Prickwillow
Encyclopedia
Originally a small hamlet
on the banks of the River Great Ouse
, but now on the banks of the River Lark
since re-organisation of the river system, the village of Prickwillow has an estimated mid-2005 population of 440. It lies in the south of the Fens, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the city of Ely
in Cambridgeshire
, England
, and is home to a large drainage engine
museum and the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards
.
. This provided evidence for Roman
and three levels of prehistoric settlements just to the east of the village.
The modern parish
of Prickwillow was formed in 1878. The name is said to be a reference to the 'prickets' of willow
-- long thin skewers used to make thatch -- that grew in the surrounding marshy land.
Prior to the nineteenth century, the River Great Ouse flowed east of Ely as far as Prickwillow, before rejoining the modern course of the Ouse at Littleport
. In 1829-30, however, the river was diverted north from Ely, and the original channel ploughed and filled in. Today's village lies on the site of the old riverbank, with evidence of the original course remaining in the name of the roads (e.g. Old Bank) and the meandering edges of the neighbouring fields (visible on this satellite image). Astbury terms such old watercourses rodham
s and another East Anglia
n village, Benwick
is similarly built on a rodham.
so, in order to ensure that the land remained arable
, a series of steam pumping engines were installed at the base of the newly dug drain, linked to the River Lark
. The first of these was the Side Lever Steam Engine, installed in 1831. This was replaced in the 1880s by the beam steam engine, itself replaced in 1924 by the powerful Mirrlees
, Bickerton and Day Diesel. With a weight of 25 tonnes and a nominal power output of 250bhp
at 250rpm
, this engine ran until the 1970s, when it was replaced with automatic electric pumps.
The Mirrlees diesel engine remains the centrepiece of the village's Museum of Fenland Drainage, and is believed to be the only example of a blast-injection engine remaining in working order. The museum also contains other diesel engines, dating from 1919, recovered from other local pumping stations, and restored by volunteers. The Mirrlees engine remains in working order, and is demonstrated to interested visitors on several days throughout the year.
Prickwillow is the current office and workshop base for the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards who maintain the current electric pumping station in Prickwillow and surrounding watercourses. The group consists of ten internal drainage board
s (IDBs) whose boundaries extend to the New Bedford River
and Welney
to the west and Mildenhall
and Lakenheath
to the east. The IDBs provide water level and flood risk management within their districts.
In the 1920s, it was reported that the constant draining of the land resulted in the peat
y soil sinking by 2 inches (50.8 mm) every year. The local school buildings and St. Peter's Church
, built in 1862 and 1866 respectively, as well as many of the local houses, were built on piles
to ensure stable foundations. Two steps were built up to the front door of the vicarage, but many more had to be added as the land gradually sank. In addition, owing to the high water table, church burials take place in the more elevated settlement of Ely.
The B1104 between Prickwillow and neighbouring Isleham is reputedly the most subsidence affected road in the country; so undulating is the 6.4 miles (10.3 km) drive that some have experienced bouts of motion sickness equal to that of shipping .
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
on the banks 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...
, but now on the banks of the River Lark
River Lark
The River Lark is a river in England, which crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and...
since re-organisation of the river system, the village of Prickwillow has an estimated mid-2005 population of 440. It lies in the south of the Fens, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the city 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...
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 is home to a large drainage engine
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
museum and the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
.
History
Evidence for very early settlements near Prickwillow was unearthed in the 1930s, when an archaeological dig took place at Plantation Farm and Peacocks Farm, by the A1101A1101 road
The A1101 is the lowest road in Great Britain; along its approx. stretch it rarely rises above sea level. The road runs from Bury St. Edmunds north west to Littleport where it disappears for approximately , it then re-appears on the other side of the A10 heading north through Wisbech and to its...
. This provided evidence for Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and three levels of prehistoric settlements just to the east of the village.
The modern parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Prickwillow was formed in 1878. The name is said to be a reference to the 'prickets' of willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
-- long thin skewers used to make thatch -- that grew in the surrounding marshy land.
