Magpie Holt

Wood, Forest in Lincolnshire South Kesteven

England

Magpie Holt

25kV in the garden When this row of houses were built, the bit of land where the 25kV feed lines for the railway convert from overhead to underground was sold to the end house. — 25kV in the garden Credit: Bob Harvey

Magpie Holt is a small woodland area located in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Situated in the eastern part of the county, it is nestled within the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The woodland covers an area of approximately 50 acres, consisting mainly of deciduous trees such as oak, ash, and beech.

Magpie Holt is known for its tranquil and serene atmosphere, making it a popular destination for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. The woodland provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including birds such as magpies, woodpeckers, and owls, as well as small mammals like rabbits, squirrels, and badgers.

The woodland is crisscrossed with a network of footpaths and trails, offering visitors the opportunity to explore and immerse themselves in the natural surroundings. These paths lead to several points of interest, including a small pond and a clearing that provides a picturesque picnic spot.

Magpie Holt is also home to a diverse range of flora, with bluebells carpeting the forest floor in the spring and vibrant autumn foliage creating a stunning display later in the year. The woodland is carefully managed to protect its ecological integrity and ensure its long-term sustainability.

In addition to its natural beauty, Magpie Holt is situated near several charming villages and historic towns, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the wider area and discover the rich cultural heritage of Lincolnshire.

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Magpie Holt Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.740473/-0.51961521 or Grid Reference TF0016. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

25kV in the garden

When this row of houses were built, the bit of land where the 25kV feed lines for the railway convert from overhead to underground was sold to the end house.

Bob Harvey

25kV single phase

Two separate 25kV single phase lines from Bourne East substation to the East Coast Main Line at Little Bytham, striding out of the Grimsthorpe estate and across a field.

Bob Harvey

Physalis alkekengi

The plant known as "Chinese Lantern" among garden centres is not native to the UK, and we are a little cold for it really. But here it is growing in a hedgerow by the road, probably as a garden escapee. There are individuals on the other side of the road too.

Bob Harvey

Chinese Lanterns in the verge

One of the patches of Physalis alkekengi growing in the roadside hedge. (see TF0117 : Physalis alkekengi).

Bob Harvey

Fibre to the Cabinet

One of the cubicles erected to bring high-speed internet to the country.

Bob Harvey

Beautiful Berries

Hawthorn berries, or haws, in a hedge.

Bob Harvey

Odder than it looks

The use of overhead power distribution in these villages is not unusual. But this one is. What is it feeding? It is in the garden of one of the 4 houses build on the former goods yard of Little Bytham station (itself an oddity, because it is in the parish of Careby, not Little Bytham). The pole predates the houses by at least half a century. It is one end of a run of overhead wiring in the village (three phases plus neutral) and all four wires are terminated on this pole to cables that go underground. Normally that would be 3 phase and neutral, but it is not - it is two two-wire circuits (each of Live & Neutral) if you track the distribution past the pub to the end of the village. This is the infeed end - hence the 4 terminations. It appears to feed the rest of the village, but not the 4 houses here. So where do we find two separate phases? Why, on the poles in the background that bring two 25kV phases from Bourne West to the railway. There must be, somewhere out of sight, a substation that steps that 25kV down to 240V for the older homes in the village - and perhaps the new ones, too, albeit underground. See TF0117 : Warning label which implies this assumption is correct.

Bob Harvey

Warning label

The conjecture in TF0117 : Odder than it looks that the village is fed via the supply to the railway system is amply borne out by this notice on the pole, which says "East Midlands Electricity If delivering shutdown cards to this location please contact Engineering Clerical immediately. In the case of emergency for connection of supply contact British Rail on 01 340 2785 or 01 348 9542" Both telephone numbers are, of course, decades out of date.

Bob Harvey

Wiring details

If you look at TF0117 : 25kV in the garden and TF0117 : 25kV single phase you will see that there are two groups of four wires coming from the power station at TF0619 : Bourne West electricity sub-station. This is the 25kV supply for the railway overhead power. So here are four of the wires. The top two are bridged together, and connected to a downfeed cable through the large insulator (TF0117 : Feed-through insulator). This is a single phase 25kV line. The other two are also bridged together, and connected to a much lighter downfeed. These are the Neutral, which is essentially at earth potential on the running rail. The other 25kV on the other set of posts is arranged in the same way. Railway infeeds are complex, often providing a split-phase "supply" and "feeder" which combined with trackside autotransformers can reduce the longitudinal volt drop. It is likely that these two are set up in the same way - one being the infeed and one the feeder, with 120 degree phase shift (a consequence of the conversion from three-phase at the substation).

Bob Harvey

Feed-through insulator

The large cable interface and feed-through insulator for the incoming 25kV seen in TF0117 : Wiring details, showing how it is bonded to both the upper wires

Bob Harvey

Station Road

Looking north, where Station Road comes out from the arch of the former Midland and Great Northern line, which crossed the East Coast Main Line on an elevated bridge.

Bob Harvey

Viaduct, Little Bytham

The giant Great Northern Railway viaduct looms large in this small village, and still carries the main East Coast line. It appears to be built of blue engineering brick. I haven't found a date beyond that it is Victorian.

Stephen Richards

Willoughby Arms, Little Bytham

Quite an imposing country pub which originally lay close to a railway station (TF0117 : The Willoughby Arms at Little Bytham, near Bourne, Lincolnshire).

Stephen Richards

Country road near Clipsham (1)

Stephen Richards

Country road near Clipsham (2)

Stephen Richards

Holywell Road near Castle Bytham

Stephen Richards

Farmland, Castle Bytham

The castle earthworks can be seen beyond the houses (SK9918 : Castle Bytham Castle).

Stephen Richards

Getting ready

For the last 4 months "works entrance" signs have been appearing in field entrances all over the area, wherever the 400kV lines cross a lane, road, or track. Now they have started to erect these scaffolds.

Bob Harvey

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Magpie Holt is located at Grid Ref: TF0016 (Lat: 52.740473, Lng: -0.51961521)

Administrative County: Lincolnshire

District: South Kesteven

Police Authority: Lincolnshire