What to do and see in Sleaford, England: The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day

A friendly family run pottery painting studio where people of all ages can create their own masterpiece. Come and join us for a few hours of fun in a relaxed and informal setting.We are a breast feeding friendly cafe with baby changing facilities and high chairs too. Looking forward to welcoming you soon :-) We are closed on Mondays but We are open Tuesday to Friday from 1230pm to 1700pm and Saturdays 1000am to 1700pm, then Sunday 1230 to 1700. We are also open the first Sunday of every month from 12pm to 4pm (bookings only) and Late Night for adults (bookings only) on the first Thursday of every month 6pm - 9pm - bring a bottle :-)

Cogglesford Watermill, dating back to Saxon times, is thought to be the only Sherriff's watermill still in operation in England. The Mill lies in a picturesque setting on the River Slea in the historic market town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, close to the town centre and all its amenities. Although the present Mill was mainly built in the early 18th Century, millers have produced flour on this site for over 1,000 years. This award winning, three storey building has a low breast shot water wheel and two sets of millstones. You can watch the Mill in operation on special event days, producing stone ground flour as it would have been 200 years ago. Video footage of the milling process can be seen when the Mill is not in operation. Discover the fascinating characters and events that shaped its history from its Anglo Saxon origins to the present day. Please note this is not the TripAdvisor Page for the restaurant which is located next to the mill.

The only working 8 sailed windmill of its type in the world. Explore all 5 floors of this unique windmill, take a guided tour (subject to volunteer availability) and learn about milling and the stories that lie behind our mill's 190 year history. Children will love exploring the mill and taking part in our mouse hunt, as well as finding out more about how the mill works through many of the exhibits in our visitor centre. A lift gives access to our exhibition space and the mill's ground floor for those who can't easily access all floors. Our tea room offers delicious cakes - baked with the mill's own flour. Finally you can end by visiting our shop, wher Current opening hours: Fri, Sat and Sun from 11a.m. to 4p.m. Adults £5, Children 5-16 £3, Under 5's free. Please check our website for up-to-date news, events and school holiday opening hours. During Covid19 visits to the mill tower and exhibition is limited to one group at a time. Please book in advance via the mill's website.

Royal Air Force College Cranwell (the first Military Air Academy in the world) is probably the most famous landmark in Royal Air Force (RAF) history. The Cranwell Aviation Heritage Centre portrays the fascinating story of this historic establishment from its early days as a Royal Naval Air Service base to the current day. Discover the history of the RAF Cranwell/RAF College Cranwell through artefacts, story boards, displays and exhibits. Try your hand on our interactive exhibits including a flight simulator where you can attempt to land a Jet Provost on the runway at RAF Cranwell before your fuel runs out!

The Playhouse was restored to a working Theatre in 2000 and has had a varied history. Originally built as a theatre, it was subsequently adapted for a variety of other uses to meet the demands of the time, and is now once more being used for its original purpose. The Playhouse was built in 1825 for Joseph Smedley (bookbinder, printer and stationer - and comedian), who had purchased the land and surrounding tenements for £700. Smedley successfully managed the Playhouse as a theatre for several years. He owned a string of theatres from Kings Lynn around the Wash to Sleaford and ran a small touring theatre company, which toured these theatres in the Lincolnshire and Norfolk area. In January 1841, after a relatively quiet time with poor attendances at the theatre, Smedley sold the Playhouse to John Hyde (watchmaker) of Sleaford. Hyde managed the Playhouse and succeeded in attracting a variety of acts to Sleaford, including magicians, comic singers and touring theatre companies. Hyde died in June 1853, but by then he had sold the Playhouse to Jane Hill of Sleaford and William Pidd- Fischer (Miller at Money's Mill). After a short closure, they re-opened the theatre in 1855 under the management of Mr R.A. Douglas. Attendances, however, were miserably small. The taste for drama had all but disappeared in Sleaford and closure loomed again. The executors of Hill and Fisher sold the Playhouse, including fixtures and fittings, in August 1856 to Thomas Parry for the bargain price of £380. In 1857, the building was bought by the Church of England, who elected Parry, together with his business partner William Kirk, to convert it into a school that was done at a cost of £1,085.00 paid for by subscription. Thus, the Playhouse became Sleaford's first infant school. Subsequently, the Playhouse has served as a library, an emergency shelter during both world wars and a government benefits office. Sleaford Little Theatre bought the Playhouse in 1994 with a view to restoring the building to its original use. A nucleus of enthusiastic members worked hard on the project to provide the town once more with its very own theatre venue. While SLT had sufficient funds to purchase the building and carry out a certain amount of work, additional funding came from various sources, including the Foundation for Sports and Arts, Wren Recycling, local benefactors and sponsors, thus enabling the renovation to be completed. The newly restored Playhouse opened its doors to the public in October 2000, thus once more becoming a working Georgian Theatre, one of only six remaining in the country and out of those six two are with a small, rectangular auditorium. Sleaford Little Theatre now had the 'home' they'd dreamt of, and the town had an invaluable venue for all sorts of events. As the Playhouse celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2010, a refurbishment project saw the original restoration improved to include new racked seating for the downstairs seats, new carpet downstairs making the wooden floors seem more comfortable and many more much-needed improvements. Since re-opening the Playhouse, Sleaford Little Theatre has entertained audiences with a wide variety of productions, from classics such as J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca' and Charles Dickens''David Copperfield', to comedies such as Lloyd & Croft's hit ''Allo 'Allo' and Alan Ayckbourn's 'Communicating Doors', plus many more. The Playhouse is proving to be a popular venue for a wide variety of other entertainment too, from local bands and solo artists to professional touring theatre companies and musicians. We aim to continue to provide an attractive range of events at the Playhouse to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, hopefully attracting new audiences as well as satisfying our existing patrons. Thank you for your support and interest in The Playhouse. We hope you've enjoyed this brief history and we look forward to welcoming you to the Playhouse.

This impressive, refurbished original canal company office, built in 1838, is a Grade-II listed building standing in the old public wharf area, now known as Navigation Yard, off Carre Street. The building, thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence, has a heritage theme covering the early development of the new River Slea and portrays the story of the Navigation in Sleaford.

From small seeds has grown a superb national centre. In the beautiful setting of Navigation Wharf in Sleaford sits an old seed warehouse. But it’s not what you’d expect, for this converted warehouse is home to British craft and design. We are the largest venue in England entirely dedicated to the exhibition, celebration, support and promotion of national and international contemporary craft and design. Under one roof, our five gallery spaces showcase up to 20 world-class exhibitions every year from the most innovative, challenging and accomplished artists to new and emerging talent. Our stimulating learning programme inspires people of all ages, skills and interest levels and our shop is a cultural haven for the latest contemporary handmade products. We are also home to Design Factory, the UK’s leading professional development organisation for British designer-makers and artsNK, the country’s largest rural arts development agency that specialises in visual and performing arts projects.