Wicken is a small village on the 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 ...

near

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census. History Archaeology The region between De ...

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 ...

, ten miles 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 ...

and five miles south of Ely. It is the site of

Wicken Fen Wicken Fen is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Wicken in Cambridgeshire. It is also a National Nature Reserve, and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is protected by international designations as a Ramsar wetland si ...

National Nature Reserve.

Geography

Wicken parish consists principally of fenland covering in eastern Cambridgeshire. Its western border largely follows the course of the River Cam, and its southern border separating it from Burwell follows the winding Wicken Lode, which flows into Reach Lode just before the latter meets the Cam. A fenland waterway forms its eastern border with

parish. Since at least the 10th century the parish has also contained the hamlet of Upware in its isolated south-west corner on the Cam.

History

is known for its great quantity of archaeological findings from the Stone Age, the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

and the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

. Of Wicken some Bronze Age activity is known as there are a few subsided barrows. Stone Age flint tools, Bronze Age weapons and Roman coinage have also been found in the parish as well as a few spears and other weapons from the Anglo-Saxon era. Wicken's relative isolation and poverty has meant that several of the late medieval and early modern timber-framed houses survive. The medieval limestone cross which formerly stood on Cross Green was unburied and reinstated there in 1973. Wicken was listed as ''Wicha'' 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 manus ...

and ''Wiken'' in around 1200. The name comes from an Old-English dative plural ''wícum'' meaning "the dwellings" or "the trading settlement". Wicken also has the last twelve-sided

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This typ ...

still working in England, having been restored to full working order by a team of volunteers. The mill produces various grades and types of flour, milled using windpower driving two sets of burr crystal mill stones. The mill is open during the first weekend of every month and whenever the sails are turning. The mill is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The village was struck by a tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.

War memorial

Near the village green there is a memorial to the men of the area who died in the two World Wars. The name of Bailey is sadly prominent, with three in the First World War and one in the Second World War. There is also a mention of the 50th anniversary of the Women's Institute (1965).

Church

The

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

is dedicated to

Saint Laurence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...

and is at the eastern end of the village. The newer centre of the village is now some distance away. The church has a

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 ...

with three bays, a north and south

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

, a tower that contains five bells, a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

, a south porch and a large

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

on the north side of the tower. The present building is largely 14th century, with some 13th century stonework. Interred under the altar are

Henry Cromwell Henry Cromwell (20 January 1628 – 23 March 1674) was the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier, and an important figure in the Parliamentarian regime in Ireland. Biography Early life Henry Cromwell – the fourth son of Oli ...

, fourth son of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

along with his wife, some of their children and an unidentified Elizabeth Cromwell. The church is a Grade II* listed building.

Village life

The village's only

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

, The Maid's Head, so named since the mid-18th century, occupied a 15th-century thatched hall house, extended to the west in 1852, until it was hit by a fire in 1983. The building was rebuilt immediately to its original design. Former pubs include The Red Lion, recorded from the late 18th century until it closed in the 1930s, and the Black Horse at the top of Lode Lane, which closed by the 1950s. Upware retains the Five Miles from Anywhere Inn by the river. The village faces the larger settlement of

across a flat expanse of agricultural land, once flooded, and still called Soham Mere.

Recreation ground

The recreation ground is located on Chapel Lane and can be reached by navigating to the postcode CB75XZ. The recreation ground has a MUGA (Multi-use games area), football field with changing rooms and utilities, play equipment, recently added outdoor exercise equipment and zip-wire. It hosts the popular annual Wicken Beer Festival which is traditionally held on the second Saturday in May of every year.

References

Bibliography

External links

Wicken village websiteWicken Beer Festival
{{authority control Villages in Cambridgeshire Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire District