Dry Drayton
Encyclopedia
Dry Drayton is a village
and civil parish
about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Cambridge
in Cambridgeshire
, England
. It covers an area of 829 hectares (2,049 acre).
(now the A14) to the north, and the Cambridge to St Neot's road to the south, covering an area of 2421 acres. In 1966 around 350 acres were removed from the north west of the parish to create the new civil parish of Bar Hill
. Now completely cleared of ancient woodland, the village has been used for arable farming for centuries.
Listed as Draitone in the Domesday Book
, the village became known as Dry Drayton by the start of the 13th century to distinguish it from Fen Drayton
(5 miles to the north west) and the fact that it was susceptible to times of drought. The name "Drayton" means "farmstead where drays or sledges are used".
in the 19th century. The plain octagonal font dates from the 13th century.
church, a primary school and a cricket ground
.
The village has one remaining public house, The Black Horse, that opened around 1780. Former pubs include the Three Horseshoes, that opened in the mid-18th century and closed in the mid-20th century. Away from the village was the Five Bells, that opened in the early 19th century where the Oakington
road met the Huntingdon turnpike (now the A14). It became a farmhouse in the first decades of the 20th century.
The village high street once was the main focus of the village but with expansion the focus has moved towards the area closer to the field called 'The Park', despite not being a play park or recreational area. Most of the village services and shops closed following the opening of the Tesco
superstore in Bar Hill.
Dry Drayon is connected to Bar Hill by a cycle path and pedestrian path known as "The Drift".
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...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of 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...
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...
. It covers an area of 829 hectares (2,049 acre).
History
The ancient parish of Dry Drayton formed between the Roman Via DevanaVia Devana
The Via Devana was a Roman Road in England that ran from Colchester in the south-east to Chester in the north-west. Both were important Roman military centres and it is conjectured that the main reason the road was constructed was military rather than civilian. The Latin name for Chester is Deva...
(now the A14) to the north, and the Cambridge to St Neot's road to the south, covering an area of 2421 acres. In 1966 around 350 acres were removed from the north west of the parish to create the new civil parish of Bar Hill
Bar Hill
Bar Hill is a purpose-built village with a population of 4,000 about 4 miles northwest of Cambridge, England on the A14 road.The Prime Meridian passes just to the west of Bar Hill.-History:...
. Now completely cleared of ancient woodland, the village has been used for arable farming for centuries.
Listed as Draitone 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...
, the village became known as Dry Drayton by the start of the 13th century to distinguish it from Fen Drayton
Fen Drayton
Fen Drayton is a small village between Cambridge and St. Ives in Cambridgeshire, England, and between the villages of Fenstanton and Swavesey....
(5 miles to the north west) and the fact that it was susceptible to times of drought. The name "Drayton" means "farmstead where drays or sledges are used".
Church
The parish church in the village has been dedicated to St Peter and St Paul since the 15th century. The building dates from the 13th century, and consists of a chancel, an aisled and clerestoried nave with north porch, and a three-storey west tower. The tower is the oldest part of the present building and dates from the 13th century, as does the majority of the chancel and nave, though the church was restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century. The plain octagonal font dates from the 13th century.
Village life
Dry Drayton has an Anglican church, a MethodistMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
church, a primary school and a cricket ground
Cricket field
A cricket field consists of a large circular or oval-shaped grassy ground on which the game of cricket is played. There are no fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually varies between 450 feet to 500 feet...
.
The village has one remaining public house, The Black Horse, that opened around 1780. Former pubs include the Three Horseshoes, that opened in the mid-18th century and closed in the mid-20th century. Away from the village was the Five Bells, that opened in the early 19th century where the Oakington
Oakington
Oakington is a small village 4 miles north-west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The village falls into the parish of Oakington and Westwick.-History:...
road met the Huntingdon turnpike (now the A14). It became a farmhouse in the first decades of the 20th century.
The village high street once was the main focus of the village but with expansion the focus has moved towards the area closer to the field called 'The Park', despite not being a play park or recreational area. Most of the village services and shops closed following the opening of the 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...
superstore in Bar Hill.
Dry Drayon is connected to Bar Hill by a cycle path and pedestrian path known as "The Drift".
Nearby villages
- OakingtonOakingtonOakington is a small village 4 miles north-west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The village falls into the parish of Oakington and Westwick.-History:...
to the northeast - HardwickHardwick, CambridgeshireHardwick is a village in the county of Cambridgeshire, England with a large housing estate located about west of the city of Cambridge and immediately south of the A428 Cambridge-St Neots road. It is about east of the newly developed village of Cambourne. The Village is nearly on the Greenwich...
to the south - MadingleyMadingleyMadingley is a village near Coton and Dry Drayton on the western outskirts of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Known as Madingelei in the Domesday Book, the village's name means "Woodland clearing of the family or followers of a man called Mada"....
to the southeast - Bar HillBar HillBar Hill is a purpose-built village with a population of 4,000 about 4 miles northwest of Cambridge, England on the A14 road.The Prime Meridian passes just to the west of Bar Hill.-History:...
to the north