North Hykeham

North Hykeham is a town in the North Kesteven district, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It forms part of the Lincoln Urban Area. The population of the town at the 2011 census was 13,884.
History.
North Hykeham was originally spelt "North Hyckham", and is commonly referred to as just 'Hykeham'.
North Hykeham, both as a village and, since 1973, as a town, is independent from Lincoln. The old village dates back to the Angles, Germanic invaders who occupied much of Britain after the Romans left in 400 AD. The Danes and Vikings arrived in Lincolnshire in 900 AD, hence places with names ending in –by, thorpe and ham (which mean ‘village’).
The Domesday Book (1087) records that North Hykeham had 15 households and a 52-acre meadow. The tenant-in-chief was Baldwin of Flanders.
The windmills featured on the town crest are a reference to the two ancient windmills that once stood in the town, with each being owned by one of the two manors. The first mill was of a brick-built construction and was part of 'Ladds Mill' which was located on what is now known as Mill Lane (hence the name).
North Hykeham Church was first mentioned in 1160 but, by 1535 it was a 'free chapel', and by 1700 a ruin. From 1700 there was no church in North Hykeham. All Saints Church, consisting of nave, south aisle, chancel and tower, was erected on a new site in 1868, at a cost of £1200. A Methodist Chapel was built in 1881. In 1894 the first Parish Council was established and met in the village school. In 1948 the Parish Council moved to the Memorial Hall ('The Tin Tabernacle') on Newark Road. The present Memorial Hall was built in 1969. In May 2006 the Town Council moved to its new premises in Fen Lane, an extension of an existing pavilion.
Geography.
Newark Road is built directly on top of the old Roman road, Fosse Way; it is now the A1434 road although, until December 1985, it was the A46. North of the road is Hykeham railway station on the Nottingham to Lincoln Line, with trains stopping hourly each day. Farther along Mill Lane, to the south, is South Hykeham.
To the east, the parish boundary runs for a short distance against the River Witham and the North Hykeham Pump Drain, where it borders Waddington. It deviates to the west from the Witham, following the Pump Drain, then follows the Witham further south from Hykeham Bridge for . To the south it follows The Beck, with South Hykeham to the south, and passes to the south of Grange Farm. it crosses Newark Road (A1434) at Ascot Way. At Pike Drain, near the Sailing Club and Teal Lake, it borders Doddington and Whisby. Directly north of the Sailing Club, it crosses the railway, then crosses the A46 bypass to the north-west. It passes through the middle of West Lodge Game Farm and on the eastern edge of Coronation Plantation. South-west of the A46 Doddington Road roundabout, the parish meets Lincoln, becoming the North Kesteven boundary. The boundary crosses the A46 just south of the roundabout, following Prial Drain. The parish includes the Lyndon Business Park next to the A46, the factory units on Whisby Road and the Hotel Ibis on Runcorn Road. Although Prial Drain crosses Doddington Road (B1190), the boundary deviates to the east, following the road to the south, just north of the transport museum, to the railway line. It leaves the railway line on the eastern edge of the lakes, and runs straight through a housing estate to meet Tritton Road (B1003). It crosses the A1434 at the Tritton Road junction. South-east, it crosses Hykeham Road, and passes just north of Conway Drive to the river.
Governance.
North Hykeham is in the district of North Kesteven and has its own local town council on Fen Lane. It falls within the Sleaford and North Hykeham parliamentary constituency. The MP for the seat since 2016 has been the Conservative Caroline Johnson.
Economy.
An Asda superstore opened in 1969, and was subsequently rebuilt on land adjacent to the old store which was demolished, and is part of the current larger, 24 hour store car park in March 1998. It is situated on Newark Road towards the district boundary (Tritton Road - B1003) with the City of Lincoln. There is a Co-op store near the junction of Lincoln Road, Mill Lane, and Moor Lane, with a small group of shops and medical practice. Most local shops are on Newark Road in The Forum, where a Tesco Express has recently opened.
The Lindum Group have a site on Station Road which houses several businesses comprising the Lindum Group and a number of other businesses, some of which are closely associated with the group. ASC Metals make metal sheets and tubes. There are engineering companies on Freeman Road, near the railway station, including Siemens (formerly Alstom Power). A foundry, Lincoln Castings, on Station Road closed in February 2007; the last owners were the Meade Corporation of Malmesbury.
There is a sailing club on Apex Lake (formed from a former sand and gravel pit). Nearby is Whisby Nature Park. The Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum is on Whisby Road near the railway station.
On the Westminster Trading Estate on Station Road there is a practice studio for musicians.
There is a memorial to those who lost their lives in both The First and Second World Wars.
Facilities.
Public houses.
The town's public houses are The Fox and Hounds, The Centurion, The Harrows and The Lincoln Green.
Churches.
The Hykeham ecclesiastical parish lies south of the railway line and includes St Hugh's Anglican church, built in the 1960s, on Harewood Crescent and the Victorian gothic-style All Saints Anglican church on the corner of Moor Lane. Both are part of the Hykeham Team Ministry which incorporates the church in South Hykeham. A Methodist chapel is situated on Chapel Lane. In January 2014 a new church opened at the Sir Robert Pattinson Academy known as 'Alive Hykeham', part of a new multisite Church in Lincoln, Norwich, Grantham, Scunthorpe, Metheringham, Wymondham, Newark, and Harrogate.
Parks.
North Hykeham has five parks. Glebe Park is behind the Lincoln Green public house. Fen Lane Park has football pitches, a children's play area and a purpose built skatepark. "The Green" park is part of the old village green, and The Memorial Hall park is part of the Memorial Hall sporting facilities. St Aidan's Park contains an old orchard.
Education.
There are two secondary schools: North Kesteven Academy and the Sir Robert Pattinson Academy, adjacent on Moor Lane. The Terry O'Toole Theatre and NK Sports Centre are at North Kesteven Academy. There are also several primary schools including All Saints CE, Fosse Way Academy, St Hughs and Ling Moor Primary
Sport.
North Hykeham is home to various sports clubs including: