The name "Wainfleet" is derived from Wegn fleot, a stream that can be crossed by a wagon. The town stands on or near the former Roman settlement of Vainona. Two tumuli, one to the north and one to the south of the town, are of unknown origin, although it has been suggested that they could be Viking or Roman. A number of coins from the period have been found in the vicinity. In Domesday Book, Wainfleet is referred to as 'Wenflet'. The parish church of All Saints was built in 1820-21 following the demolition of a previous medieval church of the same dedication, using part of the old church's material. A further church, St Thomas, had been destroyed by then. During the demolition of All Saints the tomb of Richard Patten, father of William of Waynflete, was broken up, but it was later restored within Waynflete's Magdalen College Chapel, Oxford. William of Waynflete founded the town's Magdalen College School in 1484 and obtained for the town a charter of incorporation in 1457. The school building is Grade I listed and houses a museum. In 1847 Barkham Street, a 'London-style' terrace, was commissioned by Bethlem Hospital and built to the design of Sydney Smirke and to specifications similar to other Bethlem terraces in Southwark, London. The Market Place has two Grade II listed structures: a clock tower erected in 1899, and a 15th-century limestone Buttercross, from which John Wesley preached. The town is notable for Batemans Brewery; the brewery building incorporates the Georgian Salem House and a former corn mill, Salem Bridge Mill. Public houses in Wainfleet are the Woolpack Hotel, Royal Oak, and the Red Lion on High Street. Former pubs included the Jolly Sailor and the Angel. Skegness Grammar School has a boarding house in the town on Low Road. Wainfleet became a conservation area in 1972.
At the northern end of Wainfleet All Saints is the hamlet of Northolme, which is all that remains of the lost parish of Wainfleet St Thomas. No distinction was made between Wainfleet All Saints, Wainfleet St Mary, and Wainfleet St Thomas, until a deed from Peter De Beningword to Bardney Abbey mentions North Wenfled. The original deed held in the British Library is undated, but is estimated to be from the 13th century. In 1316 Wainfleet St Thomas is mentioned as paying tax under Feudal Aid. At the time of the Reformation, the chapel belonged to Kyme Priory. There is no clear indication of when it was demolished, but it was still standing at the time of the Protectorate, when the general Baptists were granted its use. Nothing remains of the chapel today, although its site is used as an extension of the present cemetery. In 1546 Thomas Lyttlebury was heir to the manor of Northolme through his brother John. However it seems that the estate became the property of John's daughter, Alice, who married Thomas Upton. Thomas Upton's successors lived at Northolme Hall. The first Northolme Hall was an Elizabethan moated manor house, reputedly built in 1549. The present Northolme Hall was built on the same site in 1866.
Population
Geography
Wainfleet is located South of Skegness and North of Boston on the A52. In June 2019, the River Steeping's relief channel burst its banks and this caused flooding in the town, where 580 properties were evacuated with over 100 flooded.
