Whaddon, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Whaddon is a village and civil parish in South
Cambridgeshire
, England
, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Royston
.
(now the A1198), separating it from Bassingbourn
and Wendy
, and its northern border follows the River Cam
, dividing it from Wimpole
and Orwell
. A stream separates it from Kneesworth to the south, and field boundaries from Melbourn
to the east.
Much of Whaddon was formerly part of the estate of Wimpole Hall
, and the hall's South Avenue, originally two double rows of elms planted in 1720 (now oak and lime), stretches 2 kilometres across the parish to Ermine Street. The Basin, an octagonal pool of around 150 metres in diameter, was added in 1721 just south of the river but was cleared a few decades later and filled with soil in 1968.
In 1812, an Act authorised the creation of a canal running from Whaddon to Sawston
as part of the Stort Navigation
, but the canal was never dug.
Listed as Wadone in the Domesday Book
of 1086, the name "Waddon" means "hill where wheat is grown".
built a school in the village. Numbers fell until in 1924 secondary pupils were sent to Meldreth and Bassingbourn. Finally in 1962 primary pupils were transferred to Orwell Petersfield school and the Whaddon school was closed. The building now serves as the village hall.
There are no longer any pubs in Whaddon. Between 1841 and around 1900 The Pickering Arms was open in the village, becoming a farmhouse after it closed and burning down in around 1970. The Home served coprolite
workers at Whaddon Green for several decades in the late 19th century. Though originally part of Melbourn, The Queen Adelaide opened south of Whaddon Green in around 1900, closing in 1956.
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...
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Royston
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
.
History
The parish of Whaddon covers an area of 1538 acres (622.4 ha). Its entire western boundary follows the Roman Ermine StreetErmine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
(now the A1198), separating it from Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn
Bassingbourn can refer to:* Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, a civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England* RAF Bassingbourn or Bassingbourn Barracks, a former military airbase located in Cambridgeshire...
and Wendy
Wendy, Cambridgeshire
Wendy is a hamlet in the civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy in South Cambridgeshire, England around 5 miles north west of Royston.-History:Wendy was a separate parish until 1957 when it was merged with neighbouring Shingay to form the present civil parish of Shingay cum Wendy. The historical parish...
, and its northern border follows 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...
, dividing it from Wimpole
Wimpole
Wimpole is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, about 8½ miles southwest of Cambridge. It is sometimes sub-divided into "Old Wimpole" and "New Wimpole". People from Wimpole include the Independent minister John Conder...
and Orwell
Orwell, Cambridgeshire
Orwell is a small rural village outside Cambridge in South Cambridgeshire, England.The Prime Meridian passes the eastern edge of Orwell.-History:...
. A stream separates it from Kneesworth to the south, and field boundaries from 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...
to the east.
Much of Whaddon was formerly part of the estate of Wimpole Hall
Wimpole Hall
Wimpole Hall is a country house located within the Parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about 8½ miles southwest of Cambridge. The house, begun in 1640, and its 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland are owned by the National Trust and are regularly open to the public.Wimpole is...
, and the hall's South Avenue, originally two double rows of elms planted in 1720 (now oak and lime), stretches 2 kilometres across the parish to Ermine Street. The Basin, an octagonal pool of around 150 metres in diameter, was added in 1721 just south of the river but was cleared a few decades later and filled with soil in 1968.
In 1812, an Act authorised the creation of a canal running from Whaddon to Sawston
Sawston
Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam seven miles south of Cambridge. It has a population of 7,150...
as part of the Stort Navigation
Stort Navigation
The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of the River Stort running from the town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire downstream to its confluence with the River Lee Navigation at Feildes Weir near Rye House, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.-History:...
, but the canal was never dug.
Listed as Wadone 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...
of 1086, the name "Waddon" means "hill where wheat is grown".
Church
The parish church of St Mary consists of a chancel, five-bay aisled and clerestoried nave, south porch, and west tower. The chancel is the oldest part of the present building, dating from the end of the 13th century. The nave and tower were added in the late 14th century.Village life
In 1875 the Earl of HardwickeCharles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke
Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke PC, DL , styled Viscount Royston until 1873, and nicknamed Champagne Charlie for his love of the high life, was a British aristocrat, Conservative politician, dandy and bankrupt.-Background:Hardwicke was the eldest son of Admiral Charles Yorke, 4th Earl...
built a school in the village. Numbers fell until in 1924 secondary pupils were sent to Meldreth and Bassingbourn. Finally in 1962 primary pupils were transferred to Orwell Petersfield school and the Whaddon school was closed. The building now serves as the village hall.
There are no longer any pubs in Whaddon. Between 1841 and around 1900 The Pickering Arms was open in the village, becoming a farmhouse after it closed and burning down in around 1970. The Home served coprolite
Coprolite
A coprolite is fossilized animal dung. Coprolites are classified as trace fossils as opposed to body fossils, as they give evidence for the animal's behaviour rather than morphology. The name is derived from the Greek words κοπρος / kopros meaning 'dung' and λιθος / lithos meaning 'stone'. They...
workers at Whaddon Green for several decades in the late 19th century. Though originally part of Melbourn, The Queen Adelaide opened south of Whaddon Green in around 1900, closing in 1956.