Editing Sleaford (section)

==Geography==
Sleaford is a civil parish and [[market town]] in the [[North Kesteven]] district of [[Lincolnshire]]. It is bounded by the civil parishes of [[Leasingham]] to the north; [[Ewerby and Evedon]], and [[Kirkby la Thorpe]] to the east; [[Silk Willoughby]] to the south; and [[Wilsford, Lincolnshire|Wilsford]], [[South Rauceby]] and [[North Rauceby]] to the west. These neighbouring parishes are rural, comprising villages separated from Sleaford's urban area by fields, though Kirkby la Thorpe also includes the Milton Way [[housing estate]] on Sleaford's eastern fringe.<ref name=":46">{{Cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=[[Ordnance Survey]]}}</ref>

=== Urban area ===
Sleaford's urban area includes the town centre, focused on the [[marketplace]] (fronted by [[St Denys' Church, Sleaford|St Denys' Church]]), where Eastgate, Northgate, Southgate and Westgate meet. Though some parts have been redeveloped in the 20th century, including the Riverside Shopping Precinct and Flaxwell House, the area follows a medieval street layout and is home to many of the town's oldest buildings; it is also the retail and commercial hub.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|pp=2, 6, 11, 18}}.</ref><ref>For Flaxwell House and the Riverside Centre, and more detail on the loss of historic buildings, see {{Harvnb|Pawley|1996|pages=121, 135}}.</ref> Carre Street (running parallel to Southgate to the east), once home to industry and wharves,<ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1996|pages=65, 71}}.</ref> has been [[Urban renewal|regenerated]] in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |title=Navigation House |url=https://www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk/?page_id=131 |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Sleaford Navigation Trust |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619131446/https://www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk/?page_id=131 |archive-date=19 June 2024}}</ref><ref name=":48" />

To the north-west of the centre, housing developments along Northgate (which becomes Lincoln Road north of the railway line), mostly built in the 20th and early 21st centuries, have brought the hamlet of [[Holdingham]] into Sleaford's urban area, which extends as far north as the [[A17 road (England)|A17]] and [[A15 road (England)|A15]] junction at Holdingham Roundabout.<ref name="Lincolnshire County Council 2022 22">{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|p=22}}.</ref><ref name=":49">The names of locations can be found at [https://www.bing.com/maps/?cp=53.004808%7E-0.411873&lvl=14.3&style=s "Sleaford"]. ''[[Bing Maps]]''. Retrieved 19 June 2024.</ref> To the north-east, the town's built-up area has expanded along Eastgate, with 19th-century housing closer to the town centre giving way to modern [[business park]]s; the [[River Slea]] forms the southern boundary of these developments and, closer to the town, [[Lollycocks Field]] sits between one of the business parks, Eastgate and the Slea.<ref name=":49" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|p=|pages=20, 24}}.</ref><ref name="LNR2" /> South of the river, the town's urban area extends eastwards along Boston Road, which runs from Southgate to the A17 at [[Kirkby la Thorpe]]. Except for Boston Road [[Park|Recreation Ground]], the road is straddled by housing west of the railway; developments near the centre are mostly 18th- and 19th-century, while those around '''[[Old Place, Sleaford|Old Place]]''', at '''the''' '''Hoplands''' and south of Boston Road are mostly planned 20th- or 21st-century residential estates.<ref name=":49" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|pp=18, 20, 22}}.</ref>

The Victorian [[Sleaford railway station|train station]] can be found near the southernmost end of Southgate; Station Road includes some converted 19th-century warehouses. [[Mareham Lane]] heads south out of the town, past the vast disused [[Bass Maltings, Sleaford|Bass Maltings]] complex.<ref name=":49" /><ref name=":50">{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|pp=20–21}}.</ref> Also forking off from Southgate are Grantham Road and London Road, which fan out in a south-west direction. They link Sleaford with [[Quarrington, Lincolnshire|Quarrington]] village,<ref name=":49" /> which has a historic core that has been merged into the town's urban area by modern housing developments.<ref name="Pawley-122" /> The earliest suburban housing at the base of Southgate appeared in the 19th century and was known as '''New Quarrington''',<ref>{{Harvnb|Aitchison|Gunn|1981|p=125}}.</ref> while ribbon development along London and Grantham roads is mostly early-20th-century; much larger planned developments took place in the late 20th and 21st centuries at '''Quarrington Hill''', '''Southfields''' and between the two roads.<ref name=":49" /><ref name="Lincolnshire County Council 2022 22"/> To the town centre's west is Westgate, medieval in origin but heavily developed with dense terraced housing in the 19th century;<ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|p=|pages=3, 18}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1996|p=79}}.</ref> to its north is [[Westholme House|Westholme]], parkland which houses a school;<ref name=":62">{{NHLE|num=1062153|desc=Westholme|access-date=15 March 2015|mode=cs1|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reference Name LCL24620 |url=http://www.lincstothepast.com/photograph/283043.record?pt=S |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031247/http://www.lincstothepast.com/photograph/283043.record?pt=S |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=1 April 2015 |website=Lincs to the Past |publisher=[[Lincolnshire Archives]]}}</ref> to the road's south is West Banks and its adjoining streets, between the River Slea and the [[Nine-Foot Drain]], an area heavily built up in the 19th century.<ref name=":49" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Pawley|1996|p=104}}.</ref> South of Westbanks are the remains of [[Sleaford Castle]].<ref name=":49" />

Outside of the town's urban area, but included in the civil parish boundaries is '''Greylees''', a settlement built in the early 21st century on the site of the former [[Rauceby Hospital]].<ref name=":49" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|pp=11, 22}}.</ref>