Prior to the nineteenth century, the River Great Ouse flowed east of Ely as far as Prickwillow, before rejoining the modern course of the Ouse at Littleport
Littleport, Cambridgeshire
Littleport is the largest village in East Cambridgeshire, England, approximately north of Ely and south-east of Welney. It lies on the Bedford Level South section of the River Great Ouse, close to Burnt Fen and Mare Fen...
. In 1829-30, however, the river was diverted north from Ely, and the original channel ploughed and filled in. Today's village lies on the site of the old riverbank, with evidence of the original course remaining in the name of the roads (e.g. Old Bank) and the meandering edges of the neighbouring fields (visible on this satellite image). Astbury terms such old watercourses rodham
Roddon
thumb|right|alt=|High Street, [[Benwick]], [[East Cambridgeshire]], built on a roddonthumb|right|alt=|Houses built on a roddon at [[Prickwillow]], [[East Cambridgeshire]]...
s and another East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n village, Benwick
Benwick
Benwick is a village and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is approximately from Peterborough and from Cambridge...
is similarly built on a rodham.
Drainage
Much of the Prickwillow area lies below sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
so, in order to ensure that the land remained arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
, a series of steam pumping engines were installed at the base of the newly dug drain, linked to the River Lark
River Lark
The River Lark is a river in England, which crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and...
. The first of these was the Side Lever Steam Engine, installed in 1831. This was replaced in the 1880s by the beam steam engine, itself replaced in 1924 by the powerful Mirrlees
Mirrlees
Mirrlees may refer to:* Hope Mirrlees* James Mirrlees* MAN B&W Diesel, current owner of the diesel engine manufacturer, Mirrlees, Bickerton & Day...
, Bickerton and Day Diesel. With a weight of 25 tonnes and a nominal power output of 250bhp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
at 250rpm
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
, this engine ran until the 1970s, when it was replaced with automatic electric pumps.
The Mirrlees diesel engine remains the centrepiece of the village's Museum of Fenland Drainage, and is believed to be the only example of a blast-injection engine remaining in working order. The museum also contains other diesel engines, dating from 1919, recovered from other local pumping stations, and restored by volunteers. The Mirrlees engine remains in working order, and is demonstrated to interested visitors on several days throughout the year.
Prickwillow is the current office and workshop base for the Ely Group of Internal Drainage Boards who maintain the current electric pumping station in Prickwillow and surrounding watercourses. The group consists of ten internal drainage board
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
s (IDBs) whose boundaries extend to the New Bedford River
New Bedford River
The New Bedford River, also known as the Hundred Foot Drain because of the distance between the tops of the two embankments on either side of the river, is a man-made cut-off or by-pass channel of the River Great Ouse in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. It provides an almost straight channel...
and Welney
Welney
Welney is a village and civil parish in the Fens of England, and the county of Norfolk. The village is situated immediately to the west of parallel Old Bedford River, River Delph and New Bedford River, which are here crossed by the A1101 road. The village is some south-west of the town of Downham...
to the west and Mildenhall
Mildenhall, Suffolk
Mildenhall is a small market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is run by Forest Heath District Council and has a population of 9,906 people. The town is near the A11 and is located north-west of county town, Ipswich. The large Royal Air Force base, RAF Mildenhall as well as RAF...
and Lakenheath
Lakenheath
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and at the meeting point of the The Fens and the Breckland natural environments.Lakenheath is host...
to the east. The IDBs provide water level and flood risk management within their districts.
In the 1920s, it was reported that the constant draining of the land resulted in the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
y soil sinking by 2 inches (50.8 mm) every year. The local school buildings and St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church, or variations on that name including Old St. Peter's Church, may refer to:-Bermuda:* St. Peter's Church, St. George's, the oldest-surviving Anglican church outside the British Isles, and the oldest surviving Protestant church in the New World.-Ireland:* St. Peter's Church,...
, built in 1862 and 1866 respectively, as well as many of the local houses, were built on piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
to ensure stable foundations. Two steps were built up to the front door of the vicarage, but many more had to be added as the land gradually sank. In addition, owing to the high water table, church burials take place in the more elevated settlement of Ely.
The B1104 between Prickwillow and neighbouring Isleham is reputedly the most subsidence affected road in the country; so undulating is the 6.4 miles (10.3 km) drive that some have experienced bouts of motion sickness equal to that of shipping .