.8 km) west of the A1, about south of Grantham, and north-west of Stamford. The village with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth had a recorded population of 1,713 at the time of the 2011 census, in an area of .Office of National Statistics Retrieved 4 February 2016.
The village dates from the Roman era. It is close to Ermine Street, the old Roman road that ran from London directly north to Lincoln and to the Roman road known as High Dyke. A Roman smelting furnace was found at Colsterworth in 1931, as was a small defended Iron Age settlement in the 1940s. "Colsterworth and District Parish Council", Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
Colsterworth is raised upon a slight limestone ridge, with the River Witham running below on the western side and dividing the two villages. The old hamlet of Twyford has been incorporated by the growth of Colsterworth, but the name survives in the names of some houses and in Twyford Wood. The area between Colsterworth Church and Twyford was once known as Dunkirk. Colsterworth, Woolsthorpe and Twyford are all separately entered in the Domesday Book of 1086. "Welcome to the Village Archive Group web site!", Villagearchivegroup.com. Retrieved 30 April 2012 The village belonged to the historical wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo. "Winnibriggs and Threo Wap", A Vision of Britain through Time, Retrieved 16 March 2012.
The Inclosure Acts of the land in 1808 allowed the local landlords to increase their holdings. Thirty villagers also received land, but some sold on to avoid the compulsory expense of fencing it. In Colsterworth the rector commuted his tithe for 398 acres, in addition to his 11 acres of glebe. The position of Colsterworth on the Great York Road, later the Great North Road, became important as soon as the turnpike trust was completed in 1752. It was appointed a post town, and by the mid-19th century had a thriving coaching trade. There were numerous inns – ten at one point in time. However, the village was bypassed in 1935. "Villages Three – A short history of the Parish of St John the Baptist, Colsterworth", Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012
The old coaching inns have been transformed into houses or business properties, such as The George House and The Sun Pottery, or demolished completely. The White Lion public house, standing opposite the parish church of St John the Baptist, alone now serves the population. "History of Colsterworth", Villagearchivegroup.com. Retrieved 30 April 2012
Colsterworth lies one mile to the west of Twyford Wood, which was the site of a Second World War airfield RAF North Witham, and still retains military artefacts, including open runways and a derelict control tower. After the war, the grassed part of the airfield was planted with oaks and conifers. This grassland habitat is home to a regionally important colony of Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper skipper butterflies. "Explore Twyford Wood", Forestry.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012
In 1884 the Rev. J. Mirehouse, Rector of Colsterworth, was responsible for the Home Office Baby publicity stunt.A. W. Brian Simpson: Cannibalism and the Common Law (London: The Hambledon Press, 1994), p. 245. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
The former Lincoln City footballer Ayden Duffy was brought up in Colsterworth. Grantham Journal Retrieved 4 February 2016.
St John the Baptist's belongs to the Colsterworth Group of Anglicanism churches, sharing a priest with Holy Cross at Great Ponton, St Guthlac's at Little Ponton, St James's at Skillington and St Andrew and St Mary's at Stoke Rochford with Easton. It is in the deanery of Beltisloe and the Diocese of Lincoln.
Methodism came to Colsterworth about 1795. The present Methodist church in Back Lane dates from the 1830s and is part of the Grantham and Vale of Belvoir Methodist Circuit.Circuit website Retrieved 4 February 2016.
The village has a post office, a medical surgery, a Co-op store and a hairdresser, with greengrocer, butcher and fishmonger mobile shops. There is a mobile library service. "Welcome to the Mobile Library Service" , Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
Other facilities in the village include a sports and social club, a village hall, a youth centre that doubles as a nursery, and three playgrounds. There is another village hall at North Witham.Photographs and captions: Lincolnshire County site Retrieved 4 February 2016.
Colsterworth's Church of England primary school also provides for children in neighbouring villages. It has about 100 pupils in five classes that span the seven years of primary education. "About The School", Colsterworth.lincs.sch.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012. The school is a "guardian school" for nearby Woolsthorpe Manor, "Our Community" , Colsterworth.lincs.sch.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012 the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton. "Woolsthorpe Manor – Join in", Nationaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012 The new school buildings that opened in Back Lane in 1973 replaced earlier ones in School Lane, dating from 1824 and 1895.
The A1 trunk road at Colsterworth was redeveloped in 2010, when Colsterworth roundabout was removed and a road bridge over the A1 added for local traffic, to address safety and traffic congestion concerns. "A1 Peterborough to Blyth Junction Improvements", Highways Agency. Retrieved 18 July 2011. The village is on the bus route between Grantham and Witham. "Grantham – South Witham", Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
A village archive group was founded to record memories of Colsterworth people for posterity. The group's aim is to chronicle local social history and changes in dialect, and publish material as a resource and educational tool in book and DVD form. It has been funded by Lincolnshire Community Champions and the Local Heritage Initiative, now under the auspices of the Heritage Lottery Funding.
Economy and amenities
There is little employment in the village itself. During and for some time after the Second World War, work was available at the ironstone excavations, "Colsterworth", Industrial Railway Society. but after operations ceased in the 1970s, the site was filled and levelled. A tyre depot and a Christian Salvesen food cold-store offer local jobs. Farming, the traditional occupation that absorbed most of the workforce, still provides some employment, for instance at the Openfield grain cooperative on the former RAF station. There is work at fast-food restaurants OK Diner and Travelodge on the A1, and at the nearby Stoke Rochford Hall, a conference and function centre.Promotional site Retrieved 4 February 2016.
Dwellings and archive group
Although the oldest dwellings are of limestone, brick houses of the 1920s and 1930s are interposed amongst them. During the 1970s a large estate, Woodlands Drive, was built on ground previously belonging to Colsterworth House, "Colsterworth House", Lincolnshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2012 which was demolished. The land between the village and the A1 was developed into a new housing estate. More recently, in 2009, a further housing development commenced on land previously utilised for steel storage and distribution, known as Newton Grange.Promotional news report Retrieved 4 February 2016.
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