Stay where they Stayed
Welcome!
It's a welcome still alive today. Traces of their occupation are still to be found - whether on airfields that launched them into battle, or the stunning architecture of quintessential England whose memories they would have taken with them.
WHAT A CHOICE!
South Kesteven has many incredible places to visit and stay, like the Georgian town of Stamford which housed Polish Airborne forces in 1944.
Troops were billeted at every significant property across the district, from stately homes to castles and manor houses and any building of sufficient size for the War Office to requisition!
Some, echoing with history, are still welcoming visitors today, many remarkably unchanged from what Airborne forces would have called their temporary homes in 1944. They include:
Easton Walled Gardens
Amongst the appealing stone cottage accommodation at the historic Easton Walled Gardens is a heritage gem: the former Reading Room of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, British 1st Airborne Division. Easton Hall, demolished in the 1950s, housed the Battalion's 'A' Company throughout 1944.
Tel: 01476 550227
Website:
Easton Estate
'A' Company paratroopers were the first to reach the road bridge at Arnhem on 17 September 1944, capturing and holding it with men from other units until 21 September. Sixteen of 'A' Company were killed in action, including Lieutenant John Grayburn, who was billeted on the Easton Estate in the build-up to Arnhem. Lt Grayburn was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross for his actions at the bridge.
Easton Estate and Holiday Cottages, Easton, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG33 5AP
e-mail:
Marston Hall
Major General Paul Williams, Commander US IX Troop Carrier Command in 1944, used historic Marston Hall as his personal billet. Its impressive front door is unchanged since 1944, and is just as welcoming for todays B & B visitors. Major General Williams oversaw the build-up and execution of both D-Day and Operation MARKET GARDEN. IX Troop Carrier Command HQ was in St Vincent's Hall in Grantham. Marston Hall's roots go back to the 10th century, making it one of the oldest buildings in the country and tracing its heritage to the Norman Conquest and the Civil War.
Marston Hall Grantham NG32 2HQ
Tel: 07812356237 or 07709862738
Website:
Angel and Royal
United States Army Air Force (USAAF) officers stayed at the impressive Angel and Royal Hotel in Grantham when based at IX Troop Carrier Command Headquarters in St Vincent's Hall. The Hotel was also used as an American Red Cross Club. Grantham in 1944 was dubbed 'Little America' because of the large numbers of American forces in and around the town, surrounded as it was by the giant airfields at Fulbeck, Folkingham, North Witham, Barkston Heath and Saltby. The Angel and Royal, dating from 1203 and one of the oldest coaching inns in Britain, can claim Kings of England amongst its guests.
Angel and Royal. High Street, Grantham NG31,
Tel: 01476 565816
e-mail:
Website:
Hare and Hounds
Men of the British 1st Airborne Division based around Fulbeck, north of Grantham, would have frequented the Hare and Hounds as a favourite watering hole. Today, the listed 17th century country inn offers delightful accommodation as well as delicious food. In 1944, Fulbeck Hall housed the 1st Airborne Division's Headquarters, under the command of Major General Robert 'Roy' Urquhart. Nearby Fulbeck Manor housed the Headquarters' elements of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The work undertaken here would have been a key part of the planning for Operation MARKET GARDEN. The Hare and Hounds is sited next to St Nicholas Church, where troops would have worshipped both before and after the battle of Arnhem.
The Green Road, Fulbeck, Grantham NG32 3JJ
Tel: 01400 273322
email:
Website:
(Paradata/Airborne Assault Museum)
But that's not all!
South Kesteven has a wealth of amazing places to stay while you follow in the footsteps and cycle tyres of wartime heroes.