Tetford and Somersby

From Tetford the route to Somersby passes close by the wooded valley of the River Lymm, in which the young Tennyson walked and played. New England and Hollywell woods were his particular favourites — "the silent woody places by the home that gave me birth". The lane crosses the river on a single-arch bridge that was built in 1827, the year Alfred and his brother Charles had their first poems published in Louth.

The first house you pass as you enter the village of Somersby is largely concealed behind hedges and topiary. This is Somersby House, the rectory where, on August 6, 1809, Tennyson was born. The plain rendered and colored Georgian house, with box sashes and a pantile roof, was extended by Tennyson's father. Next door is Somersby Grange, with battlements, crenellated towers, and distinctive arched windows. Opposite is the church where the Tennyson family worshipped.

From Somersby the route climbs the flanks of Warden Hill before descending to follow a Roman road, which survives as a good arrow-straight footpath back to Tetford. The road ran from Lincoln to Burgh le Marsh on the edge of the Fens; from there, a ferry took travellers over the Wash to Norfolk.

Back in Tetford, the walk circles Little London to take in Mansion House. The fields to the south have become a landscaped park complete with an urn on a pedestal and an urn-topped column. The house was built in 1682–83 for John Dymoke, the then Queen's Champion, and was remodelled in the early 19th century when it received sash windows and a doorcase with fluted Doric half-columns and a cornice.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.