Torksey
Torksey | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | LINCOLN | |
Postcode district | LN1 | |
Police | Lincolnshire | |
Fire | Lincolnshire | |
Ambulance | East Midlands | |
UK Parliament | ||
Torksey is a small village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 875.[1] It is situated on the A156 road, 7 miles (11 km) south of Gainsborough and 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Lincoln, and on the eastern bank of the tidal River Trent, which here forms the boundary with Nottinghamshire.[2]
It is notable historically as the site of a
History
During the 9th century, Torksey was part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey. In the late 860s, a Viking invasion force known to the English as the "Great Heathen Army" conquered eastern England. In 871–2, the Vikings established a winter camp in London, but returned to Northumbria soon afterwards, following a rebellion against their rule. During 872–3, the Great Heathen Army established its winter quarters at Torksey.[4] The archaeological remains of the winter camp lie between the modern villages of Torksey and Marton east of the River Trent. Geophysical surveys and excavations revealed that the winter camp occupied a total area of roughly fifty-five hectares. Mark Blackburn was the first to conduct archaeological investigations of the site. A further project was developed from the 2011 investigations and was carried out between the British Museum in partnership with the University of York and with the support of the British Academy, Society of Antiquaries of London, and the Robert Kiln Trust. Archaeological data continues to be acquired via metal detecting and over one thousand items of Viking-Age metalwork have been discovered.
The now
Torksey Viaduct
Torksey Viaduct, a disused
The viaduct was closed to traffic on 2 November 1959, because of the cost of renovating it at a time when British Railways were under pressure to reduce costs, and passenger trains between Retford and Lincoln were diverted via Gainsborough.[11]
The environmental charity Sustrans has carried out work on the viaduct in preparation for opening it as a walk/cycle-way.[12] They obtained planning permission in 2015 for the paths, which Sustrans aimed to link as a walking and cycling route to connect the quiet roads east of Torksey with those west of Cottam, a village about 1.2 miles (2 km) to the west.[13] In April 2016, the viaduct was opened to both cyclists and walkers.[14]
See also
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "MAGiC MaP : Torksey, Lincolnshire". Natural England - Magic in the Cloud.
- ^ Historic England. "Torksey Viaduct over River Trent (1359456)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ Haldenby, D. and Richards, J.D. (2016) The Viking Great Army and its Legacy: plotting settlement shift using metal-detected finds, Internet Archaeology 42. Retrieved 13 December 2016
- ^ Historic England. "Torksey Castle (1064079)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Torksey Bridge". Transport Trust, Find Heritage Locations. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-108-05767-7.: pages cited give the affair and Fowler's subsequent views
- ^ a b "Torksey Viaduct". www.forgottenrelics.co.uk. Forgotten Relics.
- ^ "Torksey Bridge". Sheffield Independent. 13 April 1850. p. 5.
- ^ "Report by the Board of Trade". Dundee Courier. 23 July 1880. p. 3.
- ^ Trains Illustrated, December 1959 issue, page 577.
- ^ Sustrans Torksey Bridge page
- ^ "Scunthorpe Telegraph 11 March 2015 'Landmark railway viaduct to become public walkway'". Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ "Historic Torksey viaduct opens to link communities". Retrieved 6 June 2019.
Further reading
- The Antiquaries Journal, vol. 96 (2016), pp. 23–67.
External links
- Media related to Torksey at Wikimedia Commons
- Historic England. "Castle - Grade I (1064079)". National Heritage List for England.
- Historic England. "Railway viaduct - Grade II* (1359456)". National Heritage List for England.
- Heritage at Risk Register: Torksey