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Cottenham is a village in
Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
,
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 ...
. Cottenham is one of the larger villages surrounding 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 ...
, located around five miles north of the city. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 6,095. Cottenham is one of a number of villages that make up the historical Fen Edge region in between Cambridge and Ely, which were originally settlements on the shore of the marshes close to the city of Cambridge, then an inland port.


History

Much of Cottenham parish lies on a
lower greensand The Lower Greensand Group is a geological unit present across large areas of Southern England. It was deposited during the Aptian and Albian ages of the Early Cretaceous. It predominantly consists of sandstone and unconsolidated sand that were d ...
ridge around 25 feet (8m) above sea level, which until the 17th century draining of the
Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Ke ...
was the only dry land in between Cambridge and the
Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an Administrative counties of England, administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to ...
around 12 miles to the north-east of the village. The southern side of the parish lies on raised fertile red
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...
, and the original village settlement is believed to have started as a Roman British island community taking advantage of fertile pasture at the edge of the marshland in between Cambridge and Ely. The growth into a permanent medieval village is thought to have begun from a nucleus of houses defined by High Street, Rooks Street and Denmark Road, a suggestion supported by excavations off Denmark Road and High Street conducted by 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 ...
in 1997. The lowest part of the parish lies below 15 feet (4.5m) at Smithey Fen in the north of the village, with the remnants of excavated peat beds still present there. As part of an extensive fenland region, Cottenham is drained by a system of ditches and lodes which are believed to have been built or at least significantly expanded by the Romans. The northern regions of the parish drain into the Roman
Car Dyke The Car Dyke was, and to a large extent still is, a long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England for a distance of over . It is generally accepted as being a Roman invasion of Britain, Roman construction and was, f ...
, a large drainage ditch which traverses the Fens in between 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 ...
and the
River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse ( ) is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the ...
, and the central village drains into Cottenham Lode, one of the many
Cambridgeshire Lodes The Cambridgeshire Lodes are a series of man-made waterways, believed to be Roman in origin, located in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. Bottisham, Swaffham Bulbeck, Reach, Burwell, Wicken and Monks Lodes all connect to the River Cam, wh ...
used to connect villages to the River Great Ouse as it travelled towards
The Wash The Wash is a shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England in the United Kingdom. It is an inlet of the North Sea and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK, as well as being the largest natural ba ...
. The north-east of the parish is bounded by a section of the major Roman road,
Akeman Street Akeman Street is a Roman road in southern England between the modern counties of Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire. It is approximately long and runs roughly east–west. Akeman Street linked Watling Street just north of Verulamium (near mod ...
. The parish is recorded in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 as housing 60 tenants, however the population fluctuated until the 13th century when the parish boundaries became somewhat fixed and pastures were enclosed. River transportation along the River Great Ouse which lies to the north of the parish was extremely important throughout the Middle Ages, establishing Cottenham as a trade route in between Cambridge and the surrounding Fens, resulting in it becoming one of the largest villages in Cambridgeshire from the 11th century onwards. The primary road out of the village (now the B1049) travelled southwards to
Histon Histon is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is immediately north of Cambridge – and is separated from the city – by the A14 road (England), A14 road which runs eas ...
and onwards to
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 ...
. The main route into the Fens travelled north towards
Wilburton Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely. While nominally an agricultural village, many residents work in Cambridge, Ely or London. History Wilburton i ...
, and was bisected by the River Great Ouse to the north of Cottenham. Access to Wilburton and Ely was ''via'' the Twenty Pence Ferry which crossed the River Great Ouse in between Setchel Fen and Chear Fen, now regions of farmland at the northernmost end of the parish. The ferry crossing was maintained until modern times when a floating toll bridge was opened in 1901, and then finally a County Council-built bridge across the Ouse was constructed in 1929. The majority of houses became clustered on either side of the High Street, just over a mile in length and the main road into the city of Cambridge, resulting in Cottenham becoming a long village surrounded by parish pastures, with the village church built at the north of the High Street and the village green to the extreme south of the village. The long High Street and subsequent elongated geography of the village has led to two distinctive communities, the "Church End" and "Green End".


