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Sleaford's liquid assets

Sleaford£s position on the waterways network and its former role in the brewing industry are helping to shape the town today

In this edition we return to Sleaford, an energetic market town in the heart of rural Lincolnshire. Sleaford now has a population of around 14,500 and remains one of the East Midlands fastest-growing towns. It's a great place to visit, easily accessible by road or rail, and it offers something for most people.

Since we last visited this traditional Lincolnshire town, it has gained yet another tourist attraction - Navigation House which forms the start of the Sleaford Riverside walk. There's something special for everyone on this walk, including visiting a working watermill, the Hub, National Centre for Craft and Design, and strolling through fascinating conservation areas. And best of all - it's free!

The walk starts near the centre of the town with this charming snapshot of Sleaford's heritage. More than 200 years ago, the town depended heavily on the Slea Navigation waterway for its prosperity. This linked the town with the navigable waters of the River Witham and thus with the expanding canal network that was, for the first time, allowing the economic movement of bulky goods throughout the country. Large sections of the River Slea were straightened and cleared - the whole project needed a considerable investment and an Act of Parliament before it was complete.

By the 1830s, the Navigation Yard site was in full fling. As the years went by and the Navigation prospered and grew, a combined office and dwelling was planned - and by 1838, Navigation House was complete. This Tudor-Gothic style building was the only one of its kind in the country. However its working life was short for by the end of the nineteenth century, the railways had overtaken the canals. In 1878, the company was wound up under the Sleaford Navigation Abandonment Act and Navigation House was left to deteriorate.

In recent years, there have been major efforts to restore this unique piece of the town's history and successful funding bids meant it could all go ahead. Navigation House is now an interactive attraction that everyone will enjoy, whatever their age. It houses interpretative panels about local history and local people, with its main feature being the recreation of the old Sleaford Navigation Office and the totally interactive weighbridge.

An interactive game and a virtual presentation about the Slea Navigation are also on offer to the visitor. Navigation House was officially opened last year and has just re-opened for its summer season.

Once you've enjoyed your visit to this historical taster, you can then drop into the Hub, National Centre for Craft and Design. This is the largest dedicated centre in the country for the exhibition, promotion and celebration of international craft and design, and admission is free. This wonderful building once housed Hubbard's seeds - it was the on-site warehouse for products brought in through Slea Navigation.

At the moment, the main gallery is housing an exhibition of lighting, furniture and wallpaper that features the work of eight young designers at the start of their careers.

Also showcased at the moment is an exhibition on public art proposals for North Kesteven and new furniture work by Liske Russell de Boer.

Next month, the Art of the Stitch - an exhibition by the Embroiderers' Guild will be in the main gallery and in the Stairwell Showcase, Claire Coles will be showing some of her distinctive range of slip-cast tableware.

In the Roof Gallery, four artists will also be showing some of their sculptural glass work in Traversing - Moments marked with Glass.

For more information about the Hub, contact them direct on 01529 308710 or you can log on to their website at www.thehubcentre.org

Taking a stroll further down Sleaford's Riverside, you will see three striking mosaics and various interesting sculptures showing Sleaford's rich navigation heritage. These mosaics form part of the pathway and were produced in the last few years as a part of the Sleaford Pride programme of regeneration for the town.

This pleasant walk then takes you through Lollycocks Field, a local nature reserve offering an attractive wildflower and wetland meadow.

And finally you arrive at Cogglesford Mill to see how flour used to be produced. This beautiful three-storey building houses an internal wooden water wheel and two sets of millstones. If you step inside the Mill on one of the special milling days, you are able to see and hear grain being turned into flour by the heavy millstones, much as it would have been 200 years ago.

Although the current mill was built in the early eighteenth century, millers have produced flour on this site for more than 1,000 years. However, by 1885, the mill ceased full working and fell into a serious state of neglect. Fortunately, it was rescued from collapse in 1991 by North Kesteven District Council and today you can discover the fascinating characters and events that shaped its history from its Anglo Saxon origins to the present day.

The mill is a member of the Tastes of Lincolnshire initiative that encourages people to buy locally grown and produced products. The mill shop stocks honey, jam and chutney, all produced locally and the organic stone-ground flour produced at the mill is always available. Between March and December, there is a varied calendar of special events when the mill is actually working. Some are organised to coincide with larger events in the town as part of a wider regional or national initiative. On 2nd July, the mill will be part of the Sleaford Open Gardens event, on 1st and 13th August, it will be open during the Sleaford Water Weekend and on 2nd September, during the Sleaford Historic Car and Motorcycle Show and Craft fair.

For more information about either Navigation House, the Hub or Cogglesford Mill, contact the Sleaford Tourist Information Centre, Money's Yard, Sleaford, or telephone 01529 414294.

Sleaford is not just a place to visit however. It is also a great place to live and each year for the past few years, almost 200 houses have been built to meet the growing demand for new homes.

However, like many other parts of Lincolnshire, there is a real shortage of affordable homes.

The local authority, North Kesteven District Council, has recently adopted six new priorities. Included among these is to work with partners to deliver affordable housing and endeavour to provide decent homes for vulnerable people. The stylish affordable homes being built today are a far cry from days gone by. Nowadays, they are provided through Housing Associations, often referred to as registered social landlords. However, not all affordable housing is up for rent. In some cases, the homes are offered on a shared ownership basis that allows people to get a foot on that all-important first rung of a property ladder.

They are normally offered on a fifty per cent rent, fifty per cent mortgage arrangement. If they are sold, the occupier receives the open market value of the percentage of the property that they own.

In the Sleaford area, a new shared ownership two-bedroomed property could cost around £65,000. On top of this, the part buyer would also need to pay a rent to the Housing Association. This would be around the £35 mark.

In the last feature about Sleaford we featured proposals for the Maltings. The future of this unique industrial site looks very promising. The first round of consultation has just been completed on the development guidance for the buildings.

The re-use and restoration of this Grade II* listed site represents a major regeneration opportunity close to the centre of the town.

Would-be developers have been asked for comments on the key land use principles and criteria that North Kesteven District Council will use when determining planning applications and listed building consent applications within the Sleaford Maltings site.

The public consultation clearly showed strong support for the development as a resource for the town and support for a wide range of uses on the site, but limited support for a large retail store.

The Sleaford Maltings is believed to be the largest of its kind in Europe. The £55 million development is backed by the Prince of Wales's charity, The Phoenix Trust.

For more information about Sleaford Maltings, contact the Project Director, Peter Bright at North Kesteven District Council offices, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, telephone 01529 414155 or 01522 699699 if calling from a Lincoln number, or email him at Peter_Bright@n-Kesteven.gov.uk

All in all, Sleaford is a town well worth visiting and a town worth considering if you want to live in a peaceful, rural area that has low crime levels and a good quality of life.