Lode is a small village in

East Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire (locally known as East Cambs) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in Ely. The population of the District Council at the 2011 Census was 83,818. The district was formed on 1 April 19 ...

on the southern edge of

The Fens The Fens, also known as the , in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a ...

. It lies just north of the B1102 between Quy and Swaffham Bulbeck, to the north east of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, 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. Cam ...

The village's name is derived from its location at the southern end of

Bottisham Bottisham is a village and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about east of Cambridge, halfway to Newmarket. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,983, including Chittering, increasin ...

Lode that links it to the River Cam. A lode is an artificial water channel used to drain the Fens, thought to be of Roman origin. Lode also has the smaller hamlet settlement of Long Meadow as part of the parish to the east along the B1102. Lode is a comparatively new civil parish, having been separated from

in 1894.

Anglesey Abbey

Lode is the location of Anglesey Abbey, which was formerly the home of the Fairhaven family, who lived there for many years, but is now the property of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. The 1st Baron Fairhaven (1896-1966) was responsible for the unique gardens in the grounds of the former 12th-century abbey. Also part of the estate is Lode Mill, a restored watermill that is open to the public.

Church

In the 19th century, Anglesey Abbey was owned and occupied by Reverend Hailstone who was also vicar of Bottisham. Convinced that Lode merited its own church, he built the present church of St James, which was dedicated in 1853. The Hailstone family provided a vicar for the following 80 years.

Village life

Children initially attend Bottisham Community Primary school and usually then go on to

Bottisham Village College Bottisham Village College is a mixed secondary school located in Bottisham, Cambridgeshire, England. The school opened in 1937 as the second village college in part of the Local Director of Education Henry Morris' vision for providing educatio ...

. After this they can go on to one of the many Further Education Sixth form colleges, located in the nearby city of

Neighbouring villages

* Stow-Cum-Quy or just Quy to the West along the B1102 about 2 miles away, which also had an old station like Lode. *

, 1 mile to the south. * Swaffham Bulbeck 2 miles to the east, after which is the

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

Village of Swaffham Prior. * Reach and Burwell follow on from there, completing these group of villages.

References

External links

*
Lode information and pictures
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Lode In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure (or crack) in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock. The current meaning (ore vein) dates from the 1 ...