Great Fire of Cottenham

Cottenham houses have a mix of architectural styles because few houses have survived the numerous fires which have destroyed most of the older buildings. On 29 April 1676 a fire destroyed over half of the buildings in the village, over a hundred houses. Only three dwellings from before 1676 survive today: 11 High Street, 279 High Street, and 41 Denmark Road. The fire that occurred on 4 April 1850 is known as the Great Fire, and started on the High Street. Forty to fifty cottages burnt down, as well as the Black Horse and White Horse inns and the
Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
Chapel, which was housed in a barn on what is now Telegraph Street. Smaller fires were recorded in 1827, 1847 and 1852, each of which destroyed at least ten dwellings.


Victorian Development

The village's population boomed throughout the early 19th century, rising from 1100 in 1801 to 2300 in 1851. The
Inclosure Acts The inclosure acts created legal property rights to land previously held in common in England and Wales, particularly open fields and common land. Between 1604 and 1914 over 5,200 individual acts enclosing public land were passed, affecting 28,0 ...
in 1847 saw a widespread programme of land ownership and road-building, resulting in improved road routes to Rampton,
Oakington Oakington is a small rural village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Oakington and Westwick, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, dating back to Roman times. It is north-west of Cambridge. ...
and
Landbeach Landbeach is a small fen-edge English village about three miles (5 km) north of Cambridge. The parish covers an area of . History The fen edge north of Cambridge was well populated in Roman times, and the village's situation on a Roman roa ...
along with the creation of long and straight drove roads for livestock. Permanent drainage of the Fens by steam-powered pumping engines was authorised in 1842. These engines were later fuelled by oil and diesel before being converted to electricity in 1986. The size of the village resulted in comparatively early arrival of public services including a resident
police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an police officer, officer within a police ser ...
from 1841, a
post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
from 1843 and street lamps from 1849. A
typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
outbreak in the 1850s resulted in a drive to improve the village clean water supply, which was achieved by the New Cottenham Gas and Water Company, who sank a deep well and converted a Rampton Road
windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
into a water tower, which is still present today. The success of this scheme allowed for the introduction of piped water from 1903. Proposals were drawn up for a light railway to assist in the export of goods such as fruit, wheat and cheese to Cambridge, but this was never built. The village's nearest railway stations for goods export were at Histon and Oakington, on the Cambridge and St Ives branch line. This line has now been converted into the
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway is a guided busway and Bus rapid transit that connects Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives, Cambridgeshire, St Ives in Cambridgeshire, England. It has the longest guided busway in the world, surpassing the O-Bahn B ...
, a rapid transit bus commuter service into Cambridge which maintains the original railway station stops.


Transport

Cottenham is located on the B1049 road, linking to Cambridge and Wilburton. A shared pedestrian and cycle track links Cottenham and Histon, which is to be expanded towards Cambridge in 2018. Bus services link the village to Cambridge, Ely and to neighbouring Fen Edge villages.


Amenities

As a relatively large village, Cottenham has numerous amenities including two GP surgeries, a dental surgery, public library, Co-operative store, pharmacy, butcher, bakery, greengrocers, two newsagents (one of which now incorporates the Post Office) a primary school, and a secondary school and adult education centre combined in
Cottenham Village College Cottenham Village College is an academy school located in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, England. The school offers secondary education to pupils from the surrounding area. In addition, as part of Cambridgeshire's village college structure, Cottenh ...
. There are numerous other small businesses, organisations and charities present in the village. Cottenham has four remaining public houses: The Chequers, The Hop Bind, The Jolly Millers (temporarily closed) and The Waggon and Horses. Cottenham also has a fish and chip shop and Chinese takeaway, as well as a curry house established in the former White Horse public house. The Cottenham Community Centre (CCC) and coffee shop is on the High Street on the site of the old Methodist church, opposite the Co-op.


All Saints' Church

All Saints' Church is the Anglican parish church and is the largest major landmark in the village, located at the top of the High Street and visible from the surrounding fenland. The earliest documented evidence of a church in Cottenham is in a Charter of
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
King
Eadred Eadred (also Edred, – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death in 955. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder b ...
in 948. This church was replaced by a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
edifice in the 12th century, fragments of which can still be seen in the present building, which itself dates from the 15th century. The church is in the decorated gothic and perpendicular styles consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, north and south porches and a 100-foot-tall tower with four pinnacles containing a clock and six bells. A storm destroyed all but the base of the original church steeple, which was rebuilt between 1617 and 1619. The building has undergone numerous refurbishments over the years, most notably in 1867 when the interior saw major restoration, and 1928 when the upper bell tower saw major repairs completed.


