Spend time to wander and explore
North East Lincolnshire is home to some very attractive places in which to live and work and they include the much-loved Waltham and New Waltham.
Close to the coast and popular with everyone from commuters to families and retirees, each has a population of more than 6,000 people who enjoy the benefits of easy access to good facilities.
When Lincolnshire Life visited, it was great to discover that all of Waltham’s commercial premises are occupied and learn that when units do come onto the market, they are quickly snapped up.
Waltham Parish Council chairman, Councillor Martin Archer said that Waltham actually existed first, but its growth went on to lead to the creation of New Waltham.
However, if you need something to remind you which is which, just remember that New Waltham is a little bit closer to the sea!
Coun Archer said: “Today’s Waltham was originally a larger area because it also took in today’s New Waltham, which has grown up around the original railway station.
“It is a dormitory to Grimsby and where a lot of people who work across the Eastern region move to, but both places are conveniently close to major roads, including the A46, A18 and A16.
“Waltham is well served, with two major supermarkets, smaller grocery shops, two pubs, a fire station and much more.”
If you fancy a refreshing drink and a meal, you can visit The King’s Head, a ‘Sizzling’ branded outlet with eyecatching signs; or you might try The Tilted Barrel, a traditional inn also serving food. Coun Archer said both are doing well.
However, if you prefer to dine at home, Waltham has a good choice of takeaways offering tempting options. It also has tea rooms, hairdressing and beauty salons, a carpet store and a garage selling petrol.
“We don’t have any empty shops and when they do become vacant, they are soon filled,” said Coun Archer.
Waltham has more than 6,500 residents and its popularity as a place to live is undoubtedly enhanced by the good schooling on its doorstep – in the shape of the Waltham Leas Academy. Older pupils can go to the Tollbar Academy in New Waltham.
Waltham Parish Council clerk, Lesley Leach said that there are also lots of community based groups including the British Legion Community Club, Waltham Park Bowls Club, WI, Army Cadets, Guides and Brownies groups and Knit n’Natter. The village also has its own library.
The Grove Park Leisure Park, with its picnic area and beck, Mount Pleasant Playing Fields and the Neville Turner Playing Fields provide space for sports and relaxation.
Parishioners have a choice of attending the Waltham Methodist Chapel in Cheapside or All Saints Church.
All Saints Church is unmissable, standing proudly alongside the main roadside in Waltham. Dating back to about 1520, it is Grade Two listed.
Originally late thirteenth/early fourteenth century, it was restored by James Fowler of Louth in 1867 and 1874. Anglican parish registers date back to 1561.
Another attraction well worth a visit is the Waltham Windmill Centre off Brigsley Road. Families can step back in time and visit the windmill between Easter and September, but there are school visits all year round.
You can also enjoy the Miniature Railway, check out The Museum of Rural Life, take a coffee break in the Railway Carriage Tea Room and try the Miller’s Restaurant. The windmill grounds are a venue for shows and events throughout the year and there are also twelve business units based at the Centre.
Waltham Parish Council vice chairman, Councillor Peter Woodliff is also chairman of Waltham Windmill Trust.
“There is lots to see and do and it is in our interests to support the businesses based there. When they are all full it means that we can keep the grounds and mill in good order,” he said.
Mr Woodliff also revealed that the Trust is looking to find a replacement for the current miller, John Lyles. The post carries an honorarium.
Leafy New Waltham is just as popular as its close neighbour and Parish Council chairman, Councillor Roger Breed is proud to live “on the patch” but, with future development on the horizon, it is clear that it could do with more facilities.
“We currently have more than 2,300 houses and a population of more than 6,000 people. Our small town has grown up around what was the original Waltham Railway Halt and an old Naval Wireless Station,” said Coun Breed.
“We have really popular schools here, with the New Waltham Primary Academy, Enfield (New Waltham) Academy, as well as the Tollbar Academy for older pupils, which attracts students from a wide catchment area.
“There are seven farms in the area, Pennell’s Garden Centre can be found on Humberston Road, and we have a selection of shops, a pharmacy, post office, and four garages – two selling cars, one serving petrol and the other offering repairs,” said Coun Breed.
New Waltham, which is only a half-hour walk from the seafront, has two pubs – The Harvest Moon and The Farmhouse – both of which are well supported.
