| History Of Grantham |
| Grantham is a market town in Lincolnshire, which is located along the main route of East Coast Main Line railway between London and Edinburgh. Also located along the historic A1 main north-south road, it is ideally located and became a popular staging post for those travelling between London and the north. |
| The town is famous for producing several well known figures, being the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher and the location of Isaac Newton's first school. To date, Grantham remains an important central town, thriving as a market town and central railway station. |
| Grantham first became known as a Saxon village, with the name 'Grantham' probably been derived from the word 'ham' which was the Saxon word for village and Grant perhaps coming from someone's name. Thus, by the 11th Century, Grantham village had grown into a bustling market town, serving the surrounding villages. |
| In 1086, the time of the Domesday Book, Grantham residents had grown to around 1,000 people, growing to a population of around 1,200 by the Middle Ages. At this time Grantham was becoming an increasingly important market town. |
| During the 9th Century, Eastern England was conquered by the Danes, and it was them that gave Grantham some if its street names. For example, streets with the ending 'gate' is actually derived from the Danish word 'gata' which means street. |
| The Medieval Times saw Grantham become a very important part of the wool industry, as wool was England's greatest export during this time. The street in Grantham called Walkergate is named after the process in which 'walkers' trod the wool to thicken it in a mixture of clay and water. |
| During the 18th and early 19th Century, Grantham's position on the main road running from the north to south meant it became an incredibly important stage-coaching town, with its position offering easy access to those travelling. However, as railways grew, the stagecoach age rapidly came to an end, with everyone favouring the railway. Fortunately, the railway reached Grantham in 1850 giving the town's industries a great boost. |
By 1801 the population of Grantham had soared to over 4,000, continuing to grow rapidly, so by 1851 the population had reached almost 11,000. This continued all the way through to the end of the century where it reached a total of around 17,000.
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| The 19th Century saw Grantham gain several important aspects, it became an engineering town, with agricultural machinery produced in the several ironworks within the town. Additionally, Grantham had its first gas lights in 1832 and waterworks in 1849. Important constructions also took place with Grantham's first cemetery opening in 1858, Grantham Town Hall opening in 1869 and the hospital being founded in 1874. |
| Entering the 20th Century, Grantham continued to expand, becoming a growing residential area with council houses constructed in the 1920's and 1930's. With many more following in 1945 as well as private houses. |
| At the beginning of the 20th Century, the main industry within Grantham continued to be that of engineering. However during the 1930's the depression caused this industry to suffer, before it finally recovered towards the end of the same decade. Grantham became a target of Germany during World War II due to its production of armaments (weaponry) from 1938. Bombs struck Grantham, killing 70 people during the period of the war. |
| Following the war, Grantham began to prosper again and is now an important food processing industry as well as shopping and residential centre. The population of Grantham is now at around 34,000. |
