The Lincolnshire loop line was a double-track railway built by the
Great Northern Railway, that linked
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
to
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
via
Spalding and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
History
The Lincolnshire loop line was authorised on 26 June 1846 as part of the London and York Railway bill. The then renamed
Great Northern Railway purchased the
Witham Navigation and all navigation rights the same year and began construction of the new line, partly beside the river, in 1847.
The line opened in 1848 and was for a short period the main route to the north and Scotland until the line from Peterborough to Retford was opened in August 1852. Closure came in sections: the first was to which closed to passengers and goods on 17 June 1963.
Followed by the section from Boston to Spalding and finally from Lincoln to Woodhall Junction as well as to Firsby and Horncastle.
Route
The line from to was known as the Witham loop because it followed the course of the
River Witham
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversid ...
, passing through , , , , , , , and . The line from to passed through three intermediate stations, , , and ; much of this section is now under the
A16 road
This is a list of roads designated A16. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order.
* A16 highway (Australia), a road connecting Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills
* A16 motorway (Belgium), a road connecting Mons and Tourna ...
. The final section to also had three intermediate stations, , , and . This section is the only part of the line that remains in operation, although most of the stations have long been closed and disused.
[
Six stations, Gainsborough Lea Road, Saxilby, Lincoln, Boston, Spalding and Peterborough North remain open, and are still part of the national network.][
]
List of railway stations
*Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
– line and station open.
**Lea
Lea or LEA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Lea River, Tasmania, Australia
* Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows
* RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA"
England
* Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish
* Lea, Derbyshire, a set ...
– line open; station site closed.
** Stow Park – line open; station site closed.
*Saxilby
Saxilby is a large village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about north-west from Lincoln, on the A57 road at the junction of the B1241. It is part of the civil parish of Saxilby and Ingleby, which includes the village of ...
– line and station open.
*Lincoln Central
Lincoln railway station (previously Lincoln Central) serves the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway. East Midlands Railway provides the majority of services from th ...
– line and station open.
** Washingborough – closed and disused.
** Five Mile House – closed and disused.
**Bardney
Bardney is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 1,643 at the 2001 census increasing to 1,848 (including Southrey) at the 2011 census. The village sits on the e ...
– closed and disused.
**Southrey
Southrey is a village in the civil parish of Bardney in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, and approximately south-east from Bardney.
In the 1086 ''Domesday Book'' Southrey is listed as "Sutrei", comprising 11 households.
T ...
– closed and disused.
**Stixwould
Stixwould is a small village in the civil parish of Stixwould and Woodhall, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.
Geography
The village is situated east from Lincoln and north-east from the large village of Woodhall Spa ...
– closed and disused.
**Woodhall Junction
Woodhall Junction railway station (previously Kirkstead railway station) is a former station in Woodhall, Lincolnshire. It served as a junction where several different lines met, none of which are still open.
The station opened as ''Kirkstead ...
– closed and disused.
**Tattershall
Tattershall is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, east from the point where that road crosses the River Witham. At its eastern end, Tatter ...
– closed and disused.
**Dogdyke
__NOTOC__
Dogdyke is a hamlet in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately south from Tattershall, and at the confluence of the Rivers Bain and Witham, and close to where the River Slea joins the Witham. ...
– closed and disused.
**Langrick
Langrick is a small village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Langriville, and on the B1192 road, north-west from Boston. The village lies in the Lincolnshire Fens, and less than east from th ...
– closed and disused.
*Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
– line and station open.
** Kirton – line and station site lost under bypass.
** Algarkirk and Sutterton – line and station site lost under bypass.
**Surfleet
Surfleet is a small village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the B1356 road, north of Spalding, in the Lincolnshire fens. The River Glen runs through the village.
The village has ...
– line and station site lost under bypass.
* Spalding – line and station open.
** Littleworth – line open; station site closed.
** St. James Deeping – line open; station site closed.
**Peakirk
Peakirk is a village and civil parish in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. For local government purposes it forms part of Glinton and Castor ward; for parliamentary purposes it falls within Peterbor ...
– line open; station site closed.
*Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
– line and station open.
Present day
The line from Lincoln to Woodhall Junction now forms part of National Cycle Route 1
The cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom.
Route
Dover to Canterbury
Dover , Deal , Sandwich , Canterbury
Links with National Cycle Route 2, Regional route 16, and Regional route 17 in Dover. Leaves Dover passing Dover Castle. S ...
, and is known as ''Water Rail Way''. From Woodhall Junction to Boston, the entire line is private and has no permissive paths or access. From Boston to Spalding, the line is occupied by the A17. At Spalding, the line is still open to Peterborough.
References
{{coord, 53.1424, N, 0.2419, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Rail transport in Lincolnshire
Closed railway lines in the East of England
Railway lines opened in 1848
Railway lines closed in 1963