Great Gransden
Encyclopedia
Great Gransden parish is 11 miles (17.7 km) west of the county town of Cambridge
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south-east of Huntingdon
and 47 miles (75.6 km) north of London
. It covers an area of 3402 acres (1,376.7 ha). The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley
, to the west, and Longstowe
, to the east. Minor roads run south-west to Waresley
and north-east to Caxton
.
The parish ranges from 33 metres (108.3 ft), near its border with Abbotsley parish, to 75 metres (246.1 ft) above of sea level on the disused airfield. The subsoil is Ampthill clay with Lower Greensand. Streams in the parish include Waresley Dean, College Dean, Vicars Dean, Mandean and Gransden Brook; Home Dole Brook marks the border with Little Gransden
parish and Cambridgeshire
.
in England. It was constructed around 1612 and has two storeys, with a flour dressing machine, inscribed 1774, on the second floor.
The mill last worked around 1890, and was given to the county council in 1950.
In 1957 the post mill was classisfied as an ancient monument, following this, a restoration project was completed in 1984. The mill still possesses the internal workings and retains its sails. It is available to view internally by arrangement.
There are 54 listed buildings in Great Gransden parish, including the remains of a churchyard cross, houses, barns and the post mill. The brick vicarage, north-west of the church, was built by Barnabas Oley, probably between 1660 and 1685.
A lychgate was built in the churchyard in 1920 to commemorate Great Gransden men who died in World War I
.
dating to 1600 and a rare clock whose chiming mechanism is said to date from 1683 are notable artifacts in the church.
. It is held on the last Saturday of September and is one of the few remaining shows of its type still running in England.
Great Gransden has one pub, The Crown and Cushion. It also has a lawn tennis club, bowls
club and a football team called the Gransden Chequers. Ironically, the Chequers is a pub based in Little Gransden, but the team plays its home matches in Great Gransden.
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...
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south-east of Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
and 47 miles (75.6 km) north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It covers an area of 3402 acres (1,376.7 ha). The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley
Abbotsley
Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is three miles from St Neots and 14 miles from the county town of Cambridge...
, to the west, and Longstowe
Longstowe
-Demography:At the time of the 2001 census, Longstowe had 193 residents living in 73 households. All described themselves as White; 73.6% were Christian and 26.4% did not follow a religion or did not state one.-Landmarks:...
, to the east. Minor roads run south-west to Waresley
Waresley
Waresley is on the B1040 road between Gamlingay and Eltisley, five miles south-east of the town of St Neots and seven miles north-east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England...
and north-east to Caxton
Caxton, Cambridgeshire
Caxton is a small rural village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is 9 miles west of the county town of Cambridge. In 2001, the population of Caxton parish was 480 people. Caxton is most famous for the Caxton Gibbet.-History:...
.
The parish ranges from 33 metres (108.3 ft), near its border with Abbotsley parish, to 75 metres (246.1 ft) above of sea level on the disused airfield. The subsoil is Ampthill clay with Lower Greensand. Streams in the parish include Waresley Dean, College Dean, Vicars Dean, Mandean and Gransden Brook; Home Dole Brook marks the border with Little Gransden
Little Gransden
Little Gransden is 11 miles from the county town of Cambridgeshire, 10 miles south-east of Huntingdon and 47 miles north of London. The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley, to the west, and Longstowe, to the east. A minor road runs south-west to Gamlingay...
parish and 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...
.
Demography
At the time of the 2001 census, Great Gransden parish had 969 inhabitants living in 363 households. 98.8% of people described themselves as White, 0.3% Asian or Asian British and 0.9% Mixed. 77.6 were Christians, 1.2% followed another religion and 21.1 were not religious. In 1801, the parish population was 412 people; by 1851, it had increased to 665, but it had fallen to 396 in 1951.Landmarks
Great Gransden boasts the oldest post millPost mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have...
in England. It was constructed around 1612 and has two storeys, with a flour dressing machine, inscribed 1774, on the second floor.
The mill last worked around 1890, and was given to the county council in 1950.
In 1957 the post mill was classisfied as an ancient monument, following this, a restoration project was completed in 1984. The mill still possesses the internal workings and retains its sails. It is available to view internally by arrangement.
There are 54 listed buildings in Great Gransden parish, including the remains of a churchyard cross, houses, barns and the post mill. The brick vicarage, north-west of the church, was built by Barnabas Oley, probably between 1660 and 1685.
A lychgate was built in the churchyard in 1920 to commemorate Great Gransden men who died in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Church of St Bartholomew
The Grade I listed parish church, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, comprises a chancel with a 19th Century organ chamber, a vestry on the north side, nave, north aisle, south aisle, west tower and north and south porches. It was mentioned in the Domesday book but no remains from this time exist now. The tower was built in the late 14th Century, but the whole church was rebuilt in the 15th Century. The organ chamber and vestry were built, and the north porch entirely rebuilt in 1873. A pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dating to 1600 and a rare clock whose chiming mechanism is said to date from 1683 are notable artifacts in the church.
Recreation
Gransden and District Agricultural Society Annual Show has been held every year since 1891, with the exception of the years during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is held on the last Saturday of September and is one of the few remaining shows of its type still running in England.
Great Gransden has one pub, The Crown and Cushion. It also has a lawn tennis club, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
club and a football team called the Gransden Chequers. Ironically, the Chequers is a pub based in Little Gransden, but the team plays its home matches in Great Gransden.