Fenland ice skating

Fenland ice skating was one of the most unusual sporting pursuits in the land because the weather needed to be suitably cold and five nights of sub-zero temperatures were usually reckoned to be sufficient to provide ideal conditions. Until that winter day dawned, the long bladed skates known as fenland runners required for such high speeds, hung optimistically in sheds and outhouses waiting for the next big freeze. When it came, the thickness of the ice was all important because there have been misjudgements in past years when spectators and competitors have fallen through and so an official ice tester of suitable weight was sent out to jump up and down on the surface and if the ice held, then skating went ahead.

A telephone relay system was established to notify those who wished to participate and the following day the competitors from all parts of the country gathered on the ice for the races to begin over a triangular course where the various outdoor speed skating championship titles for Lincolnshire, for Fenland and even for Britain were decided.

The sport dates back to the Middle Ages and the earliest skaters were almost certainly Flemish, using skates carved from wood or the shin bones of sheep strapped tightly to their boots. Skating took place whenever the frost was severe enough to prevent the land from being worked but provided the ideal conditions on waterways and meres. Farm workers would skate along the rivers and drains from pub to pub, often racing each other, and so what was once a pastime soon became a working man's sport with prizes of much needed food put up by the farmers such as a sack of potatoes or even a joint of ham.

The speeds that could be achieved when miles of waterway were suddenly opened up in this way were quite phenomenal and there are records of a 15-mile race from Wisbech to Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire in 1763 with a winning time of 46 minutes. But the hey day of this winter pursuit was during the 19th century after 15-inch steel blades were introduced and the popularity of the sport led to the formation of the National Skating Association in 1879 followed by the Lincolnshire Skating Association in 1890 to organise its own events within the county. The sport developed and prospered and its existence became manifest whenever the temperatures dipped to below freezing point for a prolonged period, for this was one of the only sports in the land in which participants prayed for a long, hard winter. The enthusiasm shown by skaters when conditions were right is amply demonstrated by these news reports from the Stamford Mercury:

During the latter part of last week, a considerable number of skaters availed themselves of the opportunity afforded them by the river Eau being frozen over. On Saturday, a match took place on the ice, money prizes being given, the amount being collected from various subscribers by Mr J R Bettinson, of Bourne Fen. In the final heat, Brudenell succeeded in obtaining first place, Bradley being second and Pulford third. - Friday 18th December 1885.

The fenland is now alive with skaters. The Bourne Eau, the River Glen and the large drains are ice-bound and afford an almost unlimited field of enjoyment for this favourite winter pastime. – Friday 12th January 1894.

On Thursday week, the ice was strong enough for skating but this did not become general on the Bourne Eau until Friday. The dykes in every part were safe and provided a ready means of reaching the river where the ice was excellent with an odd place here and there that was somewhat rough. On reaching Tongue End, most of the skaters crossed over to the Counter Drain where the ice was in better condition for a distance of over six miles to Pode Hole. On Saturday, there were many skaters on the river and quite a number proceeded to the Wash at Spalding to witness the championship racing. On Sunday, there were a large number down the river, the ice being in good condition despite the thaw. Owing to water being pumped into the Counter Drain, skating was made impossible and as the day wore on, the ice became worse and consequently weaker and before the afternoon was over there were several immersions. The ponds at Grimsthorpe also provided some splendid ice for skaters and several from Bourne visited the ponds on Saturday. It is several years since the ice was in such good condition. - Friday 1st February 1907.

The popularity of ice skating was so accepted in the Bourne area that boys often stayed away from school when sub-zero temperatures created the right conditions. This happened early in 1880 although the headmaster of the Bourne Council School in Star Lane (now Abbey Road), Joseph J Davies, appears to have taken a tolerant view of his pupils being absent from the classroom for this purpose because he wrote in his log book on January 29th:

"Attendance very low today. Many boys away skating and the ice is perfectly safe and they fear the frost will not continue too long. Cold weather always increases the attendance as there is no work then for the boys but when the ice becomes perfectly safe, a dozen to twenty boys are absent every noon with leave from their parents to go skating. Skating is a passion with Lincolnshire boys and indeed men."

A favourite venue for skating in recent years was Baston Fen, near Bourne, where until recent years, thirty acres of the nature reserve had another use in winter when the area was specially flooded in anticipation of severe overnight frosts that would create the ideal venue for ice skating by a dedicated band of enthusiasts who were only able to pursue their sport when the weather was cold enough.

The tradition continued until recent years and every winter, thirty acres of marshland at the Baston Fen nature reserve, four miles south of Bourne, were flooded to a depth of several inches and then the Lincolnshire Skating Association which organised the event waited for a sufficiently long cold spell that would provide the right conditions for skating to proceed on a suitable thickness of ice. Overnight frosts for at least a week were required for the best results because officials were perpetually aware that a wrong calculation could lead to a similar disaster to that which occurred in the early 20th century when there were so many skaters and spectators crammed on the ice that it broke under the weight and most of them got a very cold ducking.

The association therefore employed an official ice tester, who in my time forty years ago, was Bert Slater, a big and burly haulage contractor from Crowland, who arrived when alerted to test the ice for strength with the simple and straightforward method of jumping up and down on it in his heavy boots at various vantage points, and if it held without the sign of a crack, then the signal went out for skating to commence the following day, provided the cold snap lasted. Whenever temperatures plunged below zero for any length of time, Bert's activities captured the imagination of the world's press with headlines such as "The Iceman Cometh" as he went about his duties, but once he declared the ice fit for skating, the telephones began buzzing, calling up everyone who wanted to be out on the ice, whether for pleasure or for sport, and soon Baston Fen resembled one of those old picture postcards or oil paintings of skaters thoroughly enjoying themselves.

There was also the racing when competitors from all parts of the country gathered on the ice for the events to begin, always over a distance of one mile on a triangular course, to decide the various outdoor speed skating championship titles for Lincolnshire, for Fenland and even for Britain. The tradition had become so entrenched that grand silver shields and cups were on offer for the winners, handed down through the years, from generation to generation.

Unfortunately, this age old winter pursuit ended at Baston Fen in 1993 when the Lincolnshire Skating Association which organised it were forced to abandon the periodic events because of crippling insurance charges. Pleasure skating continued for a few more years but the owners of the land, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, faced similar difficulties with their insurers over public liability and so skating for fun also ended in 2003 although there are still some who take to the ice when the weather conditions are right but they do so at their own risk. Fenland skating, however, continues to attract an enthusiastic following at venues in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire whenever the weather is cold enough.

REVISED DECEMBER 2011

See also

Baston Fen Nature Reserve     Praying for a cold hard winter