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A reminder of past times greets the visitor to Swayfield,
seven miles north east of Bourne, in the shape of a beacon, once used to light the countryside across the land to mark special occasions or to warn of impending peril to the nation.
This modern reproduction bears the inscription FIRE OVER ENGLAND and was erected on the 19th July 1988 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the sighting of the Spanish Armada. It is part of a national chain of beacons similar to that which was used in 1588 to alert the local militia to the arrival of the invading fleet and was erected by South Kesteven District Council with the help of villagers and of British Telecom.
The church is dedicated to St Nicholas with a 13th century tower and sits surrounded by farm buildings on sloping ground a few hundred yards from the main
east coast railway line. The building is small and humble and largely rebuilt between 1875 and 1878 by F H Goddard in the Early English style.
When I visited the village five years ago, I found both the church and churchyard badly neglected and the fabric in need of serious attention but in the intervening years there has been a drastic change and today it is a joy to see. Much work has been done to the building and its surrounds and the church is now one of the neatest in the district with newly mown grass and gravestones kept in trim while those that have toppled have been neatly placed underneath trees and around the perimeter. This church is now well worth a visit.
The Royal Oak Inn at Swayfield is reputed to date back to the 17th century, or at least
parts of it do, because the building has been greatly extended at various times with additions at the front and side.
One attractive feature is the swinging sign outside with a picture remembering Charles
II (1660-1685) who has more inn signs to his memory than any other monarch. When his
army was routed at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles escaped the field with a
£1,000 reward offered for his capture and his many escapes before finally embarking for
France included hiding in an oak tree, an event that was commemorated for centuries
by Oak Apply Day. This is rarely remembered today although hundreds of Royal Oak
public houses survive.
The old school at Swayfield, as with so many of the 19th century schools in country areas, is no longer a seat of learning for village children and has been converted for another use, in this case as a private home. A stone plaque on the side wall announces that it was "Erected by the Trustees of Browne's Hospital in Stamford A D 1867" while a second plaque on the front indicates that it was restored in 1982.
A new village hall has recently been built at Swayfield at a cost of £126,000 to
mark the new millennium. The old village hall for the past fifty years was an ex-army
corrugated iron-clad hut that stood on the same site and was demolished before
construction work began but its replacement is much bigger with modem facilities for
communal events including a kitchen, a committee room and toilets and, later on,
perhaps a stage for theatrical productions with lighting and a sound system.
Contributions towards the cost have come from the local authorities and various other
organisations but the village had to raise 10 per cent of the total and among their fund
raising efforts were fetes, quiz nights, raffles, bring-and-buy sales and a buy-a-brick
scheme at £10 apiece and each buyer is being recorded for posterity. This community
participation is a test of the strength of village life today and the success of this building
venture should augur well for the hall's enduring appeal for community events in the
future.
Among the donors were the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust which gave £1,000 to provide carpets and equipment for indoor bowling which is to become a weekly activity.
The trust has donated more than £32,000 since 1991 to update facilities at village and
community halls around the country, mainly for new activities and services that will
benefit the entire community. The new hall was officially opened in September 1999 by the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire Mr Francis Dymoke.
An illustrated history of Swayfield village can be found
on the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne
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