Coordinates: 53°16′N 0°11′E / 53.26°N 0.18°E
| Alford | |
 Alford Windmill |
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Alford
Alford shown within Lincolnshire |
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| Population | 2,700 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Alford |
| District | East Lindsey |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALFORD |
| Postcode district | LN13 |
| Dialling code | 01507 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Louth and Horncastle |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
Alford (pronounced "Olford") is a town in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of about 3,500. Alford lies at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, 13 miles (21 km) north-west of Skegness.
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Alford's main retail industry is aimed at local people with the bulk of shops being convenience-related such as pharmacies, groceries, DIY and homeware. Alford has two supermarkets, the Co-operative on Church Street and the Kwik-E-Mart on West Street.
There is the Half Moon Hotel,[1] The Windmill Hotel[2] and the George[3]
The town is well-known for its craft markets which have taken place every August bank holiday since the 1970s. The market takes place in the grounds of the manor house and includes a range of stalls selling locally-crafted products and usually has some form of musical entertainment in the marquee. A more frequent market takes place in the Corn Exchange every Tuesday and Friday. This is a much smaller, more low-key version of the craft market but follows the same theme.
Market days in Alford are on Tuesdays, however used to also occur on a Friday. The market, which varies in size and is dependent on the time of the year and the day, is generally very small. The main market takes place in the Market Place with usual stalls consisting of groceries and greeting cards etc. European markets began in Alford at Christmas 2005 and have appeared since at Easter and in the holidays with the most recent one taking place in August 2007. European markets invite traders from the near continent who sell predominantly food items.
Alford has two banks: Lloyds TSB and Barclays as well as a branch of the Yorkshire Building Society.
The secondary modern underperforms compared to other similar schools, although the grammar school has had excellent results in previous years and was judged 'Outstanding' in the Ofsted inspection of 2007, being among the top 100 schools in the country.
There is an NHS and private dentist located on South Street and Merton Lodge. The doctors' surgery is on West Street.
Located south-west of the town is Beechings Way Industrial Estate. The estate is mainly commercial and contains such industries as printing companies and manufacturing firms. There is a builders' merchants (Jewson) and the Royal Mail sorting office. The UK's largest online fire safety retailer Safelincs Ltd is based in Alford.
Recently, the towns main employer, Finnveden, was shut down, resulting in large-scale job loss.
A new crematorium opened on the outskirts of town in 2008.
Alford is known for its five-sailed windmill, a tower mill built in 1837 by Sam Oxley, an Alford millwright. In its heyday it was capable of grinding 4 to 5 tons of corn a day. The mill worked until 1955. After two years standing idle it was restored to full working order and is still in full commercial use, producing organic flour and cereal. It is the only windmill left in Alford; in 1932 there were three, each with a different number of sails (four, five and six). It is one of several working windmills in Lincolnshire. Others can be found at Lincoln, Heckington, Boston, Waltham, Kirton in Lindsey, Sibsey and Burgh le Marsh.
The town is known for its Manor House, reputedly the largest thatched manor house in the country. The manor house is open from Tuesday to Friday and on a Sunday. In 2006 it was refurbished, thanks to National Lottery funding in association with English Heritage; the refurbishment led to the installation of new interactive exhibitions and increased accessibility for disabled visitors. The manor house has a tea room and open gardens.
The main church in Alford is St. Wilfrid's located at the junction between Church Street, South Street and West Street. The church operates frequent services and holds annual events such as the flower show. Alford also has a small Methodist church.
Approximately four miles from Alford, in the tiny village of Markby, is the church of St Peter's, the only remaining thatched church in Lincolnshire. Popular with tourists, it is still used for weddings, christenings and funerals, as well as normal services.
Beechings Way Industrial Estate is so named as it is built on the closed East Lincolnshire Railway line from Grimsby to Boston. The line (and Alford Town railway station) was axed by Dr. Beeching during his rationalisation of British Railways in the 1960s and early 1970s. It closed on 5 October 1970.
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   | Alford Town Website - Alford - market town in Lincolnshire UK - great for holidays |
| | Location map of Alford - Maps of the world, street map search - powered by Multimap |
| | Aerial view of Alford - Maps of the world, street map search - powered by Multimap |
| | Chapel Studios - Chapel Studios, Music Recording Studio, Lincolnshire UK. |
| | Alford Group of Churches Website - Alford Group Of Parishes - Home Page |
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