Chatteris

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Chatteris
Chatteris (Cambridgeshire)
Chatteris

Chatteris shown within Cambridgeshire
Population 8,820 (2001)
OS grid reference TL396862
Parish Chatteris
District Fenland
Shire county Cambridgeshire
Region East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHATTERIS
Postcode district PE16
Dialling code 01354
Police Cambridgeshire
Fire Cambridgeshire
Ambulance East of England
European Parliament East of England
UK Parliament North East Cambridgeshire
List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire

Coordinates: 52°27′22″N 0°03′18″E / 52.456, 0.055

Chatteris is one of four market towns in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, situated in The Fens between Whittlesey, March and Ely. It is reputed to have been the last refuge of Boudica as she fled from the Romans.[1] Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Caeteric - Ceto meaning a wood and Ric, a river. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Ceterig or Caterig.[2]

The town is in the North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency.

Contents

[edit] History

Chatteris was once the site of a Benedictine nunnery, built in 980 by Alfwen the niece of King Edgar. Little of it remains today, although the "Park Streets" of Chatteris mark the boundary of its walls. In 1115, the apprentice monk Bricstan was freed by the Queen following a vision of Saint Etheldreda - he was the first known parishioner of Chatteris.

A large portion of the town was destroyed by a great fire which raged between 1306 and 1310, and destroyed the nunnery and a large portion of the church, leaving only sections of the base of the tower. The fire was allegedly started by a boy playing with a mirror.

The parish church of St Peter & St Paul is situated in the centre of the town. A church has been on the site since at least 1162, although the current tower dates from 1352. The building had fallen into disrepair during the 19th Century, and the majority of the building is the result of an intensive restoration in 1910. Recent years have seen the construction of several new facilities, such as the Bricstan room extension.[3]

The Emmanuel Church was created through the union of the Methodist, United Reformed, and Baptist Union churches in Chatteris in 1990. It is based in the former United Reformed building in East Park Street, although several of the former chapel buildings still exist.[4] The town also has a Salvation Army citadel, also in East Park Street.[5]

To the north of the town runs the Forty Foot Drain, a large river also called Vermuyden's Drain, after the Dutch engineer whose name is associated with the fen drainage works of the middle of the 17th Century. Several of the older buildings of the town show evidence of the Dutch architectural style.[6]

Chatteris is a market town and has possessed this designation since 1834, although there is evidence of an earlier market which was discontinued due to poor roads in 1808.[7] A small market is still held every Friday. The town's Chatteris railway station, formerly on the St. Ives extention of the Great Eastern Railway[8] was closed in March 1967.[9]

[edit] Today

Market Hill, Chatteris
Market Hill, Chatteris

The town has two primary schools, Kingsfield Primary School (created in 2003 by the amalgamation of the former Burnsfield School and King Edward School)[10] and Glebelands School, which opened in the early months of 1994.[11] The town's secondary school is Cromwell Community College, founded in 1939.[12]

The town is noted for its annual display of Christmas lights, which are entirely funded by community donations and have been featured on BBC Look East. In June, the town hosted a popular festival week, which includes a flower festival in the church, a street carnival and a concert by the Chatteris Town Brass Band.[13] Unfortunately the festival week has folded due to an ever decreasing number of volunteers, and it is hoped a medieval festival will take its place, with the first in July 2008.

The town has a museum run by volunteers, with several permanant exhibitions about local history, the Fens, Victoriana and the Railways.[14] Chatteris also has a Scout club, an Army Cadet force and a youth football team.[15][16]

Chatteris has a Women's Institute, which meet at the King Edward Centre[17] and a Rotary Club which meet at the local fire station, and put on an annual firework display, plus other events in the town.[18]

In 2007 The Petrou Brothers fish and chip shop in West Park Street won the National Chip Shop of the Year competition.[19]

[edit] Sport and leisure

The town's football club, Chatteris Town, play in the Peterborough & District League. The town also has a cricket club, Chatteris Cricket Club, which was founded in 1879. The club has four senior teams and four youth teams that compete in both the Fenland and Cambridgeshire leagues.[20] The town also hosts the Fenland Golf Society, founded in 1999,[21] a bowls club and a tennis club.

The town has one swimming pool, the Empress, which is privately owned and is a registered charity run by three trustees. It is open to members and can be booked for private hires or group sessions.[22] It is home of the Chatteris Kingfishers swimming club, who after successes in 2008 are due to compete in Division One of the 2009 "Cambs Cup" competition.[23] Plans for a public swimming pool and leisure centre have been proposed by the council since 1990, but have yet to be approved.[24][25]

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] "For What Is Chatteris"

In 2005, cult British indie band Half Man Half Biscuit - best known for "The Trumpton Riots" and "Dickie Davies Eyes", had a song entitled "For What Is Chatteris" on their award winning Achtung Bono album. The song extolled the virtues of the small Fenland town offset against how little the best place in the world can suddenly become to someone when the one they love is no longer resident.

News of the song made the headlines of the Cambridgeshire Times during September 2005 - a month before the album's official release - and bemused locals were delighted with their immortalization from this unlikely source.[28]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Enjoy England.com, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  2. ^ Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1900), pp.99.
  3. ^ Chatteris Parish Church history, URL accessed May 19, 2008
  4. ^ Emmanuel Church, URL accessed May 19, 2008
  5. ^ Salvation Army website, URL accessed May 19, 2008
  6. ^ Chatteris History, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  7. ^ Fenland District Council website, URL accessed May 22, 2008
  8. ^ Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire, (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1900), pp.99.
  9. ^ Chatteris Town History, URL accessed May 22, 2008
  10. ^ Kingsfield Primary School, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  11. ^ Glebelands Primary School, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  12. ^ Cromwell Community College website, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  13. ^ Chatteris Town Band, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  14. ^ Chatteris Museum, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  15. ^ Clubs in Chatteris, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  16. ^ Chatteris Town Youth Football Club, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  17. ^ Chatteris Women's Institute, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  18. ^ Chatteris Rotary Club, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  19. ^ Seafish.org, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  20. ^ Chatteris Cricket Club, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  21. ^ Fenland Golf Society, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  22. ^ Chatteris Business Directory, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  23. ^ "Kingfishers in the Top Flight" in the Fenland Citizen, March 2008
  24. ^ Chatteris Council, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  25. ^ Fenland District Council, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  26. ^ Joe Perry World Snooker Profile, URL accessed May 21, 2008
  27. ^ NHS - George Clare Surgery, URL accessed May 18, 2008
  28. ^ Peterborough Today, URL accessed May 18, 2008

[edit] External links

Churches

Schools