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Combining the love of Antiques with the beautiful town of Stamford in Lincolnshire
The Market Town of
Stamford in Lincolnshire.
Scroll down for some great images!
The Market Town of
Stamford in Lincolnshire.
Scroll down for some great images!
If you want a quick round-up of what Stamford is all about, it's like this:
an ancient market town in soft honey-coloured stone with lots of independent shops, and even more coffee shops, restaurants and outdoor eating in little courtyards and next to the river! There's a variety of interesting places to visit with ancient buildings, and lovely views. The lush green meadows and River Welland are in close proximity to the shops and there's also some great places to stay!
For a little more detail:
Sir Walter Scott called it
"The finest stone town in England",
and John Betjeman
"the most attractive in England".
Many would agree!
In 2013, The Sunday Times was singing the town's praises by declaring it to be the best place to live, and in 2019 it came into
The Sunday Times' top 10 places to reside.
It is worth noting that Stamford (possibly named after the local "Stone Ford" or river) is one of England's medieval walled towns. Although the wall only exists in a few places and the town has expanded greatly beyond its original boundaries, ancient maps show the existence of a walled enclosure with postern and toll gates. The town has many historic and listed buildings, some constructed of pale honey-coloured stone and local slate roofs, others include timber-framed constructions. Situated in the South of Lincolnshire, on the edge of Rutland, Stamford has the River Welland and lush green meadows at its heart. Originally, it had its own castle, and no less than 14 churches (possibly 7 was the largest number at any one time), with numerous other religious institutions in addition. Add to this a possible 64 hostelries (all at one time, although the number could be much higher),
a market and fairs charter, and a once vast wool-growing industry, it has been a thriving community through the ages.
Stamford became a Conservation Town in 1967, and its main thoroughfare which had once been part of the old Great North Road, was replaced by the A1 bypass, easing the traffic flow through the town. While many of its original inns have now disappeared, and there are now 5 of the original churches, there is still a delightful mix of surviving medieval, Georgian and Victorian buildings,
the meadows and river,
a history of several famous residents,
and the legacy of being a film set for popular films and television series.
With all this taken into account, Stamford is certainly a very special town in which to live!
STAMFORD IS...
STAMFORD IS...
The finest stone town in England
Walter Scott
The finest stone town in England
Walter Scott
"Welcome to Stamford.
Stay awhile amid its ancient charm"....
from the original welcome signs to Stamford.
Some of our sights....
Some of our sights....
Click here for Seasonal events
(under construction)
Look out for these signs of the past...
Look out for these signs of the past...
Mostly the postern gates have disappeared however there are still a few signs of these around town including the West tower (not in the image) and this roundel on North Street, the probable base of a gatehouse at the Newgates gate.
Cobbled streets were a feature in Stamford and they can still be seen in the town, for example St. Mary's Place. Not to be confused with "Setts", cobbles are a natural shape while setts are shaped.
There are a few remaining examples of 19th century mosaics in shop doorways around the town. This one is at the chemist on St. Mary's Hill.
Stamford has a choice of inns but had many more in the past. There are tell-tale signs of former inns all over the town. Look out for stained glass give-aways like this one and the one below.
Overhanging buildings allowed for more space inside the houses. Imagine the cries of "Watch under" as slops were thrown out into the street!
Ghost sign advertising Phillip's brewery directly outside the entrance to The Roebuck Inn in Broad Street, the entrance originally being in Goldsmith's Lane.
If you were rich you could have your business name carved into the stone of your building. This one (top) is evidence of Melbourn's Brewery in All Saints Street, another is Herbert Hart, seed merchant in Broad Street (below).
The old lamps (image right) that can be seen around the town are the original structures. The glass has been replaced with a safer material and they have been converted to electric having formerly been gas. They can be seen in St. George's Square, St. Mary's Place and Cheyne Lane.
The many homes and shops of Georgian Stamford required these inset boot scrapers due to the muddy streets. See BBC's Middlemarch for evidence!
The name of The London Inn on Castle Street refers to Stamford's position on the Old Great North Road (now the A1) with stage coaches stopping in the town on their journeys between London and York
A series of these informative signs are posted around the town at places of interest. This one shows the 1880 flood line on the town bridge and others mark the sites of ancient buildings of the past.
This building in St. Peter's Street was a ladies dress shop.
St. Mary's passage is a fine example of a Norman Arch, running down from St. Mary's Hill to the wharf on Bath Row.
Another tell-tale sign of a former inn is the sign-hanging bracket. Look up to see many of these obsolete hunks of metal, some used by today's modern businesses for their shop signs, like the one below.
Stamford had a terracotta factory. This detail can be found on the frontage of No. 30 High Street.
This roundel at the bus station, the former site of the town's castle, is evidence of a former gate tower