Linton, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Linton is a village
in rural Cambridgeshire
, England
, on the border with Essex
. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around Cambridge
. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway
between Cambridge and Colchester
, now closed. The Rivey Hill
overlooks the village, with its famous water tower. The River Granta runs through the village.
There are three schools in Linton, each one covering a different age group. At the Bartlow end of the village is Linton Junior School (teaching children aged from 7 to 11). Linton Infants School is in the middle of the village, for children aged 4 to 7, while Linton Village College
is alongside the main Haverhill
-to-Cambridge road and teaches children aged 11 to 16, including those from several surrounding villages.
Linton Zoo is on the southern edge of the village, whilst Chilford Hall and its vineyards are to the north side, beyond Linton's best-known feature, Rivey Tower.
Many businesses are based in Linton, with several around the trading estate at The Grip and along the High Street.
Spread evenly along the High Street are the three public house
s. The Crown has an attached restaurant. The Dog and Duck focusses on fresh Italian-influenced food and is styled internally on a contemporary European bistro theme. Near the fire station is the Waggon and Horses, which has been resurrected by a new landlord. Although it has been closed for several years, The Bell probably remains Linton's most famous pub.
A recent local tradition is the Wacky Races. This popular event occurs on the second Bank Holiday
Weekend in May, and involves participants dressed in comedy costumes, racing down the High Street, stopping in all the pubs for a pint, and then racing through the fields next to the village and back down the High Street, again drinking in the pubs.
The village has a vibrant community with active clubs and societies for all walks of life and age groups. It remains a highly desirable semi rural location and a very popular residential location.
, who once justified his extended stay at the Linton Travel Tavern by claiming that Linton is equidistant
between London
and Norwich
. Indeed, Linton is near the halfway point of the London-to-Norwich A11 trunk road
, although some four miles from the actual road, which suggests that the travel tavern was not in Linton itself, but nearby on the A11. Even in this location, the travel tavern is probably farther than Partridge would have wanted from the M11 motorway
, to which he once walked to purchase several bottles of windscreen-washer fluid from a petrol station.
The location used for the BBC television series is the Hilton Hotel, on the A41 near Bushey
.
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...
in rural 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...
, on the border with Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. It has been expanded much since the 1960s and is now one of many dormitory villages around 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...
. The railway station was on the Stour Valley Railway
Stour Valley Railway
The Stour Valley Railway is a partially closed railway line that ran between , near Cambridge and in Essex, England. The line opened in sections between 1849 and 1865...
between Cambridge and Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, now closed. The Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill
Rivey Hill is a hill overlooking Linton in Cambridgeshire. It is the highest point for several miles around and stands at the impressive height of 112 m/367 ft. The hill has steep sides going down into Linton and a prominence of 21 m...
overlooks the village, with its famous water tower. The River Granta runs through the village.
There are three schools in Linton, each one covering a different age group. At the Bartlow end of the village is Linton Junior School (teaching children aged from 7 to 11). Linton Infants School is in the middle of the village, for children aged 4 to 7, while Linton Village College
Linton Village College
Linton Village College is a comprehensive Community College with foundation and Business and Enterprise College status in Linton, South Cambridgeshire. - Feeder schools :From the ages of 4 to 11, pupils are educated at their local village primary schools...
is alongside the main Haverhill
Haverhill, Suffolk
Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...
-to-Cambridge road and teaches children aged 11 to 16, including those from several surrounding villages.
Linton Zoo is on the southern edge of the village, whilst Chilford Hall and its vineyards are to the north side, beyond Linton's best-known feature, Rivey Tower.
Many businesses are based in Linton, with several around the trading estate at The Grip and along the High Street.
Spread evenly along the High Street are the three 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. The Crown has an attached restaurant. The Dog and Duck focusses on fresh Italian-influenced food and is styled internally on a contemporary European bistro theme. Near the fire station is the Waggon and Horses, which has been resurrected by a new landlord. Although it has been closed for several years, The Bell probably remains Linton's most famous pub.
A recent local tradition is the Wacky Races. This popular event occurs on the second Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
Weekend in May, and involves participants dressed in comedy costumes, racing down the High Street, stopping in all the pubs for a pint, and then racing through the fields next to the village and back down the High Street, again drinking in the pubs.
The village has a vibrant community with active clubs and societies for all walks of life and age groups. It remains a highly desirable semi rural location and a very popular residential location.
Popular culture
Linton has become famous through fictional character Alan PartridgeAlan Partridge
Alan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour...
, who once justified his extended stay at the Linton Travel Tavern by claiming that Linton is equidistant
Equidistant
A point is said to be equidistant from a set of objects if the distances between that point and each object in the set are equal.In two-dimensional Euclidian geometry the locus of points equidistant from two given points is their perpendicular bisector...
between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. Indeed, Linton is near the halfway point of the London-to-Norwich A11 trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
, although some four miles from the actual road, which suggests that the travel tavern was not in Linton itself, but nearby on the A11. Even in this location, the travel tavern is probably farther than Partridge would have wanted from the M11 motorway
M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
, to which he once walked to purchase several bottles of windscreen-washer fluid from a petrol station.
The location used for the BBC television series is the Hilton Hotel, on the A41 near Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
.
See also
- Linton railway station, a disused station that once served the village
- List of places in Cambridgeshire