This post features: Ely, Wicken Fen, Buckden, St Ives, Peterborough, Wisbech, Cambridge, Huntingdon, March and St Neots
Ely
The Cathedral:
Hereward the Wake sought refuge in Ely. Born in Bourne (of all places) he was the son of Earl Leofric of Mercia and led the last rebellion against William the Conqueror – somehow he managed to survive even though he wasn’t successful in overthrowing the Normans – he must have made peace with William as he eventually got his lands back & is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Ely CathedralEly Cathedral was founded in the 11th century on the site of an old monastery, which in turn was founded on the site of an old Saxon church. The old Bishop’s PalaceThe old Bishop’s Palace
The City Centre:
The Bishop’s Palace in Ely, home to the oldest recorded Plane Tree in England – planted in 1680. At the Bishop’s Palace in Buckden (now known as Buckden Towers) there are two Plane Trees allegedly given in the 1660’s to Robert Sanderson, Bishop of Lincoln (1660 – 1663) – so these would be older if the story is true…Unfortunately the grounds are not open to the public… A Barkas van from the former East Germany, here in Ely advertising a curious – but very nice – micro-brewery cum pub called the Liberty Belle. The B1000 appeared in 1961 and remained in production for almost 30 years, surviving German unification by less than 2 years.
Wicken Fen
Wicken FenWicken FenAt Cock Up Bridge, Burwell FenAt Cock Up Bridge, Burwell FenKonik ponies – originally from Poland – there are quite a few roaming wild in the Fens – it was a glorious day and we saw a Marsh Harrier and a Merlin amongst other things
Buckden
Buckden Towers, as it is now known, used to be the palace of the Bishops of Lincoln (a mere 76 miles away) – and it is here that some Plane Trees were planted in the 1660’s. There’s a magnificent Sequoia by the arch…Buckden Towers: a magnificent Oak tree to the left and a majestic Plane tree to the right – but as the grounds are closed to visitors I’ve no idea which or where the old trees are….
St Ives
The Bridge Chapel:
The bridge over the River Ouse dates from the 1420’s and features a chapel dedicated to St Leger. By 1736 it was being used as a house and two floors were added. During the 1850s and 1860s it was became a notorious public house, then a doctor’s surgery. By 1930 the structure was found to be weakened so the extra stories were removed and the chapel restored. As a result of this, the roof is modern. An unusual feature is the crypt, about two metres above the river’s water level. The bridge and the chapel are now Grade I listed and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.The chapel is quite plain compared to the chapels in Rotherham and WakefieldTo think that this bridge was part of the main road through St Ives until 1980…
The Town Centre:
As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits; kits, cats, sacks and wives How many were going to St Ives? This nursery rhyme originated sometime in the 18th century and probably referred to St Ives in Cornwall – so, not this St Ives in Huntingdonshire (or Cambridgeshire as it is now). This version of the rhyme was published in 1825…Seems odd that there’s a statue of Oliver Cromwell here – ok, he was born in Huntingdon (8km), but his army damaged their bridge…I only included this as it is an Elgood’s pub – the Elgood’s brewery is in Wisbech (50km)…The River Ouse flows through the town – there are 5 rivers called “Ouse” in the country (including one in Orkney) – “Ouse” stems from the Celtic word “usa” meaning “water”All Saints parish church
Peterborough
Until 1888, the Soke of Peterborough was part of Northamptonshire. It then became an independent administrative area until 1965, when it was merged with Huntingdonshire – in 1974 both were subsumed into Cambridgeshire. It is thought that Peterborough became a soke (or liberty) around 970 when the land was ruled by Peterborough’s Benedictine Abbey…
The Cathedral:
Construction of the current cathedral began in 1118…The magnificent west front of the cathedral was completed in 1238…The first abbey was built around 654 and the first abbot was Saxulf – however, it was destroyed by the Vikings in 870 and then re-founded around 970. The abbey was dissolved in 1539 and then became a cathedral in 1541…Oliver Cromwell’s army took over the cathedral, doing much damage that wasn’t repaired until the 1800’s…This clock dates from around 1450; it was repaired and improved in 1687 and again in 1836 – it was in use until 1950…The tomb of Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536) – first wife of Henry VIII. Mary, Queen of Scots was also buried here but her coffin was moved to Westminster Abbey in 1612 on the orders of James I…
Cathedral Square:
The Guildhall dates from 1671…St John the Baptist dates from 1407 and was built on the site of a former church that was built by monks in the 11th century…The church originally had a spire but this was removed in the 1820s as it was structurally unsound. In 1881, a storm damaged the tower and extensive renovations followed between 1881-1883…This Grade II listed building was constructed in the early 20th century in a Tudor style and features five painted statues of various historical figures, including: Aethelwold Bishop of Winchester, King Peada of Mercia, Henry VIII, Prince Rupert and the Earl of Essex…
The Museum:
Riverside:
The old Customs House standing on the banks of the River Nene
Street Art:
Wisbech
The River Nene:
A statue of Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846), an anti-slave campaigner, was proposed in 1875 and designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. It was erected between 1880-1, facing the river opposite St Mary’s Church next to the house where Clarkson lived…The Nene is pronounced “neen” in Cambridgeshire and “nen” in Northamptonshire
North Brink:
The North Brink runs along the Nene and is lined with fine Georgian buildings…
Elgood’s:
Elgood’s Brewery was first established in 1795 and is one of the first classic Georgian Breweries to be built outside London…
The Castle and The Crescent:
A castle was built here, probably sometime after 1086. However, in 1236, the castle and town were devastated in a terrible flood. The castle was rebuilt and became one of ten castles, palaces and manor houses attached to the See of Ely. Wisbech Castle became a state ecclesiastical prison, incarcerating Catholics in the reigns of Elizabeth, James I and Charles I and Protestants in that of Queen Mary. Since Wisbech was a Cromwellian area, the Castle, by now in a state of terminal dilapidation, was sold in 1658 to the Right Honourable John Thurloe, Cromwell’s Secretary of State. He had the ruined castle demolished and replaced it with a mansion. At the Restoration, Thurloe’s mansion reverted to the See of Ely. In 1792 it was put up for sale, and purchased by Joseph Medworth, a former Wisbech Charity boy who had succeeded in business. He offered it for sale to the Corporation for the use of the Grammar School, but they declined. Medworth had the mansion demolished. Using much of the same materials, he replaced it with the regency villa, which stands today…Wisbech MuseumHaving bought the castle, Joseph Medworth also acquired the land around it and set about creating The Crescent. It is unusual for a town such as Wisbech to boast a Georgian Crescent but perhaps unique for it to have a Circus. And that was what it became when Medworth built Union Place and Ely Place on the east side of the Castle…
The Town Centre:
The parish church of St Peter and St Paul dates from the 12th century. It was substantially rebuilt in the 14th century with alterations in the 15th, 16th and 19th centuries. It is unusual in having two naves and two chancels a necessity given that the church couldn’t be lengthened and so it was widened…Sadly, the church was closed to visitors…Parts of Wisbech are a bit run down – it’s a town of contrasts… Heart of the empire. The railway line to Wisbech was closed in 1968 making it the largest town in the country without a railway. Over 50 years have elapsed and the government still can’t be bothered to re-open it.. The intriguing church of St Peter in Upwell
Cambridge
Colleges:
PeterhousePembroke CollegeCorpus ChristiSt Catherine’s CollegeKing’s College with Henry VIII watching proceedingsKing’s CollegeKing’s College from the tower of Great St Mary’sGonville and CaiusGonville and Caius from the tower of Great St Mary’s and the chapels of Trinity and St John’s collegesLooking up towards St John’s College with Trinity College chapel on the leftTrinity CollegeSt John’s CollegeSt John’s College chapelMagdalen CollegeChrist’s CollegeChrist’s CollegeEmmanuel CollegeDowning College
Churches:
St Botolph’sGreat St Mary’sGreat St Mary’sSt Michael’s Church is now a café The Round ChurchThe Church of St Clement and the Orthodox Church of St Ephraim the SyrianThe Church of St Clement and the Orthodox Church of St Ephraim the SyrianHoly Trinity Church – it’s still a church but it was having some kind of open day when I popped in – it was packed: lots of stands with people gathered around discussing stuffSt Andrew’sSt Ben’e’t’s (Benedict’s)The Grade 1 listed Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs was built between 1885-90. The spire is 65m high
The City Centre:
The Fitzwilliam MuseumThe Pitt BuildingSenate House from the tower of Great St Mary’sLloyd’s BankThe Guildhall
The Market Place:
Street Scenes:
Trinity LaneChrist’s Pieces
Ice Cream Wars:
Aromi Gelato was nice…But, Jack’s Gelato just edges it…
The River Cam:
Huntingdon
The Market Square:
The town square with All Saints Church in the background
Cromwell:
Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon in 1599 and died at Whitehall in 1658…
The building in which the Cromwell Museum is housed was once part of the Hospital of St John the Baptist and dates from c. 1170-90. The hospital was run by the Augustinian Canons. This part of the building survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries and by 1565 had been fitted out as the town’s grammar school,This Grade II listed building is said to be the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell. It stands on the site of an Augustinian friary that was founded c1285. The house was rebuilt in the early 19th century and is now a care home…Currently closed…
The Town:
The Commemoration Hall acts as a community centre, café and tourist information centreCastle Hill House is a Grade II listed building and dates from 1786 and was built for Owsley Rowley., who became Mayor of Huntingdon…The closed and abandoned church of St Mary stands forlorn…Samuel Pepys allegedly attended Huntingdon Grammar School and his family came from nearby Brampton…
March
The original station opened in 1847 and consisted of seven platforms, most of which are now disused…The River NeneThe River NeneMarch Museum is housed in a former school…The Hippodrome opened in 1929 as a 900-seat cinema – which seems a bit optimistic for a small town. In the 1960s it became a bingo hall before closing in 2009. It was bought and restored by JD Wetherspoon, reopening in 2011 as a pub and hotel…
Churches:
St Wendreda’s Church is about a mile out of town. The earliest part of the building dates from the turn of the 14th century. Most of it, however, comes from three later extensions. In the mid-14th century the nave was rebuilt and the lower part of the west tower constructed. Then, in the early 16th century, the aisles and clerestory were reconstructed and, finally, the chancel was rebuilt in 1872. There is currently a fundraising campaign to pay for repairs to the spire. The church is probably best known for its carved wooden angels, which date from 1520.St Peter’s Church
St Neots
The Parish Church:
St Mary’s is the parish church of St Neots. St Neot himself was buried in the former Benedictine priory in nearby Eynsbury…St Neot lived in the 9th century, is associated with Cornwall and may have been a monk at Glastonbury, where it is believed he died and was initially buried…The convoluted story of St Neot aside, St Mary’s is a fine church with lots of glorious stained glass windows…
The Town:
The market squareThe market squareThe United Reformed ChurchThe sweet little museumThe Great Ouse is the fifth longest river in the country at 143 miles (230km). It rises near Syresham in Northamptonshire and flowing through Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire before entering the Wash near Kings Lynn in Norfolk…The Great Ouse
