It wasn't to late when we got underway after getting more sleep than I had expected after hearing that the Tornado's were having a night flying period!
The new road bridge means that there is no traffic on the old 18th century bridge after it was erected in 1992. It was quite a windy day and with a cool edge to it when you re on the water.
This is Billinghay Skirth and is navigable by narrow boats for about half the distance to the village of Billinghay and 60' boats can turn there. There appears to be so much weed it seems daunting. Mind you if you want to escape wide beams these navigable drains are your chance as the doors have stops on them to prevent them opening any wider than would allow entrance of a narrow boat.
There were several areas on the bank with these signs. This one had a willow growing in the water but others just on an exposed bank. There seems to be plenty of fish in the river too. Helen lost her cap in the gusty wind around here but we were able to reverse up and pick it up before it got too close to the bank for us to access.
This is where the Horncastle Canal branched off the River as Witham. This was first cut as a canal to Tattershall a private initiative by a John Gibson in 1786. In the 1790's Sir Joseph Banks, of Captian Cook's voyage fame, from a local family leased the manor of Horncastle and set about improvements. Jessop was asked to survey a route and suggested using the River Bain and entering the River Witham at Dog Dyke, not using Gibson's cut. The 11 mile canal had twelve locks. The first on Gibson's cut was a bit inland, and that on the Dog Dyke route was at Tattershall. It was started in 1795 and was opened as lengths were dug. It was 1805 before the full length was opened.It was the coming of the railway that did for it and it was officially abandoned in 1889 but sand and gravel was carried to Kirkby and coal to Coningsby until 1910.
The river remains wide and the weed is only found near the banks on the whole. The banks are high, preventing much of a view but the big skies and wide river mean that it never seems oppressive, well at least in the sun.
When we approached Kirkstead Bridge it looked like the pontoon was full but there was room on the end and we moored up so as to walk up to Woodhall Spa.
The main habitation here abouts was Kirkstead, before Woodhall was developed. There was a wharf here, and Kirkstead Abbey was established nearby in 1139. There was a lock on the Witham about a mile south from the improvements of 1762 but was removed in 1812. In 1848 this station was built by the Great Northern Railway on their original main line from London to the North, and called Kirkstead. It wasn't until 1922 when the name was changed to Woodhall Junction to try and promote the new town and spa. There was another halt in the new town called Woodhall Spa. Passenger traffic finished at the halt in 1955 and at the Junction in 1970, and freight in 1971.
The Tea House in the Woods was there to serve the folk using the Spa Baths next door. The two ladies who managed it were sisters of the superintendent. It opened in 1903 and everything was very 'classy'. They also sold fancy goods and souvenirs and ran a lending library too. It had a wooden veranda until the 1980's when the current set up was built. After 2000 the original tea house concept was lost with it becoming an Italian restaurant, but resorted back to what you see today in 2014. It was very busy indeed, so it seems to be working out.
The Kinema in the Woods started out as a pavilion to the Victoria Hotel in the late 1800's and overlooked tennis and croquet lawns. The hotel burned down in 1920 and the pavilion was sold off. It became a cinema in 1922 and has remained so to this day. It is the only full time cinema that uses back projection and this was required due to the low roof trusses. In 1987 a Compton organ was installed and this is still played. There are two screens, in screen one from the beginning the front rows were deck chairs and were very popular as they were retained until 1953. During WWII they were reserved for officers.
During a search for a site to sink a coal mine resulted in them being flooded and after the water was analysed it turned out to be full of iodine and bromide and other minerals and the Victoria Hotel was built along with the spa baths which are these buildings. The spa closed in 1983 when the well collapsed and it was later vandalised and burned. There is planning to convert it to a health club with shops and accommodation.
The Cottage Museum was built as a flat pack in 1887 from Boulton and Paul. Harrods also sold such buildings. There are not many cottages like this left. It was erected for the Wield family who operated bath chairs and donkey carts to move the invalids around the town. They also took photos and collected things for 50 years whilst living there. In 1987 it opened as a museum showing this collection off.
In August 1943 a German parachute bom landed on past of the Royal Hydo Hotel and flattened most of it. The site was passed to the town and the Dambusters Memorial was erected here. It is in the shape of the dam with the centre being breached and slate representing the water cascading down which also has the names of all those lost from 617 Squadron in the War. There are other memorials in the green area too.
We managed to arrange to meet up with a friend who lives in Lincoln and went for a meal at the King's Arms on the other side of the Kirkstead Bridge. I can recommend the meals as they well very well cooked and not expensive.
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