===Topography and geology===
Sleaford occupies a position on the [[Lincoln Heath]], a [[limestone]] plateau<ref>{{Harvnb|Robinson|2001|pp=8–9}}.</ref> between the [[Lincoln Cliff]] to the west (a [[Lincolnshire limestone|Limestone]] [[Escarpment|scarp]] running north–south through [[Lindsey, Lincolnshire|Lindsey]] and [[Kesteven]]),<ref name=":24">{{Harvnb|Elsdon|1997|p=7}}.</ref> and [[the Fens]] to the east, a low-lying region of the East of England which has been drained to reveal nutrient-rich soils that form some of the most productive farmland in the country.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lincolnshire County Council|2022|p=1}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Development of Land Use |url=http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/development-of-land-use/100434.article |access-date=18 January 2015 |work=Lincolnshire County Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118164137/http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/development-of-land-use/100434.article |archive-date=18 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|National Farmers Union|2008|p=1}}.</ref>

The town centre lies about {{Convert|49|ft|m}} above sea level and has formed around the River Slea, which runs west to north-east through it.<ref name=":47">{{Cite web |title=Sleaford |url=https://www.bing.com/maps/?cp=52.997133%7E-0.415541&lvl=15.1&style=s |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=[[Bing Maps]]}}</ref> A band of [[Jurassic]] [[Cornbrash Formation|Cornbrash]] [[limestone]] forms the [[bedrock]] under Holdingham (where the ground rises to {{Convert|82|ft|m}} above sea level in places), parts of central Sleaford, and most of the housing at Quarrington (where elevations exceed over {{Convert|98|ft|m}} at Quarrington Hill) and southern Greylees. The bedrock on the eastern parts of the town comprises Jurassic [[Kellaways Formation|Kellaways]] [[sandstone]] and [[siltstone]]. To the west, the Slea follows a shallow valley underlain by Jurassic [[Blisworth Clay Formation|Blisworth clay]] and [[Blisworth Limestone Formation|limestone]] and, at its lowest elevations at Quarrington Fen and Boiling Wells Farm, earlier Jurassic [[Rutland Formation|Rutland]] [[Clay mineral|argillaceous]] rocks and [[Upper Lincolnshire Formation|Upper Lincolnshire]] limestone. Greylees and the northern fringe of the Quarrington Hill estate sit on the southern edge of this valley, on the Blisworth clays and limestone.<ref name=":47" /><ref name=":25">{{Cite web |title=BGS Geology Viewer |url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/map-viewers/bgs-geology-viewer/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |work=[[British Geological Survey]]}}</ref> [[Alluvium]] deposits are found along the Slea's course, and sand and gravel of the Sleaford series are found to the east and south.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":25" /> Most of the soil is free-draining, lime-rich and loamy, though some of the eastern parts are on loamy soils with naturally high groundwater.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soilscapes |url=https://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=LandIS |publisher=[[Cranfield University|Cranfield Environment Centre]]}}</ref>

Two [[Local nature reserve|Local Nature Reserves]] sit within the civil parish boundaries: Lollycocks Field, providing mostly wildflower and wetlands habitats alongside Eastgate, and [[Mareham Pastures]], consisting of wildflower meadows, new woodland, hedges and open grassland.<ref name="LNR2">{{Cite web |title=Lollycocks Field |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1009007&SiteName=&countyCode=27&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |access-date=28 January 2018 |work=Local Nature Reserves |publisher=[[Natural England]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405072457/https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1009007&SiteName=&countyCode=27&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea=|archive-date=5 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="LNR">{{Cite web |title=Mareham Pastures |url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1123066&SiteName=&countyCode=27&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |access-date=28 January 2018 |work=Local Nature Reserves |publisher=[[Natural England]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405161255/https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteLNRDetail.aspx?SiteCode=L1123066&SiteName=&countyCode=27&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |archive-date=5 April 2023}}</ref> There is also Sleaford Wood in the north of the town and Sleaford Moor to the north-east, near the A17 and A153's Bone Mill Junction.<ref name=":47" />

===Climate===
The [[British Isles]] experience a temperate, [[maritime climate]] with warm summers and cool winters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate of the World: England and Scotland |url=https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/England-and-Scotland.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708220703/https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/England-and-Scotland.htm |archive-date=8 July 2020 |access-date=8 July 2020 |website=Weather Online}}</ref> Lincolnshire's position on the east of the British Isles allows for a sunnier and warmer climate relative to the national average, and it is one of the driest counties in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate and Weather |url=http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/climate-and-weather/100431.article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122625/http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/environment/environmental-report/part-b-background/climate-and-weather/100431.article |archive-date=4 March 2016 |website=[[Lincolnshire County Council]]}}</ref> In Sleaford, the average daily high temperature peaks at {{convert|22.1|C|F}} in July and a peak average daily mean of {{convert|17.2|C|F}} occurs in July. The lowest daily mean temperature is {{convert|4.1|C|F}} in January; the average daily high for that month is {{convert|7.0|C|F}} and the daily low is {{convert|1.3|C|F}} (the latter also occurs in February).<ref name="Met Averages"/> The East of England tends to be sheltered from strong winds relative to the north and west of the country. Despite this, tornadoes form more often in the East of England than elsewhere;<ref>{{Harvnb|Met Office|2016|pp=9–10}}.</ref> Sleaford suffered them in 2006 and 2012, both causing damage to property.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 May 2006 |title=Clean up after Tornado Hits Town |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4985262.stm |access-date=2 February 2015 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404213801/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4985262.stm |archive-date=4 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=29 June 2012 |title=Tornado Hits Sleaford Area |url=http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/news/local/breaking-news-tornado-hits-sleaford-area-video-1-4001325 |access-date=2 February 2015 |work=Sleaford Standard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924102717/http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/news/local/breaking-news-tornado-hits-sleaford-area-video-1-4001325 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

{{Cranwell weatherbox}}