Meldreth
Encyclopedia
Meldreth is a village
in South Cambridgeshire
with about 1,600 inhabitants lying around 10 miles south-west of Cambridge
.
. Listed as Melrede in the Domesday Book
, the village's name means "mill stream", named after the stream that rises at Melbourn Bury and flows north into the River Cam
.
Due to its proximity to Cambridge, much of the land has at some time been owned by colleges of the University of Cambridge
. In the early 16th century, Christ's College
moved to its Meldreth estate to escape the plague
.
The Domesday Book
compiled in 1086 has this listing for the village:
In 1952, the Royal Train carrying King George VI
's body passed through the station on its journey from Sandringham
to London. Residents gathered on the platform to pay their last respects to the King.
The village still has a stocks and whipping post, the traditional medieval punishment, last used in the village in 1860.
and London
. Orchards still exist in Meldreth, and locally-grown fruits and vegetables are sold in the village, most notably the Meldreth greengage
.
The village retains its own railway station
which opened in 1851. In 2001, local celebrations marked the 150th anniversary of Meldreth railway station
, which serves the residents of Meldreth and the neighbouring village of Melbourn
. Trains from the station run into Cambridge
and London King's Cross.
Only one public house is still open; The British Queen has been open since the first half of the 19th century. The first recorded pub in the village was The Bell (also known as The Old Bell or The Blue Bell Inn) which was housed in a thatched building that was built in 1676 and first recorded as a public house in 1726. The Bell closed in 1910. The Railway Tavern opened in 1858 and closed in 1959. It now houses the Tavern Art Gallery. Other former pubs include The Chequer, recorded in 1785 but believed to have closed soon after, and The Green Man which stood next to the brewery at North End and was open from 1808 till the late 19th century.
Meldreth is home to Meldreth Manor School, run by the charity Scope.
The prime meridian
runs through the village. A stone marker was erected near the western end of Fenny Lane, and unveiled in December 1999 by the Astronomer Royal
, Sir Martin Rees.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...
with about 1,600 inhabitants lying around 10 miles south-west of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
History
The village of Meldreth grew in Saxon times, and the parish is home to Mettle Hill (formerly known as Motlowehyll) that was probably the original meeting place of Armingford HundredHundreds of Cambridgeshire
Between Anglo-Saxon times and the 19th century Cambridgeshire was divided for administrative purposes into 17 hundreds, plus the borough of Cambridge...
. Listed as Melrede in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, the village's name means "mill stream", named after the stream that rises at Melbourn Bury and flows north into the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
.
Due to its proximity to Cambridge, much of the land has at some time been owned by colleges of the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. In the early 16th century, Christ's College
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
moved to its Meldreth estate to escape the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
.
The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
compiled in 1086 has this listing for the village:
Melrede: Abbot of Ely and Hardwin and Guy de Raimbeaucourt from him; Abbot of St. Evroul from Earl Roger; Colswein from Count Alan; Hardwin of Scales and Hugh from him; Guy de Raimbeaucourt. 7½ mills, monastery.
In 1952, the Royal Train carrying King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
's body passed through the station on its journey from Sandringham
Sandringham, Norfolk
Sandringham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some south of the village of Dersingham, north of the town of King's Lynn and north-west of the city of Norwich....
to London. Residents gathered on the platform to pay their last respects to the King.
The village still has a stocks and whipping post, the traditional medieval punishment, last used in the village in 1860.
Church
The parish church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity since 1443, consists of a chancel, aisled nave with south porch, and a west tower housing five bells. The chancel is unusually long and dates from the 12th century, perhaps indicating the existence of an earlier minster on the site. The tower dates from the late 12th century, with the top stage added in the late 13th century.Village life
The village, once famous for its fruit production, is now home to many commuters who work in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Orchards still exist in Meldreth, and locally-grown fruits and vegetables are sold in the village, most notably the Meldreth greengage
Greengage
The greengages, also known as the Reine Claudes, are the edible drupaceous fruits of a cultivar group of the common European plum. The first true greengage was bred in Moissac, France, from a green-fruited wild plum originally found in Asia Minor; the original greengage cultivar nowadays survives...
.
The village retains its own railway station
Meldreth railway station
Meldreth railway station serves the villages of Meldreth and Melbourn in Cambridgeshire, England on the Hitchin-Cambridge Line.- Services :Meldreth station receives stopping services on First Capital Connect's Great Northern line. Trains on this route operate between London King's Cross and Cambridge...
which opened in 1851. In 2001, local celebrations marked the 150th anniversary of Meldreth railway station
Meldreth railway station
Meldreth railway station serves the villages of Meldreth and Melbourn in Cambridgeshire, England on the Hitchin-Cambridge Line.- Services :Meldreth station receives stopping services on First Capital Connect's Great Northern line. Trains on this route operate between London King's Cross and Cambridge...
, which serves the residents of Meldreth and the neighbouring village of Melbourn
Melbourn
Melbourn is a large village in the far south west of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located next to the A10 just north of Royston. Melbourn has over 4,400 inhabitants...
. Trains from the station run into Cambridge
Cambridge railway station
Cambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, 1 mile south-east of the city centre...
and London King's Cross.
Only one public house is still open; The British Queen has been open since the first half of the 19th century. The first recorded pub in the village was The Bell (also known as The Old Bell or The Blue Bell Inn) which was housed in a thatched building that was built in 1676 and first recorded as a public house in 1726. The Bell closed in 1910. The Railway Tavern opened in 1858 and closed in 1959. It now houses the Tavern Art Gallery. Other former pubs include The Chequer, recorded in 1785 but believed to have closed soon after, and The Green Man which stood next to the brewery at North End and was open from 1808 till the late 19th century.
Meldreth is home to Meldreth Manor School, run by the charity Scope.
Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
runs through the village. A stone marker was erected near the western end of Fenny Lane, and unveiled in December 1999 by the Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the second is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834....
, Sir Martin Rees.
External links
- Meldreth Parish Council's website
- Meldreth website, information on the history of the village and a Meldreth Today section
- Meldreth Community Archive
- Meldreth Matters, the monthly village magazine
- Meldreth Primary School