Saxby All Saints Parish

Saxby All Saints
Saxby all Saints is a small rural village in North Lincolnshire to the east of Scunthorpe. It is an attractive historic settlement, located on the western escarpment of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The village nestles into the wooded hillside, overlooking the extensive flat open fields of the Ancholme River valley. Saxby All Saints has been a designated Conservation Area since March 1977. The designation covers the whole village, the surrounding woodland and the Horkstow Grange area. A Conservation Area is ‘ an area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.’

Location and Population
Saxby all Saints is one of the five villages referred to as the ‘spring line’ or ‘low villages’ situated on the B1204 which runs between the Humber Estuary and Brigg. These villages are evenly spaced along the road starting with South Ferriby in the North, through Horkstow, Saxby all Saints, Bonby, Worlaby to Elsham in the south. The village contains 100 dwellings housing a population of approximately 300 residents.

Landscape Setting
The village is located at the base of the steep slope between the River Ancholme valley and the high farmlands of the Lincolnshire Wolds. This position at the meeting point of two contrasting geographical features gives Saxby all Saints a dramatic and visually outstanding landscape setting.

To the west of the settlement are panoramic views across the flat flood plain of the Ancholme river valley which is characterised by large open arable fields, bisected by a grid of drainage dykes and ditches, with hedges and woods. By contrast, to the east of the village the ground rises steeply up to the plateau of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The slope is heavily wooded with mature trees enclosing the eastern edge of the village. The steep gradient is not suitable for arable crops but there are fields for grazing.

The village is inextricably linked to its landscape setting, which provides its dramatic views and has influenced the nature and character of the settlement. There are still working farms located within the village, which has a tightly knit, linear pattern of 18th and 19th century labourers cottages lining the Main Street. Their standard design, pantiled roofs and colour washed brickwork gives Saxby All Saints a coherent and distinctive character and appearance. Interspersed between these cottages are grander, listed houses such as the Old Rectory, the Manor and Saxby Hall. All Saints Church is of high architectural interest and sits on a circular embankment with a tower surmounted by an unusual pyramidal roof. It is an important landmark feature within the village. Despite the concentration of development along the Main Street, Saxby All Saints maintains a rural character due to the abundance of tall mature trees, hedges, gardens and fields in the village centre.