Canwick is situated one and half miles south-east of the centre of Lincoln on the crest of the Lincolnshire Limestone escarpment overlooking the city. It has long had strong connections with Lincoln, probably starting with the church site where indications of a Roman villa have been found. In the middle ages several of the manors in Canwick belonged to men with Lincoln connections, including the bishop of Lincoln.
The village as seen today is an amalgam of older houses, mostly built by the Sibthorps, and those built in the last fifty years for owner-occupation. The Sibthorps became prominent merchants and gentry in Lincoln at the end of the 17th century. John Sibthorp was one of the two MP's for the city in 1713 - 1714, the first of his family to hold that office over long periods down to 1861. In 1730 his widow, Mary, made their first purchase of property in Canwick: a 'capital mansion house' on the site of Canwick Hall, with 250-300 acres. In 1914, the purchase of Canwick House completed the Sibthorp monopoly of ownership in the village, apart from the Vicarage and some glebe land. In 1940 the estate was sold to Jesus college, Oxford, which has now sold off nearly all its property in the village, whilst retaining Canwick Park, some of its farm land and a few cottages. (extracts from 'A walk round Canwick, the Lincolnshire Estate Village of the Sibthorps by Dennis Mills)
Canwick Hall