Stoke Rochford

Stoke Rochford is a small village 5.5 mi south from Grantham in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is noted for being the location of the two Grade I listed buildings, Stoke Rochford Hall and twin dedicated St Mary and St Andrew's church.

History
Stoke Rochford church was originally dedicated to St Mary, and village was originally called South Stoke until the expansion of the park in 1843 when North Stoke was removed. The village was laid out in 1843 to complement the architectural scheme of the new hall, built for Christoper Turnor by William Burn.

The dedication of North Stoke church to St Andrew was transferred so that the church in Stoke Rochford has a double dedication. North and South Stoke belonged to the historical wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo.



Hall
Stoke Rochford Hall, designed by William Burn and built in 1845, was gutted by fire on 25 January 2005. It is now the NUT's national training centre, and venue for conferences and wedding receptions.

On 28 April 1945 a Canadian (RCAF) Avro Lancaster crashed in the grounds of the hall. In December 2009 the hall was named the Les Routiers Best Country Retreat in the UK.

Lost villages
The Deserted medieval village of Ganthorpe, mentioned in Domesday, is now only known as a field name in the park, Ganthrops.

North Stoke (Nortstoches) is mentioned in the Domesday survey as a possession of Earl Morcar, claimed by the Norman baron, Drew de Beurere. It survived until the 19th century when it was cleared for the creation of the current park. The remains of a Saxon cross from the old church discovered after its demolition are in Stoke Rochford Church.

Geography
For administration purposes the parish is joined with Easton, which also has a country estate. Stoke Rochford's church is in the parish of Easton, as is the post office.

The southern boundary of the parish follows the road, east-west, that crosses the A1. The parish extends westwards to the Leicestershire boundary and the north edge of Saltby Airfield near the Viking Way. It follows the Lincolnshire boundary northwards for about 440 yd. North of the parish is Wyville cum Hungerton. The parish extends about 1 mi north of the village to North Lodge Plantation, where there is a bend westwards in the A1 as it approaches Great Ponton, which is the parish north of Stoke Rochford. The parish extends east to the point where Ermine Street meets the East Coast Main Line. The bridge is just inside Great Ponton parish. Just under a mile of the line is in the parish, including the Stoke Tunnel. Just to the east is Stoke Tunnel Farm, which is in Bitchfield and Bassingthorpe. Just south of Stoke Tunnel is Highdyke Farm. South of here is the large Stoke Park Wood, and the eastern boundary here follows the railway line until it meets Easton parish, just south of Old Park Wood. Here it also borders with Burton Coggles, just north of Sleight's Wood.

The Cringle Brook flows northwards from the village, and on the opposite side of the A1 is the River Witham.

Community
Stoke Rochford is part of the civil parish of Stoke Rochford and Easton.

The ecclesiastical parish has same name, and is part of the Colsterworth Group in the Deanery of Beltisloe, Diocese of Lincoln. The incumbent is the Rev. E. J. Lomax. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Andrew and Saint Mary, also serves as the parish church for Easton.

The village has a post office and a golf club. Adjacent to the golf course on the A1 is a filling station and cafeteria.

Notable people
Notable current residents of Stoke Rochford are Geoff Capes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

Video links

 * Stoke Rochford. Retrieved 18 Dec 2010