Sawston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sawston | |
|---|---|
| OS Grid Reference: | TL487496 |
| Lat/Lon: | |
| Population: | 7,150 (2001 Census) |
| Dwellings: | 2,877 (2001 Census) |
| Formal status: | Village |
| Administration | |
| County: | Cambridgeshire |
| Region: | East Anglia |
| Nation: | England |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | Cambridge |
| Postcode: | CB22 |
| Dialling Code: | 01223 |
Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam seven miles south of Cambridge. It is the largest village in the county with a population of 7,150 (Census 2001). It is debatable whether it should be described as a village or a town, it fulfils many of the criteria for being a town such as a High Street with shops and banks.
Sawston Hall is a Tudor Manor House rebuilt in the 16th century. Historically it was owned by the Huddleston family, a prominent Catholic family in England. Queen Mary I of England spent a night there before she was queen because she was hiding from John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, a Protestant nobleman. John Huddleston disguised her out of Sawston Hall as a dairy maid and Northumberland's supporters burned Sawston Hall when they could not find Mary. The hall was rebuilt after Mary's coronation, in fact the new Monarch donated some of the rubble from the ruined Cambridge castle for the rebuilding. It is assumed that only a ruined portion of the castle was donated as most of Sawston Hall is brick built.
The Hall is supposed to be haunted quite severely. In 1985 a photograph was taken showing a ghostly face at one of the windows and the headless ghost of Queen Mary I is reputed to live there. It has been the subject of a paranormal investigation by the Cambridge Paranormal Group, during which they heard 'several loud bangs'.It is proposed that the Hall be converted into a hotel which would provide jobs for the village - at the present time it appears likely that the lawyers of the previous owner rather than the ghosts of former residents pose the greatest danger to this plan.
Sawston Hall sits adjacent to the, earlier, Norman styled St. Mary's church.
Contents |
[edit] Prehistory
Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a hamlet for 400 to 600 years, there is evidence for a settlement in the vicinity dating back to the early Bronze age almost 5000 years ago. The northern high-ground in Sawston would have been the only vantage point from which to view the ancient Hill figures discovered in the Wandlebury section of the Gog-Magog hills.
[edit] Geology
The underground structure of Sawston is the same as that of the region - permeable chalk and impermeable clay. The low-lying nature of the village is indicative of a former flood plain which still tends towards the moist, although comparatively recent dredging of the local ditches and rivers has alleviated the general flooding problem. The chalky nature of the local geology provides for a clean, if hard, water supply as it is drawn from artesian wells in the area. The chalk and clay in the area contains a large quantity of flint that often finds its way into older local construction.
While some larger industries and sites in the area draw their water supplies directly from bore holes in the chalk, there have been problems with toxic chemicals and waste being discharged into the ground water, necessitating filters on the supply to protect against an outbreak of poisoning and Cryptosporidiosis. This has particularly been attributed to the large leather works to the south of the village.
There is a hill, Huckeridge Hill, to the north west of the village. At 32m it is a good viewpoint for the Gogs across the valley of the Granta.
[edit] Local Industry
For the last couple of hundred years, the two principle industries in Sawston's environs have been Paper & Printing and Leather. The original paper mill in Sawston is on the current Spicers site, named after the family who owned the mill in the last century. This complex is located at the north-west corner of the parish.
There are two sites in Sawston which support or have formerly supported Tanning facilities. The site south of the village centre and backing onto the grounds of the Sawston manor house - Sawston Hall - is the Hutchins and Harding site. The other site is on the southern border of the village, crossing over into neighbouring Pampisford, the Eastern Counties Leather site which has now been mostly converted into a general industrial estate. These industries were introduced into Sawston to take advantage of the clean water supply. Examination reveals that both sites are located on bore holes or streams.
A further large industrial estate exists in the north of the village adjacent to Babraham Road
[edit] Education, Local Government and Facilities
Sawston Village College was the first ever village college to be built, by Henry Morris in 1930. As of 2005 it has 1,085 pupils in 5 year groups and approximately 50 teaching staff, the current Principal is Mrs June Cannie. In addition to this the village also has the Icknield primary school, the John Falkner infant school, the John Paxton junior school and a number of nursery and preschool groups.
The Parish Council is currently in the process of building a new parish council office building on Link road which will incorporate a new village library and village museum. The Sawston Health Centre has recently moved into a larger building on the new London Road site. Plans are ongoing for the construction of a village community centre but no site has currently been found. The Sawston Parish Council is active in many aspects of village life, and is - being a rural council - dominated by Conservative and Liberal Democrat representatives.
Most social events in the village take place either in the villages seven pubs or on the Sawston Village College site which incorporates a youth centre (including theatre), an Assembly Hall which is also fitted out as a show venue and a new Arts Centre. The Villiage College site also has a new, large sports centre with two large halls, a large swimming pool, and multiple fully-equipped gyms.
The village has three very active churches, Sawston Free Church with Ministers Peter and Catherine Ball, Saint Mary's Church, with the Revd. Dr. Giles Kendall and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Father David Hennessy. A recent plan to demolish the Catholic Church in favour of new flats and other accommodation has recently been submitted to the Council.
Due to its size the village hosts a large number of youth groups and clubs, as well as some organised by the village college, Sawston has a Boys Brigade Company, Girls Brigade Company, ATC Squadron, Army Cadet Force, Sawston Youth Drama, Sawston United Youth Football Club, Scout Troop, Guide Group and a large independent group known as the Sawston Youth Group.
Sawston is the base for the charity Opportunities Without Limits (OWL). OWL has their headquarters on the Village College site, where they maintain the school gardens and hedges. They incoporate a number of other training projects for adults with learning difficulties including a bike refurbishment and resell shop, and a café down the high street.
