UK Mega 2021: Lincolnshire
20 LM21: Twenty
Twenty has been the topic of a once famous railway riddle: How many stations are there between Bourne and Spalding?
Twenty is a small village on Bourne Fen, which is 3 miles to the east of Bourne, on the A151 to Spalding. According to an Ordinance Survey Map from 1824, that road was then called Bourne Drove. There was no settlement there back then, just isolated farms in that area.
On August 1st, 1866, nine miles of railway line was opened between Bourne and Spalding. Though there was no intermediate settlement, three stations were established along that line – at Twenty, Counter Drain, and North Drove. These stations were put at convenient spots along the roads leading to farms. The many drains latticing the area usually ran from north to south. The railway line ran east and west, so the stations were placed between the drains to serve the fenland farms and those areas.
There has been a lot of thought as to why Twenty station has been named Twenty.
One theory states it was named after the twentieth milestone on the turnpike between Colsterworth and Spalding. The turnpike was opened in 1756, but the line from Bourne to Spalding began in 1822. Colsterworth and Spalding are 23 miles apart. Twenty crossroads was at about the 7-mile mark from Spalding, and three and a half miles from Bourne, so there wasn’t a milestone with 20 miles on it.
Another theory states that Twenty station was put in Field number 20 on the County Series Ordinance Survey maps. However, as Twenty station opened in 1866, and the First Edition of the map (Lincolnshire CXLI.6) was published in 1887, this theory doesn’t apply.
N53 [Scothern][Nettleham] . [Hackthorn] [Snelland] [Groby]
W000 [Reepham] [Sixhills] . [Ingleby] [Wickenby] [Furzehills]
01: Sotby 02: Beesby 03: Laceby 04: Jerusalem 05: Pode Hole 06: Eagle 07: Mavis Enderby 08: Bitchfield 09: Oasby 10: New York 11: Boothby Graffoe 12: Tongue End 13: Cold Hanworth 14: Claypole 15: Dogdyke 16: Claxby Pluckacre 17: Spital-in-the-Street 18: Burton-le-Coggles 19: Wasps Nest 20: Twenty 21: Belchford 22: Skendleby Psalter 23: Saltfleetby 24: The Royalty 25: Croft 26: Potterhanworth 27: Gunness 28: Cowbit 29: Hop Pole 30: Cuckoo Bridge 31: Anton's Gowt 32: Holton-le-Clay 33: Scrane End 34: Brocklesby 35: Guy's Head 36: Rippingale 37: Bicker 38: Shepeau Stow