High Dyke is a minor road following a length of the
Roman Road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London ('' Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas' ...
in the English county of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, between
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth (to distinguish it from Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir in the same county) is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is best known as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton.
Woolsthorpe-by-Colster ...
and
Ancaster, and onwards nearly to
Bracebridge Heath
Bracebridge Heath is a village and civil parish located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the junction of two major roads the A15 to Sleaford and the A607 to Grantham, and was (until modern sy ...
. It is also the name of a small settlement on that road, south-east from
Great Ponton
Great Ponton is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, south of Grantham on the A1 trunk road, which bisects the village. The tower of the parish church is a roadside landmark. The 2001 Census re ...
, near to the mouth of
Stoke Tunnel on the
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...
. High Dyke is also a name for the general area between Easton and Great Ponton. On the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 sheets it is spelled ''High Dike''.
Junctions
![High Dyke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/High_Dyke.jpg)
Recent rebuilding of the A1 road junction at
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth (to distinguish it from Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir in the same county) is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is best known as the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton.
Woolsthorpe-by-Colster ...
in 2008 has included construction of a grade-separated road crossing in place of the disused railway bridge that was part of the High Dyke branch, a
mineral railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British ra ...
used to export iron ore between 1916 and 1973.
There is a roundabout adjacent to
Prince William of Gloucester Barracks
Prince William of Gloucester Barracks is a military installation near Grantham in Lincolnshire.
History
The barracks were established, on the site of the former RAF Spitalgate airbase, in October 1976, as the new Central Volunteer Headquarters f ...
east of Grantham, but all other junctions are conventional grade-level crossroads or T junctions.
Route
The modern route begins as the B6403 at the grade-separated junction with the
A1 at
Colsterworth
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 Woolsthorp ...
(). At Easton Farm, it meets the line of
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London ('' Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas' ...
from the south (), and runs north–south. There is a right turn for
Burton Coggles to the right, and the 18-acre Easton Cold Store, built in the late 1960s, and run by
XPO Logistics
XPO is an American transportation company that conducts less-than-truckload shipping. The company's headquarters are located in Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
History
The company was initially called ''Express-1 Expedited Solutions'' before b ...
, formerly
Norbert Dentressangle. When built, and throughout the 1970s it was thought to be the largest
cold store in Europe. To the left is a turn for
Easton and th
Easton Walled Gardens where the road is at 119 metres high.
[ Further north, past the cold store, the width of the road narrows. The section of road from the A1 was widened and straightened in 1969 when the cold store was built.
There is a left turn for ]Stoke Rochford
Stoke Rochford is a small English village and civil parish south of Grantham in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 230 (including Easton, Lincolnshire, Easton). It has two notable Grad ...
. It passes Highdyke Farm to the right, and the road descends and is crossed by a 400 kV overhead line that runs parallel to the East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Great Britain running broa ...
. At Great Ponton
Great Ponton is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, south of Grantham on the A1 trunk road, which bisects the village. The tower of the parish church is a roadside landmark. The 2001 Census re ...
there is a railway bridge for the ECML, at . There is a left turn before the bridge for Great Ponton, and a right turn after the bridge for Bassingthorpe
Bassingthorpe is a small village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Bitchfield and Bassingthorpe, south from Grantham, and on a C class road between the B6403 to the west and the B1176 to th ...
, near Highdike Cottages. The former High Dyke branch railway ran parallel to the High Dyke from the A1, and joined the East Coast Main Line here. There is a right turn for Boothby Pagnell
Boothby Pagnell is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population is now included in the civil parish of Bitchfield and Bassingthorpe.
History
The village lay in the historical wapentake of ...
and a left turn for Great Ponton
Great Ponton is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, south of Grantham on the A1 trunk road, which bisects the village. The tower of the parish church is a roadside landmark. The 2001 Census re ...
.[
At Little Ponton and Stroxton, , it passes Ponton Park Wood to the left where the road reaches 118 metres high, and passes through Woodnook, where there is a left turn for ]Little Ponton
Little Ponton is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies south of Grantham, about above sea level. Its population is included in that of the civil parish of Little Ponton and Stroxton.
History
Part of the ...
. From here to almost Ancaster, the road becomes the boundary of several parishes starting with Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without
Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without is a civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 4,344, in 1743 households, increasing to a population of 5,133 at the 2011 census. ...
to the left and Old Somerby
Old Somerby (pronounced ''Summerby'') is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, south-east of Grantham. It lies on the B1176 road, with the village centre about east of its junction with the A52 ...
to the right. On Spittlegate Heath there is a roundabout at where the road briefly becomes the A52. To the west is Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
(A52), and to the right is Old Somerby
Old Somerby (pronounced ''Summerby'') is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, south-east of Grantham. It lies on the B1176 road, with the village centre about east of its junction with the A52 ...
(B1176). At Cold Harbour (), the A52 deviates to the right toward Threekingham, and the High Dyke continues ahead as the B6403. Along an avenue of trees the road becomes the parish boundary of Harrowby Without, and Welby, to the east. At this point the road reaches it highest point of 125 metres at , meeting ''Harrowby Lane'' to the right. There is a left turn for Londonthorpe
Londonthorpe is a village to the east of Grantham, in the civil parish of Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without, in South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies to the north-east from Grantham, to the west from the B6403 (Ermine ...
