Duxford is a village in
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
, England, about south of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
. It is part of
the Hundred Parishes
The Hundred Parishes is an area of the East of England with no formal recognition or status, albeit that the concept has the blessing of county and district authorities. It encompasses around 450 square miles (1,100 square kilometres) of northwes ...
area.
History
The village formed on the banks of the
River Cam
The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distance from Cambridge to ...
, a little below its emergence from the hills of north
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. One of the more populous settlements in its
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101.
In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...
it was split into two ecclesiastical parishes in medieval times until they were united in 1834.
Originally known as ''Duxworth'' and listed as ''Dukeswrthe'' in the 10th century, and ''Dochesuuorde'' in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
the village's name comes from "Worth (enclosure) of a man called Duc".
Churches
The village has two Grade I listed medieval parish churches,
St John's Church and
St Peter's Church. The two parishes were combined in 1874, services being held thereafter at St Peter's; St John's remained a chapel of ease and finally declared redundant. Still consecrated, it is now in the care of
The Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust is a registered charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk in England. The charity cares for over 350 churches of architectural, cultural and historic significance, which have been transferred in ...
. The churchyard has been cleared of headstones and is maintained by Duxford Parish Council. To the north of the village close to the
Royston to
Newmarket road lies
Duxford Chapel
Duxford Chapel is a chapel that was once part of the Hospital of St. John, founded by William de Colville (d.1230) at Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, England. Though called Duxford Chapel, the building is situated between the villages of Duxford and ...
, a 14th-century
chantry
A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings:
# a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or
# a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...
chapel that was probably part of the Hospital of St John. St Peter's is part of a small group of churches along with St Mary Magdalene, Ickleton and St Mary & St John, Hinxton. They are known jointly as 'Hinkledux' and services are divided between the three parishes. St Peter's has a bell-ringing group and hosts a pre-school meet up for new parents known as Tiddlers. The current incumbent is Rev. Lydia Smith.
A
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
chapel was built in the late 18th century and licensed in 1794, and at its peak in 1850 had a weekly congregation of 350. The chapel joined with other Congregational churches in uniting with the Presbyterian Church of England in 1972, and has been known as Duxford
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
since then. It is listed Grade II. The final service was held here was in June 2019 and it was sold for conversion to residences in 2021. It is now two separate residences, one of which is an Air BnB for short-term lets.
Airfield
Duxford gives its name to RAF Duxford (now called Duxford Aerodrome), a former
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
airfield
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
that was used as a sector station during the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
.
Duxford Aerodrome
Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Muse ...
was the home of
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...
's
Big Wing
The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was an air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader. In essence, the tactic involved meeting ...
during that battle. Duxford airfield later became a fighter airfield for the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
operating
P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
aircraft. In 1972 the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
began to house historically important aircraft in the hangars, which in 1977 became the
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...
.
The airfield was used in the motion picture ''
The Battle of Britain
''The Battle of Britain'' was the fourth of Frank Capra's ''Why We Fight'' series of seven propaganda films, which made the case for fighting and winning the Second World War. It was released in 1943 and concentrated on the German bombardment o ...
''. During that production one of the hangars was blown up to simulate a
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
bombing raid. There are currently three all-weekend air shows a year which have good visibility from the village and it is common to see planes flying over the village, either leisure flights or in essential practice.
Village life
![Lancaster & Hurricane - Duxford (7005777250)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Lancaster_%26_Hurricane_-_Duxford_%287005777250%29.jpg)
The village currently has two remaining pubs – The John Barleycorn and The Plough. Other former pubs include The Wheatsheaf (which re-opened in 2018 as Graystones deli/cafe), the Three Horseshoes, first recorded in 1786, the King's Head which opened in the mid-19th century
[ and the Flower Pot, located at the end of the old airfield runway on what is now Hunts Road. The latter was a popular haunt for pilots during the war
The village holds an annual Advent Market] at St John's Church to raise funds which are then available for local projects which enhance the quality of life for residents. There is also an annua
Soap Box Derby
in September. Since it began in 2013 it has raised £74,150 for Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
. There is a Duxford Women's Institute
The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...
, a local drama group (DVD - Duxford Village Drama) and a bowls club. The National Garden Scheme
The National Garden Scheme opens privately owned gardens in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Channel Islands on selected dates for charity. It was founded in 1927 with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to th ...
sees several private gardens open to the public for one day a year including Robynet House and Duxford Mill. The local football team i
Duxford United FC
who play their home games on the recreation ground on Hunts Road. Th
Duxford Lawn Tennis Club
has two courts on the same ground. The school is a Church of England Primary School in the Diocese of Ely which has a breakfast and after-school club (DX) and a playgroup on site.
In May 2019 the foundations of a new villag
community centre
were dug and the finished building was opened to the public in May 2020. It is now a thriving hub hosting many village and private events, social groups and meetings. There is a vibrant café, Café 19, which attracts a faithful clientelle for their superb cakes, coffees and lunches.
A new public green space was opened in 2020 known a
Brewery Field
its landscaping is still currently ongoing, including planting, sowing of chalk upland flowers and plants and public utilitiy installations.
In late July 2020 a fire gutted the pre-school of Duxford School and the rebuilding is currently under construction (November 2022).
The monthly parish magazine for the village, delivered free of charge to every household, is called The Duxford Chatterbox.
See also
* The Hundred Parishes
The Hundred Parishes is an area of the East of England with no formal recognition or status, albeit that the concept has the blessing of county and district authorities. It encompasses around 450 square miles (1,100 square kilometres) of northwes ...
References
External links
Duxford Village website
Duxford Community Centre
Imperial War Museum Duxford
The Plough Public House Duxford
Hinkledux Church of England Benefice
Duxford Advent Market
Duxford Church of England Community Primary School
Duxford United FC
Duxford Lawn Tennis Club
The John Barleycorn, Duxford
The Lodge, Duxford
{{authority control
Villages in Cambridgeshire
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire District