Birchwood, Lincolnshire


Birchwood is a housing estate in the south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The population of the Birchwood Ward of Lincoln City Council at the 2011 census was 8,520. It is built on the site of former RAF Skellingthorpe.

Amenities

The estate has a number of schools, including St Hughes Catholic Primary School and Leslie Manser Primary School which is named after Leslie Manser. This school has a small museum dedicated to finds found on the site when it was excavated, including the wing of a Spitfire. There is also Birchwood Junior School along with a special needs school called Fortuna. There are also several nursery and pre-junior schools.
The Birchwood shopping centre, in the middle of the estate was refurbished by the Lincolnshire Co-operative, who own the centre, in 2011. It houses a variety of amenities, as well as further residential space and a children's centre. Birchwood has takeaways, pubs and attractions and its own police station, and Veterinary practice. Main roads in the area are Skellingthorpe Road, Birchwood Avenue, Woodfield Avenue, Fulmar Road and Pershore Way. The coast is 40 miles away.
Birchwood is served by city bus routes 6 and 9.

Community

adjoins the village.
The church of St Luke and St Martin in Jasmin Road was designed in 1976 by Robert Read of Grantham; its ecclesiastical parish is Lincoln Birchwood St Luke. It is fully accessible for wheelchair users. The Catholic Parish of St Peter & St Paul is in nearby Skellingthorpe Road and the parish oversees St Hugh's Primary School. There is also a Methodist church.
"The Boiler House" community centre provides for a range of groups and activities.
Crime in Birchwood is described as high, the area coming 8th of 12 in Lincoln.

History

Birchwood and neighbouring Doddington Park are built on the site of the Second World War airfield RAF Skellingthorpe and there is a memorial at Birchwood Leisure Centre. The airfield hosted No. 50 Squadron and No. 61 Squadron, which were bomber squadrons equipped with the Avro Lancaster.