Grantham is located on the River Witham in the county of Lincolnshire and close to the Lincolnshire/Leicestershire border. Historically the towns’ economy was based upon engineering and manufacturing, and this continues with its diverse range of manufactured products including textiles, food, timber and plastics. The high tech and service sector industries have grown rapidly in recent years with tourism also on the increase. Nearby centres of note include Newark on Trent approximately 16 miles (25.7km) to the north, Nottingham approximately 23 miles (37km) to the west, Boston approximately 30 miles (48.3km) to the east, Leicester approximately 33 miles (53.1km) to the south west and Peterborough approximately 35 miles (56.3km) to the south. Grantham’s mainline railway station runs services into London Kings Cross in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.