Guyhirn
Encyclopedia
Guyhirn is a small village
near the town of Wisbech
in Cambridgeshire
, England
. The village sits on the northern bank of the River Nene
.
Guyhirn is found at a junction of two sizeable "A" roads
, where the A141 leaves the A47
.
, erected his Tower House for the effective supervision of his new drain. Long before the construction of Morton's Leam the meeting here of fresh and salt water probably led to the construction of works for the safe guidance of their flow at this corner.
stone, with five windows of clear leaded glass set in stone mullions.
Designed at the end of the Cromwellian
Commonwealth
, it was not completed until 1660 when the Restoration had returned Anglicanism
as the official religious observance and because of this the Chapel was probably never consecrated.
Following the Restoration, the Chapel was adopted by the Vicar of Wisbech St. Peter
until 1854, when Wisbech St. Mary was created a separate parish. The area around the Chapel was consecrated as a burial ground by the Bishop of Ely
in 1840. In 1871 the Chapel moved into the newly created parish of "Guyhirn with Rings End". It was then used for services until the new church of St. Mary Magdelene was built in the village in 1878. From then onwards the Chapel was rarely used and functioned as a mortuary chapel.
By 1960 the building had become derelict and unsafe, and the last service was held in November that year. Due mainly to the initiative of then Vicar of Guyhirn, Reverend Donald Dickinson, 1971 saw the rebirth of the Chapel. The Redundant Churches Fund was approached and the church restored. In July 1975 the chapel was re-dedicated by the Bishop of Ely.
In 1973 the "Friends of the Guyhirn Chapel of Ease" was formed under the presidency of Sir John Betjeman, the Poet Laureate
, who on his death was succeeded by well known author Edward Storey
. The Chapel is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
near the 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...
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 village sits on the northern bank of the River Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
.
Guyhirn is found at a junction of two sizeable "A" roads
Great Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Originally introduced to arrange...
, where the A141 leaves the A47
A47 road
The A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.-Route:...
.
Origin of the name
It has been suggested that the name may be a hybrid, a combination of guie, "guide" and hyrne, "angle, corner." With the tide flowing up the river as far as the village, it must always have been a critical point in the drainage of this part of the fens. It was nearby, at Ring's End, that John Morton, Bishop of ElyBishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
, erected his Tower House for the effective supervision of his new drain. Long before the construction of Morton's Leam the meeting here of fresh and salt water probably led to the construction of works for the safe guidance of their flow at this corner.
Chapel of Ease
Also known as "Guyhirn Old Church" or "Guyhirn Puritan Chapel", the chapel is a small rectangular building constructed of brick and BarnackBarnack
Barnack is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority of Cambridgeshire, England. It is located in the north-west of the district, only four miles south-east from Stamford in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 851 people. Barnack's...
stone, with five windows of clear leaded glass set in stone mullions.
Designed at the end of the Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
, it was not completed until 1660 when the Restoration had returned Anglicanism
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
as the official religious observance and because of this the Chapel was probably never consecrated.
Following the Restoration, the Chapel was adopted by the Vicar of Wisbech St. Peter
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...
until 1854, when Wisbech St. Mary was created a separate parish. The area around the Chapel was consecrated as a burial ground by the Bishop of Ely
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
in 1840. In 1871 the Chapel moved into the newly created parish of "Guyhirn with Rings End". It was then used for services until the new church of St. Mary Magdelene was built in the village in 1878. From then onwards the Chapel was rarely used and functioned as a mortuary chapel.
By 1960 the building had become derelict and unsafe, and the last service was held in November that year. Due mainly to the initiative of then Vicar of Guyhirn, Reverend Donald Dickinson, 1971 saw the rebirth of the Chapel. The Redundant Churches Fund was approached and the church restored. In July 1975 the chapel was re-dedicated by the Bishop of Ely.
In 1973 the "Friends of the Guyhirn Chapel of Ease" was formed under the presidency of Sir John Betjeman, the Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
, who on his death was succeeded by well known author Edward Storey
Edward Storey
Edward Storey is an English writer. He was born at Whittlesey, which was then part of the Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire, and the Fens have inspired some of his work....
. The Chapel is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building.