Wisbech
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wisbech | ||
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| OS Grid Reference: | TF460098 | |
| Lat/Lon: | ||
| Population: | 20,200 (2001 Census) | |
| Dwellings: | 9,145 (2001 Census) | |
| Formal status: | Town | |
| Administration | ||
| County: | Cambridgeshire | |
| Region: | East of England | |
| Nation: | England | |
| Post Office and Telephone | ||
| Post town: | Wisbech | |
| Postcode: | PE13, PE14 | |
| Dialling Code: | 01945 | |
Wisbech (IPA: ['wɪzbiʧ]) is a market town and inland port with a population of about 20,000 in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges. The name is believed to mean mouth of the (River) Ouse but it has never been resolved.
Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 coming into force in 1974 Wisbech was a municipal borough. It is now a civil parish in the Fenland district.
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[edit] History
A Norman castle to fortify Wisbech was built by William I, and in later Tudor times became a notorious prison. The Castle was rebuilt in the mid-17th century and again in 1816 by Joseph Medworth, who also developed the Crescent, familiar as the setting in numerous costume dramas. The major town dwelling is Peckover House with its fine walled garden, built for the Quaker/banking family in 1722 and now owned by the National Trust.
In the 17th century, the local inhabitants became known as the "Fen Tigers" because of their resistance to the draining of the fens, but the project turned Wisbech into a wealthy port handling agricultural produce. At this time Wisbech was on the estuary of the River Ouse, but silting caused the coastline to move north, and the River Nene was diverted to serve the town.
The eight-kilometre (5-mile) £6 million A47 Wisbech/West Walton Bypass opened in autumn 1984.
Elgood's Brewery is a local independent brewery whose ales are sent out across England.
[edit] Railways
Wisbech once had four railways leading to Magdalen, March, Sutton Bridge and Peterborough, although these no longer exist. However, there are plans to re-introduce the branchline between Wisbech and March under the name of the "Bramley line".[1]
[edit] Culture
The Angles Theatre is a thriving professional theatre, run almost entirely by volunteers and backed by many leading names including Derek Jacobi, Jo Brand and Cameron Mackintosh. It is also the home of the "Nine Lives" theatre company, a company formed as part of Performing Arts programme run by the Isle College.
Every summer a "rose fair" is held in St. Peter's church. The church is decorated with flower displays sponsored by local organisations and businesses. A parade of floats forms up in Queens Road and circuits the town. Strawberry and cream teas are served and stalls raise funds for local charities. Coaches bring visitors from a wide area. Details are available from the local tourist office.
Wisbech is twinned with Arles in France.
[edit] Sport
The local football team is Wisbech Town Football Club, nicknamed The Fenmen.
[edit] Notable buildings
- Peckover House (1722; owned by the National Trust)
- St. Peter and St. Paul's, the parish church.
- Octavia Hill Birthplace Museum where she was born before her family's move to London.
- Wisbech Museum ; extensive collections of local records and other items.
[edit] Famous people associated with Wisbech
- William Godwin, (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English political writer and novelist, considered one of the important precursors of both utilitarian and liberal anarchist thought. Born in Wisbech. Godwin's daughter, Mary, married the poet Shelley - she became Mary Shelley, the famed author of Frankenstein.
- John Feckenham, last Abbot of Westminster. He was, like many other Catholic clergymen including several bishops, imprisoned in Wisbech Castle and died there.
- Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham, two of the key participants in the Gunpowder Plot, were imprisoned in Wisbech Castle's infamous dungeons during the late 1500's.
- Thomas Clarkson, the anti-slavery campaigner, was from Wisbech and was educated at Wisbech Grammar School. The Clarkson Memorial was built to commemorate his life, and is situated on the south bank of the Nene, near to the old bridge.
- John Clarkson, younger brother of Thomas, another key figure in the British abolitionist movement. He organized the voluntary migration of former slaves, freed by the British as part of a deal to reward their loyalty to the Crown during the American War of Independence, to Sierra Leone, where he became Governer.
- Octavia Hill, co-founder of the National Trust, was born in Wisbech.
- Octavia Hill's sister Miranda Hill, probably also born at Wisbech, founded the influential Kyrle Society, a progenitor of the National Trust.
- Sir Harry Kroto, 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, for the discovery of fullerenes.
- Anton Rodgers, actor, born in Wisbech.
- Rev. W. Awdrey the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine
- Toby the Tram Engine, one of the Rev.W. Awdrey's characters, is based on the small steam trams that used to transport farm produce on the Strawberry Line between Wisbech and Upwell. See Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
- Charles Dickens. The original manuscript of Great Expectations resides at the Wisbech and Fenland Museum. The manuscript can be viewed on the first Saturday of each month.
- Jesse Pye. Professional football player, who scored two goals in 1949 FA Cup Final, and who represented England at international level, became player-manager for Wisbech Town F.C. from 1960-1966. He scored the goal that knocked Colchester out of the First Round of the F.A Cup in the 1959/60 season.
- Tony Martin while living in an isolated farmhouse just outside Wisbech, gained notoriety for shooting and killing one of two young men, both from a travelling community, who were burgling his home one night. Although he was convicted and imprisoned for murder, he became somewhat of a local celebrity, as the Fenland population, feeling victimized by the high levels of burglary and theft, particularly in the rural areas, saw the Tony Martin incident as a symbol of rough justice.
[edit] In film and television
Wisbech is noted for its unspoilt Georgian architecture, particularly along North Brink and The Crescent. It has been used in BBC One's 1999 adaptation of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and ITV1's Micawber, starring David Jason.
[edit] Wisbech in the News
On 27 June 1970, the heaviest point rainfall was recorded in Wisbech, when 50.8 mm (2 in) fell in just twelve minutes during the Strawberry Fair.[2]
On September 21st, 1979, two Harrier jump jets on a training exercise collided over Wisbech. Both crashed - one into a field, and the other into a residential area. Two houses and a bungalow were demolished on Ramnoth Road, causing the death of two adults and a two year old boy. BBC Archive
The 'Rabbits on the Roundabout' caused locals considerable discussion. A number of rabbits took up residence on a town centre roundabout, causing damage to the flowers and shrubs. Despite calls to remove them, local opposition prevailed and the 'Wisbech Warren is a popular local tourist attraction.
According to a study looking into immigration patterns, Wisbech has been identified as the seventh "most English" town in Britain. Sky News
