Wansford, sometimes Wansford-in-England, is a village just off the
A1 road partly within the
City of Peterborough
The City of Peterborough is a unitary authority district with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The area is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and ha ...
and the
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
district 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. It is situated west of Peterborough city centre, and miles south of
Stamford; it is close to the county boundary with
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
.
History
![Wansfordnewfront](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Wansfordnewfront.jpg)
The
Great North Road crossed 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 ...
here by Wansford Old Bridge, now a Grade I listed building. The stone bridge replaced a wooden bridge with eight arches damaged by floods in 1571. The Great North Road was diverted to the east and the 1920s concrete bridge is itself Grade II*; it now carries the northbound carriageway of the A1.
Wansford is under two parish councils. Wansford Parish Council, within the area of
Peterborough City Council
Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough ...
, comprises the village north of, and including, the Old Bridge. The village to the south of Wansford Old Bridge (The Haycock side) is represented by
Sibson-cum-Stibbington
Sibson-cum-Stibbington is a civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The parish includes the villages of Sibson and Stibbington, together with Wansford railway station and that part of Wansford village south of ...
Parish Council and comes under
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
District Council. Wansford station is in Stibbington parish. There is a GP surgery
Wansford and Kings Cliffe Practiceon Yarwell Road, to the north of the river. The village has a small post office store, a hairdressers and a private dental surgery. A new cafe bistro, The Wansford Lounge opened in 2017.
It was split between two counties until 1965 when it came under one authority, (
Huntingdon and Peterborough and, from 1974,
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 ...
). The boundary post between the
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire. The Soke was also described as the Liberty of Peterborough, or Nassaburgh hundred, and compr ...
in
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
(the north side of the River Nene) and
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
(the south bank) is still there halfway across the bridge.
On 2 May 2007 the helicopter of
Phillip Carter, entrepreneur and owner of the Haycock Hotel, was found, crashed nearby in woods at
Kings Cliffe.
"Wansford-in-England"
According to local folklore, related in Defoe's ''
A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain
''A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain'' is an account of his travels by English author Daniel Defoe, first published in three volumes between 1724 and 1727. Other than ''Robinson Crusoe'', ''Tour'' was Defoe's most popular and financial ...
'' (1724), the name Wansford-in-England comes from the tale of a local man who fell asleep on a
hayrick and upon awakening found himself floating down the River Nene towards the sea. He asked a traveller on the riverbank where he was, and upon hearing the reply "Wansford", asked, "Wansford in England?". The name stuck and the Haycock Hotel takes its name from the legend.
This version of the story seems to be derived by
oral transmission from ''"Barnabæ Itinerarium, or Barnabee's Journal"'', an account of four long and often drunken journeys north through England published by
Richard Brathwait
Richard Brathwait or Brathwaite (1588 – 4 May 1673) was an English poet.
Life
Brathwait was born at Burnishead, near Kendal. He entered Oriel College, Oxford in 1604, and remained there for some years, pursuing the study of poetry and Roma ...
in 1638 and reprinted in 1820, with extensive notes, by
Joseph Haslewood
Joseph Haslewood (5 November 1769 – 21 September 1833) was an English writer and antiquary. He was a founder of the Roxburghe Club.
Life
Haslewood was born in London, the son of Richard Haslewood and his wife Mary Dewsberry.Francis Haslewood ...
. The hero, Barnaby, was allegedly born in
Appleby-in-Westmorland
Appleby-in-Westmorland is a market town and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, with a population of 3,048 at the 2011 Census. Crossed by the River Eden, Appleby was the county town of the historic county of Westmorland. I ...
, and his surname may have been Harrington (there was much discussion of the truth of these facts in prefaces to later editions - and indeed as to whether Barnaby had ever existed). The poem is written in elegant Latin verse with a parallel translation into English doggerel (only the English is given here).
The references to Wansford are in the third journey, after Barnaby has visited
Stilton
Stilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about north of Huntingdon in Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England.
History
There is evidence of Neo ...
and before he heads north to
Stamford. As the second verse shows, he arrived when Wansford had been hit by
the plague and the doors were marked with warnings.
Architecture
![Wansford Parish Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Wansford_Parish_Church.jpg)
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed building.
Wansford railway station
Wansford railway station is the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire, England. The station building was opened in 1995 and contains a ticket office, shop, cafe and toilets. The locomotive sheds are located at this station. A ...
, 1.5 miles S.E. of the centre of the village, is the home of the
Nene Valley Railway
The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line is in length. There are stations at each terminus, and three stops en route: Orton Mere, ...
.
The Haycock hotel, a
coaching inn
The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...
, is situated to the south of the stone bridge over 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 ...
.
See also
*
Wansford, East Riding of Yorkshire
Wansford is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England; it forms part of the civil parish of Skerne and Wansford. It is situated on the B1249 road and just to the north of the River Hull and the Driffield Canal. It is approximately ...
*
Wansford Pasture
Wansford Pasture is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wansford in Cambridgeshire. It is part of the 7.3 hectare Wansford Pasture & Standen's Pasture, a nature reserve managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridges ...
*
Wansford railway station
Wansford railway station is the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire, England. The station building was opened in 1995 and contains a ticket office, shop, cafe and toilets. The locomotive sheds are located at this station. A ...
*
Wansford Road railway station
Wansford Road railway station was located in Northamptonshire serving the village of Wansford. It was some distance east of the village on the A47 road, although still nearer than the more important Wansford station of the London & North West ...
*
Wansford Tunnel
Wansford Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the preserved Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire.
The tunnel is situated to the south of the village of Wansford, but just to the west of Wansford railway station.
It was on the Blisworth to Peterbor ...
References
External links
Wansford Parish Council
{{authority control
Villages in Cambridgeshire
Huntingdonshire
Geography of Peterborough
Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire