Sleaford

Sleaford is a town in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. It takes its name from the River Slea, a tributary of the River Witham. It is north-east of the town of Grantham and north-west of the town of Boston. Sleaford lies 115 miles north of the capital London, and the city of Lincoln is eighteen miles to the north.

Famous people

• Sleaford provides a good base for those interesting in following in the footsteps of Hereward the Wake, whose adventures mostly happened in the fenland east of nearby Bourne.
• Sir Joseph Banks opened the Sleaford Navigations in 1794; the river was dredged and linked to the River Witham.
• George Bass born at Aswarby helped to map the coast of Australia in 1797, and the waters between Australia and Tasmania are now called the 'Bass Strait'.
• The actor Eric Thompson, the narrator of the well-known 1960s TV series The Magic Roundabout, was born here in 1929.
• Frank Whittle an inventor of jet propulsion, lodged at Dorrington. He worked at nearby Cranwell, where he took the Gloster Whittle through to successful test flights.
• Bernie Taupin, Elton John's songwriter, was born at Anwick on the road to Horncastle.
• Actress Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) was born in Sleaford.
• Abi Titmuss lived in nearby Heckington and Ruskington, went to school in Sleaford and took her A-levels in the town.