New book sheds light on history of mansion

Lord John Hussey and his household enjoyed a Yuletide far removed from any that will be seen in modern times, certainly in 2020: dozens of guests were fed on whole oxen, a boar’s head, swans and cranes, and were entertained by performances from no fewer than nine troupes of travelling players, for instance.

The festive throwback forms part of Old Place, New Perspectives, a new book published by the Old Sleaford Heritage Group, sub-titled: A History of the Manor House of Old Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

The book chronicles the sometimes turbulent history of the building, also known as Old Place, from its construction by Hussey in the 1530s (then known as Manor Place) up to its present-day incarnation, which retains some of the original Tudor fabric.

It was the scene of confrontation during the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536, fortified as a Parliamentary garrison in the Civil War and visited by Oliver Cromwell.

Later, it was converted into a farmhouse, horticulture business and the Edwardian home of three gentlewomen.

In the First World War, it served as a Red Cross convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers, and in the Second World War, a military headquarters.

By tracing the history of the building and its site, the book aims to present a panorama of life in Sleaford through the ages and help readers understand how Old Sleaford developed into the place they know today.

The book forms part of a wider project by the heritage group, which began with an archaeological community dig in 2015, unearthing evidence of habitation on the site as far back as the late Iron Age.

“Exciting finds included part of a rare Roman alphabet pot, medieval counting tokens, a Roman hairpin and the foundations of a dovecote,” said Dr Wendy Atkin, the group’s historical advisor and author of the book. “My favourite part of the research was discovering how lavishly Christmas was celebrated at Manor Place in 1534. Lord Hussey kept detailed records of his household and estate expenditure, which are now held by The National Archives, and these tell us about Tudor daily life in wonderful detail.”

The book costs £15 plus £4 for postage. Online orders are being taken by Heritage Lincolnshire at www.heritagelincolnshire.org/shop/books/old-place-new-perspectives. Anyone local to Sleaford who would like to purchase a copy for collection or delivery, should email at [email protected]