Shepreth
Encyclopedia
Shepreth is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire
, lying halfway between Cambridge
and Royston
.
to the north, which separates it from Barrington
, Foxton brook to the east, across which lies Foxton
, and Melbourn brook to the west, separating it from Meldreth
and Melbourn
. The field boundaries to the south border the parish of Fowlmere
.
Stone Age
weapons and tools have been found in the parish, and the land, formerly marshy, could thus have housed a lakeside settlement. Evidence of Roman habitation has been found on the drier ground in the northeast corner of the parish.
Listed as Esceprid in the Domesday Book
the name "Shepreth" means "sheep stream", and was used as a resting place where sheep could be washed on their route to Cambridge. The Sheep Bridge was still in use in 1626.
There is a Congregational chapel, erected in 1901 and seating 120 persons. A stone cross was erected on Pretty Corner in 1920, in memory of the men from the parish who fell in the Great War.
is on the Great Northern Line
, the main line between Cambridge
and London
.
The parish contains a wildlife park
, a nature reserve, Shepreth L-Moor
, and one of the UK's only insect research laboratories.
Shepreth now has two public houses, The Green Man at Frog End on the Cambridge to Royston road, and the Plough on the High Street. In the 18th century The Green Man was known as the Bottle and Anchor. The pub which is now known as The Plough burnt down and was rebuilt in 1896. The Railway Tavern by the station opened in 1873 and closed in around 1960.
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...
, lying halfway between 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...
and Royston
Royston
Royston is the name of several places:* Royston, South Yorkshire, England* Royston, British Columbia, Canada* Royston, Hertfordshire England** Royston Town F.C., an English football club* Royston, Glasgow, a district of Glasgow, Scotland...
.
History
The parish of Shepreth is roughly-rectangular and covers 1318 acres. It is bounded by the River CamRiver 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...
to the north, which separates it from Barrington
Barrington, Cambridgeshire
Barrington is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The village is about ten miles south-west of Cambridge, between Haslingfield and Shepreth....
, Foxton brook to the east, across which lies Foxton
Foxton
Foxton is the name of several places in the world:New Zealand* Foxton, New Zealand, in the North Island* Foxton Beach, North IslandUnited Kingdom* Foxton, Cambridgeshire, England* Foxton, County Durham, England* Foxton, Leicestershire, England...
, and Melbourn brook to the west, separating it from Meldreth
Meldreth
Meldreth is a village in South Cambridgeshire with about 1,600 inhabitants lying around 10 miles south-west of Cambridge.-History:The village of Meldreth grew in Saxon times, and the parish is home to Mettle Hill that was probably the original meeting place of Armingford Hundred...
and 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...
. The field boundaries to the south border the parish of Fowlmere
Fowlmere
Fowlmere is one of the southernmost villages in Cambridgeshire, England. It is very close to the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and 9 miles southwest of the city of Cambridge.- History :...
.
Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
weapons and tools have been found in the parish, and the land, formerly marshy, could thus have housed a lakeside settlement. Evidence of Roman habitation has been found on the drier ground in the northeast corner of the parish.
Listed as Esceprid 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 name "Shepreth" means "sheep stream", and was used as a resting place where sheep could be washed on their route to Cambridge. The Sheep Bridge was still in use in 1626.
Church
The parish church of All Saints is an ancient edifice of brick and flint in the Early English style, consisting of nave and a low western tower containing two bells. The chancel arch dates from the early 12th century. There are some monuments to the Layer family (who formerly possessed property here) dated 1730, 1743 and 1760. There is also an ancient font of Barnack stone, and an old oak treasure chest which was unearthed about 1895. The church was restored in 1870, and affords 120 sittings. The register dates from the year 1569.There is a Congregational chapel, erected in 1901 and seating 120 persons. A stone cross was erected on Pretty Corner in 1920, in memory of the men from the parish who fell in the Great War.
Village life
The village has had its own station since 1851. Shepreth railway stationShepreth railway station
Shepreth railway station serves the village of Shepreth in Cambridgeshire, England. The station is on the London Kings Cross to Cambridge Line south west of Cambridge.- Services :...
is on the Great Northern Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, the main line between 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...
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...
.
The parish contains a wildlife park
Wildlife Park
Wildlife Park is a construction and management simulation game released in 2003. Like Zoo Tycoon and Zoo Empire, the game involves players in building a wildlife park or zoo.-Animal list:45 animals were included in the original game....
, a nature reserve, Shepreth L-Moor
L-moor, Shepreth
Shepreth L-moor is managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and lies between the villages of Shepreth and Meldreth in the county of Cambridgeshire.- References...
, and one of the UK's only insect research laboratories.
Shepreth now has two public houses, The Green Man at Frog End on the Cambridge to Royston road, and the Plough on the High Street. In the 18th century The Green Man was known as the Bottle and Anchor. The pub which is now known as The Plough burnt down and was rebuilt in 1896. The Railway Tavern by the station opened in 1873 and closed in around 1960.