Elm, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Elm is a Fenland
village in Cambridgeshire
, England
. The civic parish of Elm, had a resident population of 3,295, as recorded during the 2001 United Kingdom
census. It is located alongside the county boundary with Norfolk
,on the outskirts of the market town of Wisbech
. The northern end of Elm, alongside Elm Low Road, acts as an adjacent suburb of Wisbech. Elm is situated in the heart of The Fens
.
Drainage and falling sea levels may have prompted the settlement of Elm by the Medieval period. In the 13th Century the parish was prosperous enough to fund the building of a significantly extravagant church. However, the lower laying parts of the parish were probably not fully drained and reclaimed until as recently as between the 17th and 19th Centuries. Later satellite settlements formed to the south of the parish at Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire
and at Coldham, Cambridgeshire
, alongside the Leam, where land was better drained.
Elm, or Elme, once had a stop on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
, known as Elmbridge
as it was located just over the border in Norfolk
near to a bridge that spanned the former Wisbech Canal
. This canal connected the River Nene at Wisbech, to a junction with the Well Creek and the Old River Nene at Outwell, and passed along the northern edge of Elm.
The canal was abandoned, and finally filled in during the 1970s. Parts of it have been converted into a public green lane that starts at the post office, and terminates at the site of Collets Bridge. The tramway that ran alongside the canal was in turn closed to passengers from 1927, and finally discontinued as a freight line in 1966. It also has since been dismantled.
Besides allotments and market-gardening, a number of apple, pear, and plum orchards have been planted on the better drained soils close to the village centre in the north of the parish, while the lower laying peat soils further out, are cultivated as high grade arable land. The orchards (some of which have since been replaced by new housing developments) use to attract fruit pickers from London on working holidays. After World War II, many of these seasonal visitors would stay at a disused POW camp at Friday Bridge. The camp today is used mainly by seasonal agricultural workers from abroad.
A stream, known as The Leam, once flowed from March to Wisbech, past the church, and through the village. This stream has now been drained away, and only survives today as a pond to the south of Elm, at Friday Bridge.
The parish church is a large pin spired, stone building, mainly of Early English 13th century origin, and is dedicated to All Saints. Other notable local buildings include the Grade II listed Elm House, that has been dated to 1630, and the Sportsman public house, dated to the late 17th Century.
. The nearest serviceable railway station is at March, Cambridgeshire
. National Cycle Network
63 from Wisbech to Burton on Trent, passes directly through the village.
, the largest British manufacturer of steam rollers and other steam-powered vehicles.
Fenland
Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in March, and covers the neighbouring market towns of Chatteris, Whittlesey, and Wisbech, often called the "capital of the fens"...
village in 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...
. The civic parish of Elm, had a resident population of 3,295, as recorded during the 2001 United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
census. It is located alongside the county boundary with Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
,on the outskirts of the market town of Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
. The northern end of Elm, alongside Elm Low Road, acts as an adjacent suburb of Wisbech. Elm is situated in the heart of The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
.
Elm
Situated in the Fens, much of the parish would have been undrained salt marsh and salt lagoon, with any higher areas, such as that around Wisbech, forming fen-islands. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers would have fished and hunted waterfowl from these islands. Later, farmers would have grazed their sheep and other livestock on the rich marsh pastures. The area was also occupied during the Roman period, with domestic finds scattered through the parish, concentrating along the Leam stream that may have been canalised during the Roman period. Asides from agriculture, there is archaeological evidence of salt processing in the Elm area.Drainage and falling sea levels may have prompted the settlement of Elm by the Medieval period. In the 13th Century the parish was prosperous enough to fund the building of a significantly extravagant church. However, the lower laying parts of the parish were probably not fully drained and reclaimed until as recently as between the 17th and 19th Centuries. Later satellite settlements formed to the south of the parish at Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire
Friday Bridge, Cambridgeshire
Friday Bridge is a village in Elm civil parish, part of the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England....
and at Coldham, Cambridgeshire
Coldham, Cambridgeshire
Coldham is a hamlet in Elm civil parish, part of the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. It likes men...
, alongside the Leam, where land was better drained.
Elm, or Elme, once had a stop on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway was a rural standard gauge tramway in East Anglia. It was built by the Great Eastern Railway between Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and Upwell, Norfolk to carry agricultural produce. Although called a tram, in many ways it more closely resembled a conventional railway...
, known as Elmbridge
Elmbridge railway station (Upwell Tramway)
Elmbridge railway station was a stop on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. It was located on the outskirts of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, though actually in the county of Norfolk being just across the border from Wisbech. It was opened in 1883 to serve nearby settlements and closed to passengers in 1927...
as it was located just over the border in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
near to a bridge that spanned the former Wisbech Canal
Wisbech Canal
The Wisbech Canal was a broad canal near Wisbech in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire, England. It ran from the River Nene at Wisbech to the Well Creek at Outwell in Norfolk, which gave access to the River Ouse. It was abandoned in 1926 and filled in during the 1970s.-History:The canal was planned...
. This canal connected the River Nene at Wisbech, to a junction with the Well Creek and the Old River Nene at Outwell, and passed along the northern edge of Elm.
The canal was abandoned, and finally filled in during the 1970s. Parts of it have been converted into a public green lane that starts at the post office, and terminates at the site of Collets Bridge. The tramway that ran alongside the canal was in turn closed to passengers from 1927, and finally discontinued as a freight line in 1966. It also has since been dismantled.
Besides allotments and market-gardening, a number of apple, pear, and plum orchards have been planted on the better drained soils close to the village centre in the north of the parish, while the lower laying peat soils further out, are cultivated as high grade arable land. The orchards (some of which have since been replaced by new housing developments) use to attract fruit pickers from London on working holidays. After World War II, many of these seasonal visitors would stay at a disused POW camp at Friday Bridge. The camp today is used mainly by seasonal agricultural workers from abroad.
A stream, known as The Leam, once flowed from March to Wisbech, past the church, and through the village. This stream has now been drained away, and only survives today as a pond to the south of Elm, at Friday Bridge.
The parish church is a large pin spired, stone building, mainly of Early English 13th century origin, and is dedicated to All Saints. Other notable local buildings include the Grade II listed Elm House, that has been dated to 1630, and the Sportsman public house, dated to the late 17th Century.
Local services
Although situated close to the market town of Wisbech, Elm is locally serviced by a primary school, a post office, local shop, hairdressers, garages, and three public houses. A bus service stops in Elm, running between Wisbech and March, CambridgeshireMarch, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
. The nearest serviceable railway station is at March, Cambridgeshire
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
. National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
63 from Wisbech to Burton on Trent, passes directly through the village.
Notable residents
Pioneering agricultural engineer Thomas Aveling was born in Elm on 11 September 1824. He was the co-founder of Aveling and PorterAveling and Porter
Aveling and Porter was a British agricultural engine and steam roller manufacturer. Thomas Aveling and Richard Thomas Porter entered into partnership in 1862, developed a steam engine three years later in 1865 and produced more steam rollers than all the other British manufacturers combined.-The...
, the largest British manufacturer of steam rollers and other steam-powered vehicles.