By Tim Lambert
Early Spalding
Spalding in Lincolnshire began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. The ‘ing’ was originally ingas meaning the people of. It’s not certain what ‘Spald’ meant. It may have come from a word meaning ditch or ravine.
By the time of the Domesday Book, in 1086 Spalding had a population of over 400. By the standards of the time it was a large settlement. Spalding had a market, so it was quite an important place.
The Church of St Mary and St Nicholas was built in the late 13th century. By the 13th century Spalding was a small market town. For centuries, Spalding was a busy inland port on the River Welland. Ayscoughfee Hall was built by a wool merchant named Richard Alwyn in the 15th century. Spalding Grammar School was founded in 1588. Spalding Gentlemen’s Society was founded in 1710. Holland House was built around 1768.
Modern Spalding
At the time of the first census in 1801, Spalding had a population of 3,296. By the standards of the time it was a fair sized town. It grew rapidly during the 19th century. By 1901 the population of Spalding was 9,381.
During the 19th century amenities in Spalding improved. Spalding gasworks was built in 1832 and the High Bridge was rebuilt in 1838. The railway reached Spalding in 1848. The Corn Exchange was built in 1855 and the Butter Market opened in 1857. Also in 1857 the first police station in Spalding opened, in Sheep Market. In 1860 Spalding gained a piped water supply.
In the 20th century Spalding continued to thrive. Coronation Channel opened in 1953. The first Flower Parade was held in 1959. Ayscoughfee Hall Museum opened in 1987. The Holland Centre opened in 1994. Gordon Boswell Romany Museum in Spalding opened in 1995. Springfields Outlet Shopping Centre opened in 2004.
Today the population of Spalding is about 30,000.
