Grunty Fen
Encyclopedia
Grunty Fen was a former parish in Cambridgeshire
, England
, four miles south west of Ely
. It was amalgamated with Wilburton
parish in 1933.
in the seventeenth century.
The parish of Grunty Fen was situated in the hundred
of South Witchford and covered an area of 1793 acres. At one stage the parish was considered extra-parochial, with the area divided between the parishes of Ely, Witchford, Wentworth
, Haddenham
, Wilburton, Stretham
, and Little Thetford
. In 1921 its population was only 97, and in 1933 the parish was merged with that of neighbouring Wilburton.
The former railway stations of Wilburton and Stretham both fell within the parish.
broadast a weekly slot featuring Dennis of Grunty Fen, "Britain's favourite vocal yokel", a fictional character who lives in a converted railway carriage with his 92-year old grandmother. Despite the death of the creator, Pete Sayers, in 2005, the character's popularity continues.
An annual race known as the Grunty Fen Half Marathon has been run annually since 1991. The race starts and ends at Witchford
Village College. The 2011 winner was Aaron Scott of Notts Athletic Club
The Grunty Fen Rhubarb Festival is held annually at the Burwell
Museum.
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...
, four miles south west of Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
. It was amalgamated with Wilburton
Wilburton
Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely.While nominally an agricultural village, many of the inhabitants work in Cambridge, Ely or London.-History:...
parish in 1933.
History
Despite the importance of nearby Ely, the land around Grunty Fen was uninhabitable until the draining of The FensThe 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....
in the seventeenth century.
The parish of Grunty Fen was situated in the hundred
Hundreds of Cambridgeshire
Between Anglo-Saxon times and the 19th century Cambridgeshire was divided for administrative purposes into 17 hundreds, plus the borough of Cambridge...
of South Witchford and covered an area of 1793 acres. At one stage the parish was considered extra-parochial, with the area divided between the parishes of Ely, Witchford, Wentworth
Wentworth, Cambridgeshire
Wentworth is a small village near Ely in Cambridgeshire, England.-External links:*...
, Haddenham
Haddenham, Cambridgeshire
Haddenham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 3,228.It has several shops and a regular bus service to the cathedral city of Ely, which is about north-east of the village....
, Wilburton, Stretham
Stretham
Stretham is a small village and civil parish south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. Its main attraction is Stretham Old Engine, a steam-powered pump used to drain the fens. The pump is still in use today although converted to electric power. It has open...
, and Little Thetford
Little Thetford
Little Thetford is a small village and civil parish south of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. The village is built on a boulder clay island surrounded by flat fenland countryside, typical of settlements in this part of the East of England...
. In 1921 its population was only 97, and in 1933 the parish was merged with that of neighbouring Wilburton.
The former railway stations of Wilburton and Stretham both fell within the parish.
Popular culture
From the late 1980s BBC Radio CambridgeshireBBC Radio Cambridgeshire
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Cambridgeshire. It originally broadcast from studios on Hills Road close to the train station in Cambridge - which have now moved to a new multi-million pound centre at the Cambridge Business Park on Cowley Road - ...
broadast a weekly slot featuring Dennis of Grunty Fen, "Britain's favourite vocal yokel", a fictional character who lives in a converted railway carriage with his 92-year old grandmother. Despite the death of the creator, Pete Sayers, in 2005, the character's popularity continues.
An annual race known as the Grunty Fen Half Marathon has been run annually since 1991. The race starts and ends at Witchford
Witchford
Witchford is a small village near Ely in Cambridgeshire, England.Witchford houses the secondary school Witchford Village College that serves all of the surrounding villages, including Haddenham, Little Thetford, Mepal, Stretham, Sutton, Wilburton and Witcham.The village hosts the Grunty Fen Half...
Village College. The 2011 winner was Aaron Scott of Notts Athletic Club
The Grunty Fen Rhubarb Festival is held annually at the Burwell
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
Museum.