Fen Drayton
Encyclopedia
Fen Drayton is a small village between Cambridge
and St. Ives
in Cambridgeshire
, England
, and between the villages of Fenstanton
and Swavesey
.
Much of the working population commutes to work in one of the larger towns or cities nearby, however, there are also a number of farms in the village, some still active.
The village has a primary school
, village hall, tennis courts and football fields, where Drayton Lions Football Club play their home matches, and a pub (The Three Tuns). The church (a Church of England
) is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.
The village is close to the A14, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
and is on National Cycle Route 51.
According to the 2001 census, it is home to 827 people, living in some 329 dwellings. The population was nearly entirely white
(99.3%), with 0.4% Asian
/Asian British, and 0.4% of mixed ethnicity. 71.5% of the population were Christian
, compared to 1.1% listed under 'other religion
' (27.4% claimed 'no religion' or did not state a religion).
comprising four lakes formed from exhausted sand and gravel pit
s. These were worked since the 1950s, by ARC (now Hanson plc
), and is now a habitat for some 190 bird species, along with other associated wildlife. In particular, Gadwall
, Wigeon, Pintail
, Goldeneye
, Smew
, Coot
and Bittern
populations may be seen: it is estimated that 2% of the UK's Bittern population, and 4% of the UK's cold weather Smew population, reside here, making it an important site. The RSPB purchased much of the site in 2007.
The reserve is accessible from the surrounding villages of Fen Drayton, Swavesey
and Fenstanton
. It is not accessible from nearby Holywell
as Holywell is other side of the River Great Ouse
and there is no bridge.
It is open every day (and all day), with no charge, and two car parks, rights of way (footpaths, bridleways and a byway) and hides
around the lakes. In times of heavy rain and river flooding, the entire reserve goes under water, including car parks and most rights of way.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway passes through the reserve using part of the old Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
and the busway was opposed at the planning stage for disturbing this reserve. The route for the guided busway was cleared or vegetation over the winter 2007–2008.
It is planned that the reserve will become part of a much larger wetland area along the River Great Ouse linking to the Hanson-RSPB Wetland Project at Needingworth Quarry that should become Britain's largest reedbed within the next 30 years. This will then connect to reserves at Ouse Washes and Welney
north of Earith
. The Ouse Washes are managed by the RSPB and Welney is run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and St. Ives
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
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...
, and between the villages of Fenstanton
Fenstanton
Fenstanton – in Huntingdonshire , England – is a village near Hemingford Grey two miles south of St Ives lying on the south side of the River Ouse....
and Swavesey
Swavesey
Swavesey is a village lying on the Greenwich Meridian in Cambridgeshire, England, with an approximate population of 2,480. The village is situated 9 miles to the north west of Cambridge and 3 miles south east of St...
.
Much of the working population commutes to work in one of the larger towns or cities nearby, however, there are also a number of farms in the village, some still active.
The village has a primary school
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, village hall, tennis courts and football fields, where Drayton Lions Football Club play their home matches, and a pub (The Three Tuns). The church (a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
) is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.
The village is close to the A14, the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway , branded the busway , is a public transport scheme connecting the population centres of Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives in the English county of Cambridgeshire...
and is on National Cycle Route 51.
According to the 2001 census, it is home to 827 people, living in some 329 dwellings. The population was nearly entirely white
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
(99.3%), with 0.4% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
/Asian British, and 0.4% of mixed ethnicity. 71.5% of the population were Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, compared to 1.1% listed under 'other religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
' (27.4% claimed 'no religion' or did not state a religion).
Nature reserve
Just north of the village is the Fen Drayton Nature Reserve, a 108 hectares (267 acre) reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
comprising four lakes formed from exhausted sand and gravel pit
Gravel pit
Gravel pit is the term for an open cast working for extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may fill naturally with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas...
s. These were worked since the 1950s, by ARC (now Hanson plc
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
), and is now a habitat for some 190 bird species, along with other associated wildlife. In particular, Gadwall
Gadwall
The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...
, Wigeon, Pintail
Northern Pintail
The Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator...
, Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Their closest relative is the similar Barrow's Goldeneye....
, Smew
Smew
The Smew is a small duck, which is somewhat intermediate between the typical mergansers and the goldeneyes . It is the only member of the genus Mergellus; sometimes included in Mergus, this genus is distinct and might actually be a bit closer to the goldeneyes...
, Coot
Eurasian Coot
The Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...
and Bittern
Great Bittern
The Eurasian Bittern or Great Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies.-Etymology:...
populations may be seen: it is estimated that 2% of the UK's Bittern population, and 4% of the UK's cold weather Smew population, reside here, making it an important site. The RSPB purchased much of the site in 2007.
The reserve is accessible from the surrounding villages of Fen Drayton, Swavesey
Swavesey
Swavesey is a village lying on the Greenwich Meridian in Cambridgeshire, England, with an approximate population of 2,480. The village is situated 9 miles to the north west of Cambridge and 3 miles south east of St...
and Fenstanton
Fenstanton
Fenstanton – in Huntingdonshire , England – is a village near Hemingford Grey two miles south of St Ives lying on the south side of the River Ouse....
. It is not accessible from nearby Holywell
Holywell, Cambridgeshire
Holywell is a village in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire), England. It is half a mile south of Needingworth, and east of St Ives.-The holy well:...
as Holywell is other side of the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
and there is no bridge.
It is open every day (and all day), with no charge, and two car parks, rights of way (footpaths, bridleways and a byway) and hides
Bird hide
A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
around the lakes. In times of heavy rain and river flooding, the entire reserve goes under water, including car parks and most rights of way.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway passes through the reserve using part of the old Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
Cambridge and Huntingdon railway
The Cambridge & St. Ives Branch was a railway built by the Wisbech, St Ives & Cambridge Junction Railway in the late 1840s. The railway ran from Cambridge in the south, through Fenland countryside to the market town of St...
and the busway was opposed at the planning stage for disturbing this reserve. The route for the guided busway was cleared or vegetation over the winter 2007–2008.
It is planned that the reserve will become part of a much larger wetland area along the River Great Ouse linking to the Hanson-RSPB Wetland Project at Needingworth Quarry that should become Britain's largest reedbed within the next 30 years. This will then connect to reserves at Ouse Washes and Welney
Ouse Washes
The Ouse Washes are an area in the Fens of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, England. They cover the area between two diversion channels of the River Great Ouse: the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River .-History:...
north of Earith
Earith
Earith is a village in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England, south of Chatteris and east of Huntingdon. At Earith, two artificial diversion channels of the River Great Ouse, the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River, leave the river on a course to Denver Sluice near Downham Market, where they...
. The Ouse Washes are managed by the RSPB and Welney is run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.It was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott, initially as the Severn Wildfowl Trust...
.