Coe Fen is a semi-rural

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

land area to the east of the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...

in the south of the city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

.Coe Fen / Sheep's Green
,

Cambridge City Council Cambridge City Council is the local authority for Cambridge, a non-metropolitan district with city status in the United Kingdom, city status in Cambridgeshire, England. The council has been under Labour Party (UK), Labour majority control since ...

. It lies at the back of

Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...

(one of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

colleges) to the north, the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

, and

The Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational private school in Cambridge, England. It is a boarding and day school for about 565 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen. The head is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. ...

to the south. The

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

is straddled by the

Fen Causeway Fen Causeway or the Fen Road is the modern name for a Roman road of England that runs between Denver, Norfolk in the east and Peterborough in the west.Phillips, C.W. ''The Fenland in Roman Times''. Royal Geographical Society (1970). Its path c ...

(

A1134 road This is a list of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. ...

) across the Cam. There is also a footbridge at the back of The Leys School to the south and

Crusoe Bridge Crusoe Bridge is a footbridge over the River Cam in Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and i ...

is just north of the Fen Causeway Bridge. The area is very bucolic considering its closeness to the centre of Cambridge and

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

s graze the grassland here. Walking and cycling is pleasant in the area and in the summer there is punting on the river. On the opposite (west) side of the river is Sheep's Green, and Sheep's Green and Coe Fen is a Local Nature Reserve.

History

Coe Fen and Sheep's Green form a natural area that was once important for the commercial activity of Cambridge. There were up to three

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

s in the area. The land between the artificially raised banks of the

watercourse A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

s was liable to flooding and thus only suitable for grazing (cows on ''Coe Fen'',

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

on ''Sheep's Green'', hence the names). By the 19th century, the fen had become very

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

gy and was partially drained to help avoid disease. Today, the land is a semi-natural area.

Hodson's Folly

Hodson’s Folly is a small stone shelter in the classical style near the bridge between Sheep’s Green and Coe Fen. The summerhouse was built in 1887 by John Hodson, who later became a Pembroke College butler, to keep watch on his daughter when she swam in the river. The site has been in the ownership of Cambridge City Council since 1936. It was attacked by vandals in 2014, prompting a petition to restore it. In 2013 Cambridge Past Present and Future is working with local people to restore and improve the Hodson's Folly, its boathouse and secret garden.

Laundress Green

The northern end of Coe Fen extends across punt rollers to connect with Mill Lane across a weir. The grassy peninsula is named after the former practice of stretching out laundry there, to dry and bleach in the sun. Owing to its proximity to the pubs ''The Anchor'' and ''The Mill'', it is a popular spot for picnics in summer.

Use of the name

''Coe Fen'' is the name of a hymn tune by Ken Naylor, who was music master at the Leys School. It is used for the hymn ''How shall I sing that majesty?''

References

{{coord, 52.1975, N, 0.1190, E, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Parks and open spaces in Cambridge History of Cambridge Water-meadows Fens of England

History

Hodson's Folly

Laundress Green

Use of the name

See also

References