King's Cliffe (variously spelt Kings Cliffe, King's Cliff, Kings Cliff, Kingscliffe) is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

on Willow Brook, a tributary of the

River Nene The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...

, about northeast of

Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the built-up ...

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is one of two local authority areas in Northamptonshire, England. It is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area forming about one half of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northampto ...

. The parish adjoins the county boundary with the City of Peterborough and the village is about west of the city centre. The village is not far from the boundary with

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

and about south of Stamford.

Population

The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 1,137 people, increasing to 1,202 at the 2011 Census. The 1871 Census recorded a parish population of 1259. The 1891 Census recorded the parish population as having fallen to 1,082, occupying 262 "inhabited houses" King's Cliffe is very small but is growing in size. There is a school named King's Cliffe Endowed Primary. It used to be located next to John Wooding's Groceries but in recent years, a new building was developed on King's Forest. This new school is very large in size and is very advanced.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church of All Saints has a central tower that is

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, with late 13th century upper parts and broach spire. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

has a

Decorated Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

west window and there are north and south

aisles Aisles is a six-piece progressive rock band originally from Santiago, Chile. The group was formed in 2001 by brothers Germán (guitar) and Luis Vergara (keyboards), and childhood friend Rodrigo Sepúlveda (guitar). Later on, it expanded to incl ...

with 14th century arcades. The font is also 14th century. Later features are the Perpendicular Gothic clerestory, roof and remodelling of the north and south arches supporting the tower. Inside the church is a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

erected in 1623 to the Thorpe family, whose descendant John Thorpe (1565–1655) was a notable Elizabethan and Jacobean architect.

Economic and social history

Hall Yard Farmhouse was built in 1603. Inside the house, Dr Law's Music Room has an 18th-century

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

coved ceiling with decoration in the style of

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

. Law's Chapel, also 18th century, is nearby. Parts of King's Cliffe Manor House are early 17th century. In the summer of 1845, the Reverend Miles Joseph Berkeley, the rector of All Saints' church, proposed, after observing potatoes from near the village struck by

potato blight ''Phytophthora infestans'' is an oomycete or water mold, a fungus-like microorganism that causes the serious potato and tomato disease known as late blight or potato blight. Early blight, caused by ''Alternaria solani'', is also often called "po ...

, that the causative agent of the blight was a fungus. This was contradictory to theories at the time, which suggested that the fungus was merely a symptom of decay, and not the causative agent of the blight. Berkeley labelled the fungus he found ''Botrytis infestans,'' now known as ''Phytophthora infestans''. King's Cliffe is unusual in having three sets of almshouses. The John Thorpe Almshouses were built in 1668, the Widows' Almshouses in 1749 and the Spinsters' Almshouses in 1754. The Widows' and Spinsters' almshouses were part of a set of charities founded by Rev. Dr

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. P ...

(1686–1761) and his disciple, Mrs Elizabeth Hutcheson. A house dating from about 1700 was made a Schoolmaster's House in 1745, and next to it the Boys' School was built in 1748. From 1752 the Schoolmaster's House became Law's Library, which housed Law's religious books and lent them to people of King's Cliffe and neighbouring towns. King's Cliffe railway station was on a branch line that ran between and . The London and North Western Railway opened it in 1879 and British Railways closed it in 1966. RAF King's Cliffe was opened in 1942 and returned to agricultural use in 1959. It was about east of the village. King's Cliffe church - geograph

Notable residents

* Henry Bonney D.D. (1780–1862) - churchman and author * James Humphreys – English crime writer, a former resident of the neighbouring village of

Apethorpe Apethorpe (pronounced "Ap-thorp") is a village, civil parish,

. His novel ''Sleeping Partner'' is partly set in King's Cliffe. *

(1686–1761) –

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

divine * John Thorpe (1565–1655) – architect * Fenech-Soler – electronic band

Village Events

Kings Cliffe has a number of events that occur annually. These include but are not limited to: * The Village Duck Race - A charity event raising money for The Underground. * Cliffe Fest - A family friendly festival raising money for Kings Cliffe Endowed Primary School and local charities. * Plant Sale - A charity event run by The Gardening Club raising funds for Kings Cliffe Parish Church. * Village Bonfire - A charity event raising funds for the Kings Cliffe Parish Church. * Village Produce Show - A village event run by the Gardening Club.

References

External links

Parish Council
King's Cliffe Parish Council Website
Village Forum
King's Cliffe Village Forum
Geograph images
database of images of the village and surrounding areas
King's Cliffe Heritage
- local history resource {{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire