Waterbeach

Waterbeach
Waterbeach
Waterbeach shown within Cambridgeshire
Population 5,166 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference TL496654
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CAMBRIDGE
Postcode district CB25
Dialling code 01223
Police Cambridgeshire
Fire Cambridgeshire
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK Parliament

Waterbeach is a large village on the edge of the Fens in England. It is located some 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Cambridge and forms part of the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 8.98 square miles (23.3 km2).

History

Village

Waterbeach is on the Car Dyke, a Roman waterway whose course can be traced as far as Lincoln. Recent archaeological investigations have found extensive evidence of Roman settlement at the southern end of the village.

Waterbeach appears in the Domesday Book as Utbech. In the 12th Century, the Knights Templar were located at Denny Abbey located to the north of the village. The parish contains two Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Denny Abbey (which houses the Farmland Museum) and the site of Waterbeach Abbey (near the present church).

The lawyer/politician John Yaxley had acquired an estate at Waterbeach by 1610 and was living there. He and Edward Aungier of Cambridge purchased the manors of Waterbeach and Causeway from the Crown for £900 in 1614.[2]

Former RAF Waterbeach and Army Barracks

A Royal Air Force station, RAF Waterbeach, was built on the northern edge of the village in 1940, operating under RAF Bomber Command. After the Second World War, the station was operated by RAF Transport Command and then RAF Fighter Command until 1966, when the site transferred to the Royal Engineers and became Waterbeach Barracks. The small Museum has now closed, though it has been saved[3] and the collection put into storage, for a few years.

The barracks closed on 28 March 2013, following the move of all remaining Army units to RAF Kinloss in Scotland and to RAF Wittering during 2012–13. This will be developed to produce between 6,000 and 10,000 new homes.[4][5]

Today

St John's Church

Waterbeach expanded considerably in recent years due to the economic growth in the region and has become increasingly a dormitory for Cambridge and, to some extent, London. The village has several shops and businesses. There is a small industrial estate at the edge of the village and a number of small companies have premises in the village itself. Waterbeach Community Primary School is a school for approximately 300 pupils and is linked with the adjacent Waterbeach Independent Lending Library.

A Parish church dedicated to St John the Evangelist, a Baptist church famous for its connection with Charles Haddon Spurgeon,[6] and a corps of the Salvation Army are present in the village, as is a primary school. Active community groups include the Scouts and Girl Guides, the Army Cadet Force, several playgroups and a play scheme, and a Community Association. The Denny End industrial estate accommodates several businesses, such as the Milton Brewery and A&R Cambridge Ltd.

Transport

Waterbeach railway station lies on the Fen Line. The village lies close to the busy A10 road that also links London to King's Lynn. A regular bus service also operates through the village that links Cambridge to the towns of March, Wisbech and Littleport and the small city of Ely.[7] There has been talk of the railway station moving closer to the development at the Barracks when it is developed.

Notable people

In birth order:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ↑ History of Parliament Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Museum's collection is saved". Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Waterbeach Barracks closes to make way for housing". Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "First tranche of Army unit moves confirmed". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  6. ↑ Waterbeach Baptist Church, History Archived June 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Waterbeach". Oliver Merrington. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Jugge, Judge, Richard (JG531R)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

Bibliography

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