, and the road gently descends to a right turn for Welby at Pyewipe Cottages.[
At Welby Pastures the road becomes the boundary between Syston, to the west, and Welby. The road gently descends and rises up to a left turn for ''Heath Lane'' named after ]Barkston
Barkston is an English village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The parish population was 497 at the 2001 census and 493 at the 2011 census. The village lies about north of the market town of Grantham, on the A ...
Heath. At this point the road becomes the boundary between South Kesteven
South Kesteven is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Bourne, Lincolnshire, Bourne, Grantham, Market Deeping and Stamford, Li ...
and Barkston, to the west, and North Kesteven
North Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The district is located to the east of Nottinghamshire, north-east of Leicestershire and south of the city of Lincoln. Its council, North Kesteven District Council, is b ...
and Wilsford, to the east. To the left is RAF Barkston Heath
Royal Air Force Barkston Heath or RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England.
RAF Barkston Heath has the Naval Element of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF (No. 3 FTS) which, for a period between appr ...
. There is a right turn for Wilsford, and the road is the boundary between Ancaster and South Kesteven, to the east, and with North Kesteven. At Duke's Covert (, 92 m elevation) it meets King Street from Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
, and the road descends into Ancaster. It crosses the A153 at traffic lights, and passes under the Poacher Line
The Grantham–Skegness line, originally promoted as the "Poacher Line", runs for between Grantham and Skegness in Lincolnshire, England. Trains on this route originate from Nottingham via the Nottingham to Grantham Line as an hourly through se ...
at Ancaster railway station
Ancaster railway station serves the village of Ancaster in Lincolnshire, England. The station is north of Grantham on the Nottingham to Skegness Line.
The station is now owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway who provid ...
. Ancaster Roman Town
Ancaster was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. It is sited on the Roman road known as the Ermine Street and is situated in the county of Lincolnshire. Its name in Latin is unknown, although it has traditionally been identified with ...
, the main Roman town on the High Dyke, is in the south-east of the village. The road climbs out of Ancaster, becoming the South Kesteven and North Kesteven boundary all the way to the A17, with South Rauceby to the east. There is a dip in the road known as ''The Hollow'', at where the road crosses a small river at 60 m altitude.[
At Sudbrook House it becomes the boundary between Ancaster and ]North Rauceby
North Rauceby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north-west from Sleaford, and at the 2011 census had 159 residents.
North Rauceby is a shrunken village, being associated wi ...
, where the road is more north–south aligned, north of Ancaster. There is a right turn for North Rauceby. The Viking Way
The Viking Way is a long distance trail in England running between the Humber Bridge in North Lincolnshire and Oakham in Rutland.
History
The route was officially opened on Sunday 5 September 1976 at Tealby, by the Deputy Chairman of Lincol ...
joins from the east, and follows the road, where the boundary is between Normanton to the west, and North Rauceby. The road levels out at around a height of 85 metres, and passes Ermine Street Farm to the right. There is a staggered junction and the B6403 finishes at the T-junction at Byard's Leap
Byard's Leap is a hamlet in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately west from Cranwell, and is part of the civil parish of Cranwell, Brauncewell and Byard's Leap. The hamlet is associated with various ...
with the A17. The Roman alignment is slightly to the west at .[
The Line of the Roman Road Continues to the North, still labelled both ''Ermine Street'' and ''High Dike'' on the OS maps, as the route of the Viking Way. It is a footpath until it crosses Long Lane on Leadenham Heath at , where it becomes a minor road. Close to this crossroads is ''High Dyke Farm'', the spelling in contrast to the Ordnance Survey's use of ''High Dike'' throughout the route. It continues northwards across Temple Heath at ]Temple Bruer
Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange is a civil parish and a former extra-parochial area in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coast ...
and across Wellingore Heath. Just east of Wellingore
Wellingore is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 356. It is situated on the A607 road, approximately south from Lincoln. It conjoins the ...
the alignment turns slightly more to the north at , and continues past Navenby
Navenby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Lying south from Lincoln, England, Lincoln and north-northwest from Sleaford, Navenby had a population of 2,128 in the 2011 census and in March 2 ...
and Boothby Graffoe
Boothby Graffoe is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 223. It is situated approximately south from the city and county town of Lincoln, ...
to Coleby Mill (, 75m above sea level). It is maintained, on a variety of road types, across Coleby Heath and Harmston Heath. The track is interrupted by RAF Waddington
Royal Air Force Waddington otherwise known as RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located beside the village of Waddington, south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire in England.
The station is the RAF's Intelligence Surveillance Target ...
on Waddington Heath at . The alignment is still clear, and to the West of the runways it is used as a housing estate road, before losing its identity south of Bracebridge Heath, around still at 75 m high.[
]
See also
* Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London ('' Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas' ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Villages in Lincolnshire
South Kesteven District
North Kesteven District
Roads in Lincolnshire
Roman roads in England