Stamford's Past

Allegedly, Stamford was the seat of an ancient university founded over 800 years before the birth of Christ. Myth has it that the town was established by King Bladud, the Trojan king of Britain, and the event was recorded by Merlin the Wizard. The university survived until 1335 when it was suppressed by the king at the request of Oxford and Cambridge universities.

In 1643, Oliver Cromwell laid siege to Burghley House, which was being used as a Royalist refuge in the Civil War. Despite church bells being rung in Stamford to summon Royalist support, the Cavaliers were forced to surrender. King Charles I spend his last days as a free man in Stamford before riding to Southwell where he was betrayed and handed over to Parliament.

During the 1730s and 1740s, William Stukeley, the father figure of British archaeology, was vicar of All Saint's Church in Stamford. Stukeley was a great 18th century eccentric. He believed that the stone circles were Christian temples built by druids in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

Joan, fair maid of Kent, came to Stamford to attend a social occasion. It is believed that she is responsible for the title of the Knights of the Garter. Whilst dancing with Edward III her garter slipped to the floor. He bent down to pick it up and hide her embarrassment, thus being proclaimed a 'Knight of the Garter' and perhaps give rise to their motto: 'Shame on him who thinks evil of it.'

Once an important coaching stop on the Great North Road between London and York, there were many inns available for travellers to rest. The George Hotel still has its York Room and London Room which were once used as waiting rooms. In 1960 the A1 provided a bypass to the town, and to further ensure the preservation of its fine buildings, in 1967 Stamford became the first conservation town in England.

Stamford Today

Stamford is approximately 90 miles (145 km) north of London, 80 miles (130 km) from Birmingham, 45 miles (70 km) from Lincoln, 30 miles (50 km) from Leicester, 20 miles (35 km) from Grantham and 13 miles (20 km) from Peterborough. Due to its position on the borders of East Anglia and the East Midlands, Stamford is an ideal place for commuting to major cities. It has a fine Victorian railway station, through which trains pass from Birmingham to Peterborough and Cambridge. It is possible to reach London's King's Cross Station in just over an hour using connecting trains.

A busy arts centre provides space for various exhibitions as well as a platform for local and visiting theatre companies and musical events. The theatre doubles as a cinema and is also used as a lecture hall. There is a public library behind the portico of the old shambles (open-air meat market), and an excellent museum in Broad Street. Education is well provided, with several nursery schools, five state primary schools, a secondary school and a college of further education as well as two independent schools.

In easy distance of the town and to the west is Rutland Water, the largest man-made lake in Britain where there are facilities for sailing, windsurfing, cycling, fishing and bird watching. An open-air theatre at Tolethorpe, a mile or so to the east, is the summer house of the Stamford Shakespeare Company.