Spalding: River Welland, Art and History

Spalding brings together the River Welland in the town centre, historic buildings and a strong connection to the Fens’ gardening and bulb-growing culture. The river runs through the centre and past Georgian houses, with trees lining its banks. This offers different ways to plan your trip: art, blacksmithing, architectural history and a boat trip.

Art, River and Craftsmanship

ARTeFACT brings together eight etched brass artworks in a walking trail through Spalding that starts and ends at the museum. Using a smartphone or tablet, you can bring the artworks to life with augmented reality. The project therefore combines a walking trail through the town with a digital representation of the works. You need one of these devices to use the augmented reality application.

The Spalding Water Taxi offers a different perspective: the 40-minute river trip runs from the town centre to Springfields Shopping Outlet and Festival Gardens, and is also available in the opposite direction. You can plan the trip as a separate part of your itinerary and check the timetable in advance.

Chain Bridge Forge is also on the River Welland, just a short walk from the town centre. Blacksmithing courses are offered there. The forge has revived blacksmithing at its original location and demonstrates, both on site and online, the blacksmithing skills and techniques used by the blacksmiths of Chain Bridge Forge. Courses and demonstrations have different focuses: blacksmithing as a craft and traditional techniques.

Social History and Buildings

The Spalding Gentlemen’s Society was founded in 1710 and is the oldest surviving provincial learned society in Great Britain. Its museum houses local and international artefacts, as well as a historic library and archive. The museum is closed until spring 2027 due to building work. This closure is important to bear in mind if you are planning a museum visit.

Ayscoughfee Hall is more than 550 years old and is listed as a Grade I building in the UK. The Ayscoughfee Hall Museum includes the original medieval tower and basement; visitors can view both through glass viewing panels. At Ayscoughfee Hall, both the building’s age and listed status, and its surviving medieval features, take centre stage.

St Mary and St Nicholas also offers a distinctive architectural connection to Lincolnshire: the church has a hammerbeam roof typical of the county and numerous side aisles. The regional significance of the roof type and the many side aisles are two specific features that help describe its architecture.

Gardens and the Fens Landscape

The town’s historic garden features include the yew walk at Ayscoughfee Gardens, which dates back to the 1720s. Springfields has gardens covering 15 acres that are free to enter. The two garden attractions offer different highlights: the history of the yew walk is a defining feature of Ayscoughfee Gardens, while free entry and the stated area are key points to note at Springfields.

Spalding’s connection to the Fens’ flower and bulb industry is also part of the town’s character. Thanks to its fertile, silt-rich soils, Spalding is a trading centre for this industry. Alongside its buildings and gardens, this highlights the region’s agricultural foundations: its soils and the flower and bulb trade are both part of Spalding’s identity as described here.

Discover more destinations: East Barkwith, South Witham, Surfleet, Keelby, Wrangle, Skegness, Alford, Hackthorn.

For the broader travel overview: Lincolnshire.