St Lawrence's Church, Wicken
Spinney Abbey is located about a mile from the village of Wicken. Wicken is a little village of about 600 souls on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens. It is about half way between the town of Newmarket and the city of Ely. It has been well known for many years as the home of Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Britain's oldest nature reserve. The village has a surprisingly strong sense of community, and still very much its own identity. Probably the most historic building in Wicken, apart from the church, is Spinney Abbey itself. The village is notable for other things too.
| Wicken has a church, St Lawrence's. The building is very old and there has been a church on that site for a long time. Buried in it is Henry Cromwell, the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell who lived in Spinney Abbey after his retirement from his office as Lord Deputy of Ireland at the Restoration. (He owned Spinney from 1659 to his death in 1673, and tradition has it that King Charles II visited him there). St Lawrence's is an active church with plenty going on - quite unusual in a parish of 600. There is also a Methodist Chapel, which has a good attendance too. In May 2000 the vicar of 25 years, Francis Beloe, retired to a well-earned rest in nearby Ely. |
St Lawrence's Church, Wicken |
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Bell ringing at Wicken with a young recruit |
In St Lawrence's church there are five bells, (click here for more about ringing at Wicken) which sound a bit rough but ring beautifully. There is almost always ringing on a Sunday for the church service. The Tower Captain is Mr. Robert Fuller of Spinney Abbey. The tenor (the largest bell) was repaired in spring 1996, with new bearings installed in the mediaeval oak bellframe. The cost was about £500, which the bellringers raised by holding a barbeque at Spinney Abbey in summer 1996. This event was notable for being the windiest day of the year, when just about everything was blown away. The oldest bell is pre-reformation, and was cast in 1494. After ringing practice the ringers often go down to the Maids Head Pub. |
The Maids Head has been the village pub for some time. It is a really good, traditional pub with food too. In the early 1980s it burnt down partly, and was rebuilt. There is a public bar, with darts and pool, and a little juke box. On the other side there is an excellent restaurant and lounge bar. The beer is nice, and the food is even better. The pub is not a bad place to meet Wicken people either. It is a good idea to make a reservation if you want to eat at the restaurant - especially at weekends.
Although there are no shops as such shopping is easier than you might think at Wicken. There is the farm shop at Hall Farm, run by Mr & Mrs Tyler. Chris Tyler is also a bellringer at the church, over the road. Tylers' sells very good home-produced meat, particularly pork, and home-made beefburgers, sausages etc. Wicken Fen Visitor's Centre is open most days and sells lots of souvenirs, books and even ice cream. There is also a tea room at Wicken Fen. People in Wicken have the usual fenland affinity for horticulture, and there are often roadside notices selling produce of various kinds. A local and very seasonal delicacy is asparagus. Only a short distance away the market town of Ely provides plenty of shopping, and a little further away is Cambridge - a place where one can browse in shops all day.
Author and local artist Tony Day has written some illustrated books about the history of Wicken and related topics. They can be obtained from the Wicken Fen Nature Reserve shop and elsewhere.
The Wicken Village Website is great for up-to-date village news and information about the village.
