Wicken is a small village on the edge of

The Fens The Fens or Fenlands 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 system o ...

near

Soham Soham ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 road, A142 between Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely and Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket. Its population ...

East Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire (locally known as East Cambs) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the cathedral city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural a ...

, ten miles north east of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

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, Cambridgeshire, Wicken in Cambridgeshire. It is also a National Nature Reserve, and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is protected by international designations ...

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 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, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...

, 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 Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

findings from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. Of Wicken some Bronze Age activity is known as there are a few subsided barrows.

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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

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 t ...

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 is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. 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 place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

is dedicated to

Saint Laurence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 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 Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

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 a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

, a tower that contains five bells, a

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

, a south porch and a large

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

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 was born at Huntingdon on ...

, fourth son of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

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 in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

, 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