Lincolnshire Day takes place today on October 1

Happy Lincolnshire Day to all who celebrate!

The first Lincolnshire Day took place on October 1, 2006 and was held to commemorate the Lincolnshire Uprising – a Catholic revolt against Henry VIII’s plans to establish the Church of England in 1536.

The annual celebration - now in its 22nd year - aims to honour all those who lost their lives in the revolt, educate people about Lincolnshire’s rich history, celebrate its cultures and traditions as well as its historic attractions.

There are lots of events and activities taking place up and down the county on Tuesday (October 1), all celebrating everything that’s great about Lincolnshire. And what a lot there is to celebrate. Here are some of our favourite things about this wonderful place we’re lucky enough to call home…

Landmarks

History and heritage go hand in hand here in Lincolnshire. Our fabulous county is home to some of the country’s most impressive stately homes and period properties including Belton House and Harlaxton Manor, both in Grantham and Doddington Hall, near Lincoln.

Others landmarks that warrant a mention are Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral, Tattershall Castle, Britain’s tallest mill Moulton Windmill, the Sir Peter Scott Lighthouse and Woolsthorpe Manor.

Stamford’s 16th Century Burghley House sits on the outskirts too.

History

Lincolnshire’s place is firmly cemented in the history books as the home of several significant firsts. Not least many of the scientific discoveries made by Sir Isaac Newton at his Woolsthorpe Manor birthplace. It was here that he used a prism to split sunlight into the colours of the rainbow, exploring the nature of light, and the apple tree which inspired his theory of gravity still thrives in the orchard.

Another county first came in August 1915, when Edith Smith, of Grantham, became the first female police officer in the country with full powers of arrest.

Stamford was designated the country’s first conservation area in 1967 while on October 2, 1979 the UK’s first barcode was scanned on a packet of teabags at Keymarket, in Pinchbeck.

Lincoln is regarded as the birthplace of the tank and the city’s role in its invention in 1915 is commemorated by the Lincoln Tank Memorial. For more about our aviation heritage visit International Bomber Command Centre - a memorial telling the story of RAF Bomber Command’s extensive losses of aircraft and crews during the bombing of Germany during World War II - and Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, where Lancaster bomber Just Jane is undergoing restoration.

Diversity

Lincolnshire is the second largest county in England by area and the 18th by population. It is home to around 769,000 people who live in its cities, towns and villages.

With a coastline spanning more than 50 miles from the Humber estuary down to the Wash Lincolnshire is blessed with many beautiful sandy beaches including Cleethorpes, Mablethorpe, Anderby Creek and Skegness.

Most outsiders think the county is flat, and while much of the south-east is dominated by the fens and fertile farmland, if you head further north you will find the rolling Wolds. This area of hills to the north-east has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Lincolnshire is also renowned for its nature reserves, many of which are open to the public for visitors to explore and see its native birds, mammals and plants first hand. These include Donna Nook, Gibraltar Point, RSPB Frampton Marsh, Freiston Shore and Willow Tree Fen where everything from seals to owls can be spotted.

Food Capital

If Kent is the garden on England, then Lincolnshire is its breadbasket. The county has previously been named the country’s food capital and is famed for traditional delicacies including stuffed chine, Lincolnshire sausages, plum loaf and haslet.

But it’s no wonder we have such a great food heritage - Greater Lincolnshire (including North and North-East Lincolnshire) produces one-eighth of England’s food. It’s home to approximately 4,300 farms, spread over 580,000 hectares, which between them produce 15 per cent of England’s oil seed rape, 30 per cent of its vegetables and 13 per cent of its potato crop.

As well as being home to numerous food producers and growers, Lincolnshire is also a great place to enjoy a tipple. Breweries include Bateman’s and Ferry Ale while Pin Gin and Tipplemill are also made on county soil.

Famous faces

Love her or loathe her, Margaret Thatcher, the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister was born and raised in Grantham. Other famous Yellowbellies include comedian and actress Jennifer Saunders, actor Jim Broadbent, comedian Robert Webb, singers Ella Henderson and Holly Humberstone and former athlete and strongman Geoff Capes.

If you go a bit further back in time Lincolnshire was also the birthplace of scientist Sir Isaac Newton and poet Alfred Lord Tennyson too.

Eccentric Lincolnshire

And where else could you take part in the World Egg Throwing Championships, see the world-famous Spalding Flower Parade, take a ride in a bubblecar at a dedicated museum or pay a visit to the Kinema in the Woods – which dating from 1922 is the only fully functioning cinema in the UK to employ back projection, located in Woodhall Spa?