Ever noticed how you can live somewhere your whole life and still forget half the things that made it what it is?
Well, consider this your memory jog.
This A to Z isn’t meant to be the Official Encyclopaedia of South Holland. Far from it.
It’s a mix of the things that I (proud Gen X-er) remember from growing up here, plus a few bits of proper local history and some that locals always bring up whenever we get chatting. Some will be your memories too. Others might be completely different depending on which side of town you lived on, which school you went to, or where you spent your teenage evenings pretending to be much cooler than you actually were.
Monkshouse Playing Field, for example, was a big hangout for kids from my end of Spalding, but I know loads of you had your own corners of town where you hung around, snogged someone you shouldn’t, or tried (and failed) to look mysterious in a cloud of Impulse body spray.
If you are older or younger, half of these probably won’t mean anything at all.
So think of this as a starting point.
A fond, slightly chaotic wander through the bits of Spalding and South Holland that shaped me… and hopefully spark a few memories of your own too.
And if something’s missing, or you’ve got a corker that absolutely needs adding, find us on Facebook and shout up. I’ll keep updating it for the final magazine feature.
Ready?
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane.
American Burger Bar / Ayscoughfee Gardens
A late night institution for anyone who ever went out-out in Spalding, paired with the peaceful gardens where half the town has fed ducks, wandered aimlessly or unsuccessfully tried to tire out their kids.
Baytree/Birchgrove/ Boy Racers at the Old Bus Station
Family days out at the garden centre, engines revving and teenage bravado on the other. Perfect balance, really.
Cattle Market / Civic Discos / The Courtyard
Cows, cool kids and classic pubs. The Cattle Market was where Holland Market is now. Civic discos were where the Impulse body spray flowed. And The Courtyard was where you ended up when you thought you were sophisticated.
Dancing Fred
The man. The myth. The absolute vibe of Spalding. If you know, you know.
Elloe Stone
Anglo Saxon history. Proper South Holland heritage. Bonus points if you know where it’s located.
Flower Parade
The one day a year when the whole town turned into a festival and the streets were full of colour. If you ever stood on a float, bragging rights for life. Yes, we know it’s still going – but it’s just not the same!
Granary and Gravy Train / Gordon Boswell Museum / The Gleed / George Farmer
A nightclub where memories were made, where you went for chips and gravy after to soak up the alcohol, a showmen museum, and two schools that can change their names all they like, but nobody local is ever going to call them anything else.
Hills Department Store (and the Fabric Shop) / Holbeach Tigers
An absolute gem from back in the day. If you remember buying school shoes at Hills, or your mum dragging you into the fabric shop, you’re officially vintage Spalding. Add in Holbeach Tigers and you’ve got a full H.
Ice House at Ayscoughfee (also known as Witch’s Hill)
The tiny domed building every child in Spalding was convinced a witch lived in. Bonus points if you ever dared your mates to run up to it and touch it.
Johnson Hospital (Priory Road and Pinchbeck Road)
The Priory Road one is where many of us arrived into the world. The Pinchbeck Road one is where we’ve spent far too long waiting for appointments ever since. A proper then and now.
Kebab Shops
If you’ve never grabbed a late night kebab after a pub crawl round Spalding, have you even lived?
Leo’s Rollerskating Disco / Loaded / Long Sutton Market
Skates, sticky floors, neon lights and the thrill of skating backwards like an absolute hero. Loaded kept us out way past bedtime, and Long Sutton Market has survived everything.
Monkshouse Playing Field / Moulton Mill / Merlins
Teenage hangouts, a windmill taller than it has any right to be, and a nightclub that gave us all stories we’re glad were never caught on camera.
Nightlife Nostalgia
Loaded, Merlins… obviously! But what about Vista or Civic discos? If you were a teenager in Spalding, chances are you spent your weekends in one of these and thought you were the height of cool.
Odeon Cinema (later The Regent, then The Gemini)
The old picture house on Haverfield Road. If you watched ET here, welcome to the club. Closed in 1983 but still lodged firmly in local memory.
Peacock / Punchbowl / Poacher / Pinchbeck
Three classic pubs on everyone’s pub crawl route – and one very proud, ever-growing village.
Quadring
Let’s be honest. It’s here because Q exists. But also because it’s Quadring and deserves a shout.
River Welland
Where half of us swam, most of us fished, and a select few went skinny dipping (or was that just me?) I’m not judging.
Sheddies (Turner’s Fish and Chips) / South Holland Centre / Springfields/ Spalding Leisure Walk
Chips, theatre, shopping and a full circular route around the town. Proper Spalding staples.
Tulips (flowers and football) / The Tigers
It’s the law round here. You must love tulips. And football. Preferably both.
Unusual Place Names (Guthram Gowt, Hop Pole, Tongue End…)
Honestly, if you don’t laugh at some of our village names, you’ve got no sense of humour. Proper classics.
Vista Discos / Vine House Farm
Teenage rites of passage and iconic local produce. A surprisingly strong V.
Water Taxis / Water Tower
Summer boat trips and a skyline landmark.
XO Nightclub
The latest in a long line of Spalding nightlife attempts. Carrying the torch where Loaded and Merlins left off.
Ye Old White Horse
The beautiful thatched pub on High Bridge. Long closed but still one of the most recognisable buildings in town.
Zzzz… waiting at level crossings and traffic lights
A true South Holland endurance test. By the time the barriers go up, you could have knit a jumper.
Over to you
This is our starter list, but there are loads more memories out there, so tell me:
What would YOU add to the A to Z of Spalding and South Holland?
Find us on Facebook and share yours. I’ll keep updating the list.
The final version will feature in the next issue of The Lowdown magazine.
Ready… steady… reminisce.
