Spalding, United Kingdom
Spalding is a town of 30,556 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Spalding
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 25 parks and trails, 96 places to eat, 11 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include South Holland Centre, The Springfields Stage, Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Chain Bridge Forge Museum.
Weather in Spalding
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Spalding
Spalding is a market town on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. The town had a population of 30,556 at the 2021 census. Spalding is the administrative centre of the South Holland District, which lies north-east of the city of Peterborough.
From the Wikipedia article Spalding, Lincolnshire (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Spalding on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks7
Ayscoughfee Hall Museum
Museum
Grade I listed historic house museum in South Holland, United Kingdom
Church Gate, Spalding
Chain Bridge Forge Museum
Museum
Early 19th-century blacksmith's workshop/museum, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom
Spalding War Memorial
Monument and historic site
War memorial in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds25
13 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes96
Costa
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.3 mi
Unit 19 West Avenue, Spalding
Mo-We,Fr 09:00-18:00; Th 09:00-20:00; Sa 08:00-18:00; Su 10:00-17:00
Caffè Nero
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.3 mi
Unit 25 Camelgate, Spalding
Mo-We 08:00-18:30; Th 08:00-20:00; Fr 08:00-18:30; Sa 08:00-19:00;...
The Parlour Restaurant
Restaurant · Regional, Sandwich, Coffee Shop, Cake, Dessert, Brunch, Pastry, European · 1.3 mi
Unit 1 East Avenue, Spalding
The Imaginarium
Bar and pub
Spalding’s new craft beer, gin & cocktail bar offering dinner, drinks & coffee, table service. dog friendly
Westlode Street, Spalding
The Noshery Cafe & Restaurant
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Salad, Dessert, Regional, Breakfast, Pastry, European · 1.3 mi
North Avenue, Spalding
84 more on the map.
History
Archaeological excavations at Wygate Park in Spalding have shown that there has been occupation in this area from at least the Roman period, when this part of Lincolnshire was used for the production of salt. It was a coastal siltland. At Wygate Park salt-making seems to have come to an end by the mid-7th century BC climatic change and flooding may have made such activities difficult, causing the practice to die out.
The settlement's name is derived from an Anglian tribe, the Spaldingas, who settled in the area during the 6th century. They may have retained their administrative independence within the Kingdom of Mercia into the late 9th century, when Stamford became one of the Five Boroughs of the East Midlands under Danish control after years of invasion and occupation.
Spalding was a settlement mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, in the hundred of Elloe and the county of Lincolnshire.
It had a recorded population of 91 households in 1086, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in Domesday, and is listed under 3 owners in Domesday Book.
Households: 7 villagers. 4 smallholders. Land and resources Ploughland: 1.5 ploughlands. 3 men's plough teams.
Valuation: Annual value to lord: 1 pound in 1086; 1 pound in 1066.
Households: 40 villagers. 33 smallholders. Land and resources Ploughland: 9 ploughlands. 4 lord's plough teams. 13 men's plough teams.
Read more of the history
Valuation: Annual value to lord: 30 pounds in 1086; 23 pounds 2 shillings and 7 pence in 1066.
Households: 5 villagers. 2 smallholders. Land and resources Ploughland: 1 lord's plough teams. 1 men's plough teams.
Valuation: Annual value to lord: 2 pounds in 1086; 2 pounds in 1066.
In John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887), Spalding was described as a:
market town and par. with ry. sta., Lincolnshire, on River Welland, 14 m. SW. of Boston, 12,070 ac., pop. 9260; P.O., T.O., three Banks, two newspapers. Market-day, Tuesday. Spalding is an important railway centre, while the river has been made navigable to the town for vessels of from 50 to 70 tons. It is in a rich agricultural district, and has a large trade, by river and by rail, in corn, wool, coal, and timber. It has also flour, bone, and sawmills, breweries, and coach works. There are remains of a priory of 1501, a fine old church (restored 1860), a grammar school, a corn exchange, and a spacious market place.
Around 5,000 children were evacuated to the town in 1939; 116 London County Council teachers came with the children. Around 400 children stayed until the end of the war. The worst raid was in the early hours of Monday 12 May 1941, with 5 people killed; 14 high explosive bombs hit Bicker, Lincolnshire on the same night, but not one exploded. Another raid was on the afternoon of Sunday 2 August 1942, with much damage but no-one was killed. These were the town's only two serious raids, with 34 high explosive bombs on the town, and 116 in the wider Spalding area.
From the History section of Spalding, Lincolnshire on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Spalding
Education
Spalding's two secondary modern schools (11-16) were the Gleed Boys' School and the Gleed Girls' Technology College. In 2012 they were combined as the Sir John Gleed School (now called Spalding Academy). On leaving Sir John Gleed School, many pupils transferred to nearby sixth forms or attended Boston College or New College Stamford, which both have Further Education centres in the town. In 2016, South Lincolnshire Academies Trust (SLAT) took over management of the Sir John Gleed School from CFBT, and it was renamed Spalding Academy.
The town's state grammar schools (still selective by eleven-plus exam) are Spalding Queen Elizabeth Royal Free Grammar School (11-16 for boys) and Spalding High School (11-16 for girls), both of which have mixed sixth forms (16-18).
There are also schools for children with special learning needs: formerly these were the Priory School (for those with mild to moderate learning difficulties) and the Garth School (for those with more demanding educational needs) however in 2022 they merged as Tulip Academy.
From the Wikipedia article Spalding, Lincolnshire, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Spalding
Johnathan HoggardBritish racing driverPhoto: Lukas Raich, CC BY-SA 4.0
Peter BushtranslatorPhoto: Institut Ramon Llull, CC BY 2.0
Arthur WardNew Zealand accountant, dairy researcher and administrator, company director, university chancellorPhoto: Photographer unknown, CC BY 3.0 nz
Will WandEnglish rugby union playerPhoto: TheRugbyBoy, CC0
Charlotte TaylorBritish long distance runnerPhoto: AdamKR, CC BY-SA 2.0
Miranda SykesEnglish folk singerPhoto: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0
Richard JohnsonBritish railway engineerPhoto: Railway Magazine, Public domain- Jo KendallBritish actress (1940–2022)
- Frank PickBritish transport administrator
- John MolsonCanadian politician (1763-1836)
- Tim InskipEnglish cricketer and British army officer (1885-1971)
- Tony Bratleyassociation football player (born 1939)
Born in Spalding, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay11
Churches and places of worship15
Church of St Paul Including Attached Former Sunday Schoolroom
Church · 1.1 mi
Shopping27
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries16
St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School
School · Anglican · 0.7 mi
Hawthorn Bank, Spalding
St Paul's Community Primary and Nursery School
School · 0.9 mi
Queens Road, Spalding
Healthcare7
Map of Spalding
210 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
RAF Coningsby (QCY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 miles away.
- Peterborough 15 mi south, about 25 min by car
- Wisbech 15 mi southeast, about 25 min by car
- Whittlesey 16 mi south, about 26 min by car
- Stamford 17 mi southwest, about 27 min by car
- Lincoln 34 mi northwest, about 55 min by car
- Syston 39 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Leicester 42 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Cambridge 42 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Nottingham 43 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Northampton 48 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Spalding
_(14050454569).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ayscoughfee Hall Museum, Thorvaldsson, CC BY 3.0
- Chain Bridge Forge, Spalding, Bearas, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Springfields Birds Eye View, AdamJamesWhittaker, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, adam2, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.