South Kesteven
§ This page gives an overview of the South Kesteven local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ South Kesteven in Lincolnshire is a broad rural district with the historic market town of Grantham as its largest centre, known for St Wulfram’s Church and ties to Sir Isaac Newton at nearby Woolsthorpe Manor. Stamford, a Georgian stone town on the River Welland, is celebrated for its unspoiled architecture and Burghley House, one of England’s grandest Elizabethan mansions. The district also includes Bourne, with its abbey and nearby Bourne Woods, and the market town of Market Deeping on the fen edge. The landscape ranges from rolling hills and farmland to fenland in the south, with rivers, nature reserves, and picturesque villages adding to its appeal.
South Kesteven Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the South Kesteven local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of South Kesteven can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of South Kesteven.
Key Facts about South Kesteven
What region is South Kesteven in? South Kesteven is in the East Midlands of England, a region within the UK.
What county is South Kesteven in? South Kesteven is located in the county of Lincolnshire.
Is South Kesteven a city? No, South Kesteven is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs South Kesteven? The local authority for this district is: South Kesteven District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Lincolnshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Lincolnshire County Council.
▶ Official website of South Kesteven District Council 🔗 southkesteven.gov.uk
Which police force covers South Kesteven? Policing in South Kesteven is provided by Lincolnshire Police 🔗 lincs.police.uk, which serves 7 local authority districts: Boston ⁞ East Lindsey ⁞ Lincoln ⁞ North Kesteven ⁞ South Holland ⁞ South Kesteven ⁞ West Lindsey.
Constituencies in South Kesteven
South Kesteven is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in South Kesteven
South Kesteven is divided into 30 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aveland
- Belmont
- Belvoir
- Bourne Austerby
- Bourne East
- Bourne West
- Casewick
- Castle
- Deeping St James
- Dole Wood
- Glen
- Grantham Arnoldfield
- Grantham Barrowby Gate
- Grantham Earlesfield
- Grantham Harrowby
- Grantham Springfield
- Grantham St Vincent's
- Grantham St Wulfram's
- Isaac Newton
- Lincrest
- Loveden Heath
- Market & West Deeping
- Morton
- Peascliffe & Ridgeway
- Stamford All Saints
- Stamford St George's
- Stamford St John's
- Stamford St Mary's
- Toller
- Viking
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in South Kesteven
South Kesteven is part-parished: 84 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.
- Allington
- Ancaster
- Aslackby and Laughton
- Barholm and Stowe
- Barkston
- Barrowby
- Baston
- Belton and Manthorpe
- Billingborough
- Bitchfield and Bassingthorpe
- Boothby Pagnell
- Bourne
- Braceborough and Wilsthorpe
- Braceby and Sapperton
- Burton Coggles
- Careby Aunby and Holywell
- Carlby
- Carlton Scroop
- Castle Bytham
- Caythorpe
- Claypole
- Colsterworth
- Corby Glen
- Counthorpe and Creeton
- Deeping St James
- Denton
- Dowsby
- Dunsby
- Easton
- Edenham
- Fenton
- Folkingham
- Foston
- Fulbeck
- Grantham
- Great Gonerby
- Great Ponton
- Greatford
- Gunby and Stainby
- Haconby
- Harlaxton
- Heydour
- Honington
- Horbling
- Hough-on-the-Hill
- Hougham
- Ingoldsby
- Irnham
- Kirkby Underwood
- Langtoft
- Lenton Keisby and Osgodby
- Little Bytham
- Little Ponton and Stroxton
- Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without
- Long Bennington
- Market Deeping
- Marston
- Morton & Hanthorpe
- Normanton
- North Witham
- Old Somerby
- Pickworth
- Pointon and Sempringham
- Rippingale
- Ropsley and Humby
- Sedgebrook
- Skillington
- South Witham
- Stamford
- Stoke Rochford
- Stubton
- Swayfield
- Swinstead
- Syston
- Tallington
- Thurlby
- Toft with Lound and Manthorpe
- Uffington
- Welby
- West Deeping
- Westborough and Dry Doddington
- Witham on the Hill
- Woolsthorpe By Belvoir
- Wyville cum Hungerton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in South Kesteven
Below is a list of post towns in South Kesteven, grouped by postcode area:
- NG ▸ Grantham (NG31 / NG32 / NG33)
- PE ▸ Bourne (PE10) ⁞ Stamford (PE9)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in South Kesteven
South Kesteven covers 46 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Allington
- Ancaster *
- Aslackby
- Balderton *
- Barkston
- Barrowby
- Baston
- Billingborough
- Bourne
- Carlby
- Castle Bytham
- Caythorpe
- Claypole
- Colsterworth
- Corby Glen
- Deeping St James *
- Denton (South Kesteven)
- Folkingham
- Foston (South Kesteven)
- Fulbeck
- Grantham
- Great Gonerby
- Greatford
- Harlaxton
- Horbling
- Langtoft (South Kesteven)
- Lobthorpe
- Long Bennington
- Market Deeping *
- Marston
- Morton (South Kesteven)
- Normanton (South Kesteven) *
- Pointon
- Rippingale
- Ropsley
- Sedgebrook
- South Witham
- Stamford *
- Swayfield
- Tallington
- Thurlby
- Uffington (South Kesteven)
- West Deeping
- West Willoughby *
- Witham on the Hill
- Wothorpe *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of South Kesteven.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in South Kesteven
South Kesteven is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the South Kesteven Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- East Midlands Railway ▸ Stamford (Lincs) (PE9 2WB) ⁞ Ancaster (NG32 3RA)
- London North Eastern Railway ▸ Grantham (NG31 6BT)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
South Kesteven compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how South Kesteven compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
South Kesteven has 30 electoral wards.
South Kesteven has a population of 147,151 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in South Kesteven
This chart shows the population trend for South Kesteven from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for South Kesteven can be found on the ONS statistics for South Kesteven.