“But with pressure to build more housing in the area and increased traffic flows we have to think about the future. We are currently trying to find land for a cemetery, we want to provide more allotments and we need more open space and facilties for young people,” said Coun Breed.
Churchgoers have a choice of attending St Matthew’s Church or New Waltham Methodist Church.
Like Waltham, New Waltham boasts a wealth of uniformed groups, including those for Guides and Brownies. There are gardening, indoor bowls and flower cubs; toddler groups and after school clubs; a youth drop-in centre and even a BMX racetrack.
New Waltham’s busy Parish Council organises a variety of events, including Carol Singing on the The Green and New Waltham in Bloom, as well as Village Day. This year it takes place on 22nd June.
WALTHAM SHOPPING
Whether you want a coffee break, a takeaway or a leisurely meal, a gift for a friend or stylish flooring for your home, Waltham can deliver!
With its reputation for never having business premises empty for long, this is the place to find both interesting long-standing and fledgling enterprises.
They include Swags & Tail, an independent business run by Sue and Philip Morris, who have been serving returning and new customers for more than twenty years.
This attractive outlet is a great place to browse and find that special greetings card, wedding or baby gift, pretty jewellery or covetable handbag. The shop also stocks items for the kitchen and room fragrances.
Chris and Joanne Trott, who have a store in Immingham, expanded their business interests by opening Carpet Chris in Waltham about a year ago.
Manager, Chris Dunham said: “Chis jumped at the chance to take over the former TBS Flooring outlet which had been empty for two to three months.
”We offer everything from carpets to luxury vinyl tiles, poly-flooring, laminate flooring and rugs and have our own fitters. We do both contract and domestic work and we have been getting quite a bit of local support.”
Zest Deli is an independent business, owned by Rachel Carr, and she will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in August.
“We offer customers sixty different types of artisan cheese and we also stock a variety of local produce, such as chutneys, chocolates and pickles which are made by people running cottage industries,” said Rachel.
A couple of years after establishing herself, Rachel also opened a tea room above the deli.
“We are growing year on year which is good in the current economic climate. Shoppers travel from the coast and inland to shop with us and we are now looking at also having a website.”
WALTHAM WINDMILL GOLF CLUB
It was in the early 1980s when the idea of a golf club at Waltham was put forward and subsequently a fairly imposing design was produced by Clive Clark and Peter Alliss, with work on this beginning in the late 1980s.
Unfortunately the money ran out and work stopped after the initial digging and placing of holes. For six years the site was then left untouched and became completely overgrown.
However the current owners bought the land from the liquidators in 1994 and began by completely redesigning the layout, leaving only one hole from the original design.
Construction of the new course began in the spring of 1995 and was completed in September of that year. The course was then allowed to settle for eighteen months before the opening in May 1997.
Today’s eighteen-hole course sits in a 125-acre setting. It is described as having ‘beautiful surroundings and challenging holes.’
The course is complemented by a traditionally designed clubhouse with modern interior. A friendly welcome is given to both members and visitors.
RAF WALTHAM
In 1933 a municipal airfield was built and in November 1941 this became RAF Waltham, also known as RAF Grimsby. It was a satellite to RAF Binbrook and in 1943 it became No 12 Base substation.
RAF Waltham and 100 Squadron are commemorated in a memorial stone on the A16, next to the site of the base. Parts of the runways are still visible, although the site now houses a golf driving range
There is a commemorative plaque at the Cheapside entrance to the RAF Grimsby site:
‘RAF Grimsby (Waltham) 1941-1945. To fight for our freedom and to end the Nazi tyranny, young people from all over the world came to this airfield to serve and to fly the Wellingtons and Lancasters of 142 and 100 Squadrons.’ Sadly 169 aircraft were lost from this station during WWII.
The Waltham Windmill Rural History Museum contains many items connected with 100 Squadron operations during WWII.
WALTHAM HISTORICAL NOTE
Waltham has a long history. As a settlement it can easily be traced back to Saxon times; the name Waltham deriving from ‘Walt’ referring to woodland or an area of high forest and ‘Ham’ to either an estate or a village.
There is always the possibility that the Saxons altered the name from the Old English of ‘Wealdhant’ which had a similar meaning – the first part ‘Ald’ prefixed by ‘We’ meant settlement and ‘Hant’ a wooded estate.
The parish was part of the ancient Bradley Haverstoe Wapentake (a collection of Parishes) in the Central Lindsey district.
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