Sport and recreation

The recreation ground is located off Lamb's Lane and is home to Cottenham United Football Club, Cottenham Cricket Club and a bowling green and tennis club. A social club was formed in 1965 to manage the facilities, overseeing the building of a new pavilion in 1974 and the extension of grounds in 1980.British History: Cottenham Introduction
/ref> The
Village College The village college is an institution specific to Cambridgeshire, England, including the Peterborough unitary authority area. It caters for the education of 11- to 16-year-olds during the day, and provides educational and leisure facilities to t ...
provides a gymnasium, sports centre and field, 3G pitch and tennis courts for the community. The college is also home to the Cottenham Renegades, north Cambridge's only rugby-for-pleasure club; the team is also affiliated with The Cottenham Club.


Cottenham Racecourse

Horse riding is relatively popular in the parish, with numerous maintained bridleways and riding clubs. A racecourse lies directly to the east of the village at Mason's Pasture off Beach Road. The University of Cambridge horse racing clubs have been riding at Mason's Pasture since the late 18th century. The National Hunt Chase, now held at the
Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...
, was staged there in 1870 and 1877. A permanent course was laid out in the 1880s and the land bought by the parish in 1918, with the grandstand rebuilt in 1923. The racecourse was used for three point-to-point race meetings each year, usually in January, February and March, until its closure in 2020.


Notable residents

Immigrant to the American colony of New England, John Coolidge, was born in Cottenham and baptised at All Saints' Church in September 1604. Among his many notable American descendants is US President J.
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...
. The family home is believed to be the thatched cottage adjacent to All Saints’ Church. Calvin Coolidge contributed funds to the restoration of the church tower in 1928. Ancestors of diarist
Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...
lived in the village and his greatgrandfather acquired the manor of Cottenham. Other descendants of the Pepys family of Cottenham include Sir Richard Pepys and
Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham Charles Christopher Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham, (; 29 April 178129 April 1851) was an English lawyer, judge and politician. He was twice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. Background and education Cottenham was born in London, the second ...
.
Thomas Tenison Thomas Tenison (29 September 163614 December 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs. Life He was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, the son a ...
,
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
between 1694 and 1715, was born in Cottenham in 1636. The Norwich City and
Leeds United F.C. Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship ...
footballer Adam Drury was born in Cottenham.


Cottenham village design statement

Cottenham was one of the first villages in the United Kingdom to produce a
Village design statement Village design statement (VDS) is a term of English rural planning practice. A VDS is a document that describes the distinctive characteristics of the locality, and provides design guidance to influence future development and improve the physical q ...
. It was one of four pilot projects, the others being
Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-west of ...
,
Cartmel Cartmel is a village in Furness (traditionally "Lancashire-over-the-Sands" (and in the ceremonial county of Cumbria), England, northwest of Grange-over-Sands close to the River Eea. The village takes its name from the Cartmel Peninsula, a ...
in Cumbria and
Down Ampney Down Ampney (pronounced ''Amney'') is a medium-sized village located in Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, in England. The population taken at the 2011 census was 644. It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester and Faringdon (in Ox ...
in Gloucestershire. These were promoted as "exemplars", together with written guidance training and advice for other communities wishing to take up the initiative. The document was updated in 2007.South Cambridgeshire District Council: Cottenham Design Statement
/ref>


Nearby villages

*
Wilburton Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely. While nominally an agricultural village, many residents work in Cambridge, Ely or London. History Wilburton i ...
* Rampton * Willingham *
Oakington and Westwick Oakington is a small rural village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Oakington and Westwick, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, dating back to Roman times. It is north-west of Cambridge. ...
*
Landbeach Landbeach is a small fen-edge English village about three miles (5 km) north of Cambridge. The parish covers an area of . History The fen edge north of Cambridge was well populated in Roman times, and the village's situation on a Roman roa ...
* Histon and Impington


References


External links


Cottenham Parish Council
{{authority control Villages in Cambridgeshire Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire District