Whittlesey
Encyclopedia
Whittlesey, historically known as Whittlesea as the name of the railway station
Whittlesea railway station
Whittlesea railway station serves the town of Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, England. Whittlesea is an older spelling of the town's name.All the original station buildings have long been demolished, and only the two platforms remain...

 is still spelt, or Witesie, is an ancient Fenland
Fenland
Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in March, and covers the neighbouring market towns of Chatteris, Whittlesey, and Wisbech, often called the "capital of the fens"...

 market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

 around six miles (10 km) east of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 in the county of 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...

 in 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...

. With the neighbouring parishes of Coates
Coates, Cambridgeshire
Coates, in the English county of Cambridgeshire, is a small village close to the town of Whittlesey.The origins of the name are from the word 'Cotes', a corruption of cottages...

, Eastrea
Eastrea
Eastrea is a small hamlet in Cambridgeshire, located on the A605 between Whittlesey and Coates. The site has been inhabited since Roman times....

 and Pondersbridge, it has an approximate population of 15,000.

Location

Whittlesey is located between the city of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

, 6 miles (10 km) to the west and the town of March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...

, 11 miles (18 km) to the east, and is bordered to the north by 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...

 and to the south by Whittlesey Dyke. Historically it was connected to Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 and March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...

 by the Roman road Fen Causeway
Fen Causeway
Fen Causeway or the Fen Road is the modern name for a Roman road of England that runs between Denver, Norfolk in the east and Peterborough in the west. Its path covers , passing March and Eldernell before joining the major Roman north-south route Ermine Street west of modern-day Peterborough...

 constructed in the first century AD, a route approximately followed by the modern A605. The rail station is on the line between Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 and 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...

 (historically the Great Eastern Line), with direct trains to Cambridge
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...

, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, Stansted Airport and others.

History and architecture

Whittlesey appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 as Witesie, but it is probable that the name derives from Whittle's Ea, where Ea is a Saxon term for an island. Indeed the land was once owned and presided over by a man named 'Whittle', so the name literally translates as 'Whittle's Island'.

Before the draining of the fens, Whittlesey was an island of dry ground surrounded by the marshy fens. Excavations of nearby Flag Fen
Flag Fen
Flag Fen near Peterborough, England is a Bronze Age site, probably religious. It comprises over 60,000 timbers arranged in five very long rows connecting Whittlesey Island with Peterborough across the wet fenland. Part way across the structure, a small island was formed which is where it is...

 indicate thriving local settlements as far back as 1000 BC. In more recent times Whittlesey was linked to Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 in the west and March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...

 in the east by the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...

 Fen Causeway
Fen Causeway
Fen Causeway or the Fen Road is the modern name for a Roman road of England that runs between Denver, Norfolk in the east and Peterborough in the west. Its path covers , passing March and Eldernell before joining the major Roman north-south route Ermine Street west of modern-day Peterborough...

, probably built in the 1st century AD, and Roman artefacts have been recovered at nearby Eldernell. In 2010, in the nearby village of Eastrea
Eastrea
Eastrea is a small hamlet in Cambridgeshire, located on the A605 between Whittlesey and Coates. The site has been inhabited since Roman times....

, a Roman skeleton was discovered. Named 'Maximus' by villagers, the 2000 year old skeleton was unearthed during an archaeological dig on the proposed site of the new Eastrea village hall.

The town's two parishes of St Mary's and St Andrew's were controlled by the abbeys in Thorney
Thorney Abbey
Thorney Abbey was on the island of Thorney in The Fens of Cambridgeshire, England.- History :The earliest documentary sources refer to a mid-7th century hermitage destroyed by a Viking incursion in the late 9th century. A Benedictine monastery was founded in the 970s, and a huge rebuilding...

 and Ely respectively until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...

 (c.1540). St Mary's church dates back to the fifteenth century, but the majority of the building is later, and the church now boasts one of the largest buttressed spires in Cambridgeshire. St Andrew's is a mixture of perpendicular and decorated styles and has records back to 1635. The parishes were combined for administrative purposes by the Whittlesey Improvement Act of 1849. Despite the proximity of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

, Whittlesey is in the Diocese of Ely
Diocese of Ely
The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk...

.

Until its draining in 1851, nearby Whittlesey Mere
Whittlesey Mere
Whittlesey Mere was an area of open water in the Fenland area of the county of Huntingdonshire , England.It occupied the land south-east of Yaxley Fen, south of Farcet Fen and north of Holme Fen. The town of Whittlesey lay to the north-east.Whittlesey Mere was the last of the 'great meres' to be...

 was the largest lake in southern England, and the town is still accessible by water, connected to the river Nene by King's Dyke which forms part of the Nene-Ouse Navigation link. Moorings can be found at Ashline Lock alongside the Manor Leisure Centre's cricket and football pitches.>

Other notable historic features include the market cross, known as the buttercross
Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where people from neighbouring villages would gather to buy locally produced...

, dating back to 1680, the old town hall (once also serving as the fire station, and now the town museum) of 1857 and a number of thatched mud walls.

The town is also notable for its three 80-metre high wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...

s, which are the largest on-shore turbines in England. They power the McCains chips
McCain Foods Limited
McCain Foods Limited is a privately owned company established in 1957 by four brothers—Harrison McCain, Wallace McCain, Robert McCain, and Andrew McCain—in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada...

 plant, reducing their electricity bills by 60%.

The town has one secondary school, Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College is a secondary school in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. Opened in 1954 on the former site of the Whittlesea Workhouse, which was demolished in the 1930s, the College is named after 19th Century English Army General Sir Harry Smith who was born in Whittlesey, and whose...

 (built on the site of Whittlesey Workhouse
Whittlesey Workhouse
Whittlesey Workhouse was a workhouse in the Cambridgeshire town of Whittlesey. Constructed following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the building was situated on land then known as Bassenhally Field...

), and three primary schools. There is also another primary school in the neighbouring village of Coates
Coates
-People:Coates is also a prominent family of English and Scottish origin and could refer to the following people:-Families:*Coates Baronets, of Haypark, Belfast...

. The secondary school was built in 1952, as well as a new housing estate nearby.

The Market Place

The Market Place, located in the centre of Whittlesey, is still the site of the town's market. Held every Friday, (as it has been for many years) the market is no longer of great importance to the town. A traditional country auction is now held under the Buttercross on the 1st Friday of each month excluding December & January. The Market Place is also used as the main bus stop (except on Fridays, when it is located down Queen Street). Below are the most notable buildings located on the Market Square:

The Buttercross

Situated in the centre of the Market Place, and dating back to 1680, this was originally a place for people to sell goods at market. In the 1800s, it was considered useless, and orders were given for the building to be demolished. It was only saved when a local businessman donated some slate tiles for the roof. Today, it serves as a bus shelter, and is the town's most famous landmark.

No. 8, Harrington House

Located near to the George Hotel, the original part of this house dates back to Tudor times, and was part of St. Mary's Church monks' kitchen. Dr. Waddelow, who is often incorrectly believed to have lived at No. 11, extended the house in 1900. A sundial, made from the top of the church spire, (which was taken down in the early 20th Century) is located in the garden.

No. 10, The George Hotel

The Grade II listed George Hotel (previously the George and Star), currently owned by national chain Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...

, is the only remaining pub on the Market Square, one of several that are believed to have formerly existed there. The building, which dates back to the late 1700s, used to extend further eastward; a meat shop (presumably No.9) and archway for horses and carts used to stand there, but were demolished to make way for Station Road. The pub was Grade II Listed in 1974. After being closed since 2004, (and subsequently being boarded up) the building was bought by a Bristol-based company and heavily refurbished in 2006.

Following change of ownership to Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...

 in 2007, the building was boarded up, subsequently remaining in a poor state of repair for three years. Until April 2010, no work was done to the building, despite the company's ambitious plans, which were approved by Fenland District Council in 2008. Work (to cost an estimated £2million) was due to start in September the same year. Plans included total restoration of the pub, a beer garden, an extension and a name change, reverting back to the original 'George and Star'.

On 26 June 2009, at around 7pm, arsonists targeted the building, starting several small fires in the bar and lounge area. Thanks to the fire brigade's quick work, damage was limited to the ground floor, with the exterior showing no signs of fire damage.

