Stamford and Queen Boadicea

Stamford in Lincolnshire (no relation to Stamford Bridge the football ground!) has been around since before the doomsday book and has been an important place for its wools and markets and stone, but it was also the only place in the uk that missed out on the industrial revolution, hence its old architical buildings and its modern day "catch up"


Before any of these events took place Stamfords river played a part during the fight with the Romans and its first bridge is just a few hundred meters away from the town centre.
It was one of the major routes to the Lincoln, London and York.
It is known that the last of the 9th Legion of the Romans fled across the bridge on their withdrawal from the Britons, and being pursued by Queen Boadicea, leader of the Britons.
Between London and Wroxeter in Shropshire this area was once known as the battle of Watling Street, one that Boadicea lost, though the end of the Roman Empire was also crumbling and meant the end of Roman rule in Britain, though Boadicea did not see it for she died (not certain whether she killed herself or died of illness) before the end of Roman occupation.
Remnants of the bridge are still visible today.
When the bridge collapsed a new bridge was built further up that proved it to be a more viable option and Stamford then grew around it during the Saxon times.

  
Just visible are parts of the Roman bridge, other parts of it can be seen further up.










Every year Stamford plays host to an annual fair in April that has gone on for decades and it seems that almost every street is one giant fairground.

 

 

Just for that one week Stamfords historic town is overtaken by all colours and manners of rides and ghost trains, ferris wheels and hook a duck and countless burger and candy stalls.
Its market is put on hold for a week and peace is shattered! But it is all in a good cause as it generates an income to the local economy and local charities benefit.
What the old buildings think of this modern day interruption I don`t know, but a good time is had by the majority.




When the Fair is gone, Stamford gets back to normal and the old buildings shine once more.
I`m not sure what to make of the churches and gravestones in the city centre, but Stamford was once very important to the wool trade and old timber houses grew around the churches (5 remain today and were the first stone buildings to be built here) and as the town began to prosper, the timber frames were slowly replaced by stone cladding and then stone buildings as quarries were dug and the stone was found to be very strong and sturdy that it began exporting it around the uk.
Ketton stone, an oolitic limestone, collyweston slate and Clipsham stone, a limestone created by the fossilisation of millions of sea creatures.
Yorkstone also played a major part here.

 

 

 

Like the majority of the uk, you never know where your journey will take you and what you`ll find out once you start researching a place about its history and its people.
Stamford is a place that requires more looking into with its old thatched roofs in places and some huge dwellings on the outskirts that proved peoples status and  symbolised wealth and power.
I wonder what Boadicea would have made of it today..........