Rippingale: Fenland and Village History

Anyone looking for a hotel for a stay in Rippingale can get a sense of the destination through two key features: its long history and the open landscape on the edge of the Fens. The landscape is shaped by wide horizons and footpaths; the village’s history includes Roman connections, the church, the Village Green and the former railway.

Open landscape and footpaths

Rippingale lies in a flat valley on the edge of the Fens, with open farmland surrounding the village on all sides. Rippingale Fen is a large, flat, open landscape. Far-reaching views extend to level horizons beneath a vast sky. This means that two different impressions of the landscape sit side by side: a valley surrounded by fields and the open expanse of the fen.

Numerous footpaths connect all parts of the village with the surrounding landscape, particularly from Doctor’s Lane. In Rippingale Fen, a road is also used by pedestrians and cyclists, providing access to the western bank of the Great Dyke. The two routes therefore serve distinct purposes: the footpath network connects the village with the landscape, while the road in the fen provides access to the western bank.

The open fen is also home to a diverse range of wildlife, including birds, bats and foxes. Together with the far-reaching views, these natural features make the fen a landscape attraction alongside the village’s historic features. If you take both nature and local history into account when choosing your destination, Rippingale offers points of interest for both.

Local history across several eras

Rippingale was first mentioned in AD 806 under the name “Riapencal”. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village appears as “Repinhale”. These two references show different historical spellings and date the written history of the village back to the early Middle Ages.

A section of the Roman road to Lincoln runs through the parish of Rippingale; this road was a branch of Ermine Street. The Car Dyke also runs through Rippingale Fen; the Romans built it around AD 125. Roman history can be found here in two distinct forms: as a road route through the parish and as the Car Dyke in the fen.

The village’s features also bear traces of history. St Andrew’s Church contains effigies of a knight and a lady dating from the 13th century. The remains of a medieval stone standing cross are on Rippingale Village Green. One feature is inside the church, the other on the Village Green. The village’s road layout also has Celtic origins.

The railway adds a later chapter to the village’s history: Rippingale’s single-track railway opened in 1871, and the station closed in 1965. A section of track, a level crossing and a locomotive have been preserved in the goods yard of the former station. The opening and station closure mark two dates in this history; the surviving features give it a tangible form.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Metheringham, Grimsby, Messingham, Saleby, Timberland, Ropsley, Immingham, Grasby

For the wider travel guide, see Lincolnshire.