After being closed for around three years, renovation work finally commenced on 26 April 2010, and the pub reopened on 23 July 2010. By building a large extension to the rear of the property, builders increased the size of the old bar area by around 25%.
No. 11, Mansion House

Number 11, historically called Mansion House but locally referred to as the Old Post Office, has records dating back to 1749. It is a large, Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

, three-storeyed building, with a large courtyard and a number of outbuildings. The building has been Grade II* listed since July 1970. Before becoming the Post Office in 1913, the building had had many owners, including the Reverend Robert Addison
Robert Addison
Reverend Robert Addison was born in Heversham, Westmorland, the 3rd son of John and Ellinor of Plumbtreebank. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge in 1777, completing his BA in 1781 and was ordained a Deacon of the Church of England in Norwich, Norfolk 11 March 1781.He married his first wife...

, who moved to Canada after selling the house. Major extensions and renovations were carried out in 1933. The Post Office business moved to High Causeway in 1998 and the building has been vacant since. It was boarded up in around 2005. As of 2010, the buildings and courtyard were in a bad state of repair.

The property is currently owned by Cambridge
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...

-based company The Whitfield Group. In 2006 they submitted a planning application which included partial demolition of an extension at the rear of the existing structure (a 1980 addition, of little historical importance), and the erection of seven new dwellings in the old courtyard. These new houses were designed to match old outbuildings, which used to stand on the site until their demolition in the 1980s. The committee requested that the original derelict house be renovated before work begins on the new houses.

However, following concerns that these proposals were 'overdevelopment of the site', the owners submitted a revised, more sympathetic application in February 2009. These plans were approved by Fenland District Council.

Following years of dereliction, restoration of the building finally began in September 2010. The development of the courtyard began in early 2011.

No. 12, Hub's Place

No. 12 Market Place, (Grade II Listed since 1950) is situated in the south-west corner of the Market Place. Whilst the front appears to be Georgian, much of the building was re-modelled in around 1910. In January 2010, a planning application was submitted to turn the building, formerly used as offices, into a restaurant. In March permission was granted with the hope that it would help to regenerate one of Whittlesey's main Conservation Areas. Hub's Restaurant and Wine Bar opened several months later.

No. 13, Sonargaon Tandoori

Situated on the western side of Market Square, no. 13 is currently used as an Indian restaurant, called Sonargaon Tandoori. It is thought that there were once at least six pubs situated on the Market Place, and it is likely that No. 13 housed one of them. Prior to becoming a restaurant in 1996, it was used as offices. It became Grade II listed on 25 July 1974.

Proposed developments

In July 2009, a new housing development, to be situated between Whittlesey and the nearby village of Eastrea
Eastrea
Eastrea is a small hamlet in Cambridgeshire, located on the A605 between Whittlesey and Coates. The site has been inhabited since Roman times....

, was proposed. As well as approximately 500 homes, the plans included a nursing home and other amentities. Developers held a meeting at which local residents expressed concerns about the development's possible adverse impact on Whittlesey's infrastructure.
Despite this, in April 2011, Fenland District Council granted outline planning permission for the site. The updated plans involved around 460 houses, a 70-bed care home, a local centre and public open space, as well as necessary amendments to the adjacent A605. The council received eight letters of objection from angry residents concerned about the traffic the estate would bring. After the plans were approved, local counciller Martin Curtis also expressed this view, saying that he felt that "the traffic situation had not been taken into account." Planning director Richard Edwards defended the decision by saying, "It will bring new homes which are needed in the area."

Also in April 2011, supermarket giant Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

 submitted plans to build a new store, around a year after their plans to build one in the centre of the town were rejected. The new plans, like the housing development, involved land off Eastrea Road. If allowed, planners said that it would create up to 200 jobs.

In July of the same year, plans were unveiled to build a retail park, supermarket and 54 acre country park in Whittlesey, adjacent to the prospective Tesco site and across the road from the area earmarked for new housing. A pub and restaurant chain expressed interest in opening at the site too. The company behind the plans, Whiteacre Management, hoped that the complex would bring around 300 jobs. Mayor Derek Stebbing liked the idea of the park - which would border Whittlesey's existing nature reserves - but felt two supermarkets were not needed.

Whittlesey today

In May 2009, Cllr Derek Stebbing became mayor of the town, after Cllr Steve Garratt stepped down. Garratt was the leader of a project earlier in the year in which Whittlesey raised £10,000 for bushfire victims in Whittlesea
Whittlesea
Whittlesea may mean:* Whittlesea, Victoria, a town some 40 km north of Melbourne.* City of Whittlesea, the local government area that contains it* Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, England used to be known as Whittlesea...

, Melbourne.

The 'Whittlesey Summer Festival', held in September, takes over much of the town centre. Attractions in recent years included a selection of classic cars, a large Italian Food stall, fairground rides, a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...

, and in 2009, a flying display by a Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

 of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...

. An art competition, for students of Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College is a secondary school in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. Opened in 1954 on the former site of the Whittlesea Workhouse, which was demolished in the 1930s, the College is named after 19th Century English Army General Sir Harry Smith who was born in Whittlesey, and whose...

 also runs with the festival, with entries displayed throughout the day in the Whittlesey Christian Church.

Since June 2009, Whittlesey has had its own community magazine, entitled Whittlesey Life. Whittlesey is twinned with Stadt Nettetal
Nettetal
Nettetal is a municipality in the district of Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Nettetal is not a town itself, but a federation of villages that have developed around the river Nette, and the worked-out gravel pits that now form five lakes. It is situated on the border with the...

, Germany.

Public houses

Whittlesey has a long history of public houses; at one time, the town is thought to have had 52 - one for each week of the year. In 1797, a local farmer, when writing his diary, noted that 'they like drinking better than fighting in Whittlesea'.

However, the large number of pubs slowly declined throughout the 1900s, having peaked in the earlier years of the century. As part of a national trend, several more pubs closed over the early 2000s, facing either conversion into housing or dereliction.
On the other hand, certain establishments have flourished recently, namely the George Hotel, which was bought and renovated by national chain Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...

.

Whittlesea Straw Bear

The festival of the Straw Bear or "Strawbower" is an old custom known only from a small area of Fenland on the borders of Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...

 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...

, including Ramsey Mereside
Ramsey Mereside
Ramsey Mereside, known colloquially as "The Village", is a small village approximately north of the town of Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. The Fenland Light Railway, a 7¼" gauge miniature railway is located in the village. The village holds an annual Strawberry Fayre on the first Sunday in July....

. (Similar ritual animals have been known in other parts of Europe, and still appear in parts of Germany at Shrovetide
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a term used in English-speaking countries, especially in Ireland, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, and parts of the United States for the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of fasting and prayer called Lent.The...

.)

On Plough Tuesday, the day after Plough Monday
Plough Monday
Plough Monday is the traditional start of the English agricultural year. While local practices may vary, Plough Monday is generally the first Monday after Twelfth Day , 6 January. References to Plough Monday date back to the late 15th century...

 (the first Monday after Twelfth Night), a man or boy was covered from head to foot in straw and led from house to house where he would dance in exchange for gifts of money, food or beer. The festival was of a stature that farmers would often reserve their best straw for the making of the bear.

The custom died out early in the 20th century, c.1909 (probably because the local police regarded it as begging), but it was resurrected by the Whittlesea Society in 1980.

The festival has now expanded to cover the whole weekend when the Bear appears (not Plough Tuesday nowadays, but the second weekend in January instead). On the Saturday of the festival, the Bear processes around the streets with its attendant "keeper" and musicians, followed by numerous traditional dance sides (mostly visitors), including morris men and women
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...

, molly dance
Molly dance
Molly dancing is a form of English Morris dance, traditionally done by out of work ploughboys in midwinter in the 19th century.-History:Molly dancing has been recorded in many parts of the English Midlands and East Anglia. It died out finally in the 1930s, the last dancers seen dancing in Little...

rs, rapper
Rapper sword
Rapper sword is a kind of sword dance associated with the North-East of England.-History:The rapper sword tradition was traditionally performed in the mining villages of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield in North East England, especially in Tyneside...

 and longsword dancers
Long Sword dance
right|YorkshireThe Long Sword dance is a hilt-and-point sword dance recorded mainly in Yorkshire, England. It is related to the rapper sword dance of Northumbria, but the character is fundamentally different as it uses rigid metal or wooden swords, rather than the flexible spring steel rappers used...

, clog dancers
Clogging
Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer's footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive...

 and others, who perform at various points along the route.

The Bear dances to a tune (reminiscent of the hymn Jesus Bids us Shine
Jesus Bids us Shine
"Jesus Bids Us Shine" is a children's hymn with words by Susan Bogert Warner and music by Edwin Othello Excell . It was first published in the children's magazine The Little Corporal in 1868....

) which featured on Rattlebone and Ploughjack, a 1976 LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

 by Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...

, along with a spoken description of the original custom (which partly inspired the Whittlesey revival).

'Sessions'
Pub session
A pub session refers to playing music and/or singing in the relaxed social setting of a local pub, in which the music-making is intermingled with the consumption of ale, stout, and beer and conversation...

 of traditional music take place in many of the public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

s during the day and evening, and a barn dance
Barn dance
A barn dance is any kind of dance held in a barn, but usually involves traditional or folk music with traditional dancing. It is a type of dance, originating in America and popular in Britain in the late 19th century and early 20th, derived from Schottische...

 or ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...

 and a Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...

 dance round off the Saturday night. The bear "costume" is burned at a ceremony on Sunday lunchtime (just as, in Germany, the Shrovetide bear costumes are also ceremonially burned after use).)
In coming years, the role of the bear will be handed down to one Matthew Butt, who many say was born to play the role, due to his already bear-like demeanour and appearance.

The Whittlesea Straw Bear and Keeper are featured on the album art of The Young Knives
The Young Knives
Young Knives are an English indie rock band from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. The name is based on a misunderstanding of "young knaves", which was found by the band when rummaging through a book....

 album, Voices of Animals and Men
Voices of Animals and Men
Voices of Animals and Men is the first full-length album by The Young Knives, released on August 22, 2006. The album's title is a reference to the Adam and the Ants song "Animals and Men"...

.

Sir Harry Smith

Sir Harry George Waklyn Smith
Harry Smith (army)
Lieutenant General Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, 1st Baronet of Aliwal GCB , known as Sir Harry Smith, was a notable English soldier and military commander in the British Army of the early 19th century...

 (1788–1860), whose life has been the subject of several books, and is best known for his role in the Battle of Aliwal
Battle of Aliwal
The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28 January 1846 between the British and the Sikhs. The British were led by Sir Harry Smith, while the Sikhs were led by Ranjodh Singh Majithia...

 (India), was born in Whittlesey. His military career saw him rise from a cavalryman to the rank of Major General, and Baronet of Aliwal. He was governor of the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...

 from 1847-1852 during a period of intense unrest.

He featured in Rifles by Mark Urban
Mark Urban
Mark Urban is a British journalist, author, broadcaster and orientalist, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor for BBC Two's Newsnight.-Education and early career:...

, about the 95th Rifles Napoleonic campaigns through Spain to Waterloo during which time he was a junior officer and served with his two brothers.

Sir Harry is commemorated throughout the Whittlesey area, giving his name to a local school and community centre, among others, and with a bust in St Mary's church. There is also a pub named "The Hero of Aliwal" and a street named 'Aliwal Road' in his honour. The house in which he was born bears a plaque with his name written on it. At the time of his death, this building was being used as a school, but, at present, is a private house.
He is buried in the local cemetery.

David Proud

Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

 actor David Proud
David Proud
David Proud is an English actor. He was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. He only began his acting career during his early twenties, having previously believed that it would be impossible for him to have a career in that field. His first professional acting role was as a wheelchair...

, the first disabled actor to have a regular disabled role in the show, lived in Whittlesey and attended Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College
Sir Harry Smith Community College is a secondary school in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. Opened in 1954 on the former site of the Whittlesea Workhouse, which was demolished in the 1930s, the College is named after 19th Century English Army General Sir Harry Smith who was born in Whittlesey, and whose...

. The Supportive Skills department at the school is named 'The David Proud Suite' in his honour.

External links

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