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A TRIP TO NAVENBY There’s lots to

This month we’re enjoying nostalgia in Navenby with a visit to Mrs Smith’s Cottage, good old fashioned hospitality and a visit to the local church...

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It’s good to have friends, and in Navenby, you’ll soon find one. Hilda Smith certainly did, having lived in the village, equidistant between Lincoln and Sleaford, throughout her life.

Navenby is in North Kesteven, home to about 2,500 people, and it’s located between Wellingore and Boothby Graffoe, just off the A15 and on the Viking Way. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was a market town until the 19th century. More recently, in the 1830s, a small red-brick cottage was built, and in 1922, Hilda Smith purchased that cottage – Craven Cottage –for just £75 before leaving Navenby briefly to care for her ailing mother, returning to the village and purchasing the cottage for a second time in 1937, this time for £95. Hilda remained in the property and was much beloved by her fellow villagers. She married Joseph Smith in 1956, and lived in the cottage until her 102nd birthday in 1995. Thereafter the cottage was saved by the local community and opened as a museum. Mrs Smith shunned unnecessary conveniences, like automatic washing machines and cookers, preferring her dolly tub and a range. She failed to see the point of plumbed water or an indoor loo, although she was convinced by the merits of electricity, not least to enjoy her wireless, and later a TV too. Following restoration, Mrs Smith’s Cottage reopened to villagers in 2017 and today, artist in residence Nicki Jarvis is working on a friendship chair for the parlour. The cottage is today a living museum, telling the story of life in a simpler, slower time. Mrs Smith was a meticulous diarist and together with the largely unmodernised nature of the cottage, the place serves as a fascinating source of social history. >>

A visit to Navenby’s Antiques Centre is a must, and as Pride goes to press, owners Laura and Dean Conway, are due to appear on BBC One’s Antiques Roadtrip

>> The village’s requited affection for Mrs Smith is typical of a village with a strong community spirit. Take a walk along Navenby’s ‘high street,’ Grantham Road, and you’ll encounter many places to enjoy a drink or a meal, from Macy’s Brasserie, to The King’s Head, which dates back to the mid-18th century, but is throughly modern in terms of its provision of food and does a rather good Sunday lunch. Elsewhere in the village is Welbourne Bakery, wine shop and deli, now run by three generations of bakers and one of the oldest remaining bakeries in Lincolnshire, specialising in artisan bread and, of course, plum loaf. Other highlights? A visit to Navenby’s Antiques Centre is a must, and as Pride goes to press, owners Laura and Dean Conway, who have been running the business in Navenby since 2007, are due to appear on BBC One’s Antiques Roadtrip. Stop by, too, St Peter’s Church, which dates back to the 13th century, and keep an eye on The Venue, which serves as the village’s community centre and is also home to the Navenby and Skinnand Parish Council. n

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FROM THE AIR

1. St Peter’s Church The Grade I listed Church of England parish church in Navenby is dedicated to Saint Peter. Its parish registers survive from 1681 and Bishop’s transcripts from 1562. It is difficult to date the building as it has a mishmash of styles, although its origins are probably 13th century.

2. The Old King’s Head/Macy’s Brasserie The Old King’s Head is the village dining pub, and just down the road from our indicator is Macy’s Brasserie, serving brunch, afternoon teas and a brasserie menu too.

3. Mrs Smith’s Cottage Mrs Smith’s Cottage is a mid-19th century Grade II listed building made from early Victorian red bricks. The range, the heart of the house, was in daily use for cooking and heating until the mid-1990s. Today the cottage is a living museum, unspoiled from when Hilda Smith live in it.

4. Welbourne’s Bakery One of the oldest bakeries in Lincolnshire, founded in 1896. Named as Best Bakery in Lincolnshire in the National Bakery Awards in 2019.

5. The Venue (below) Community centre, sports facility and home to the Navenby and Skinnand Parish Council. n

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