Sawston
Encyclopedia
Sawston is a large village 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...

 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...

, situated on the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...

 seven miles (11 km) south 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...

. It has a population of 7,150 (Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

). It is officially listed as a village, despite fulfilling many of the criteria for town status such as a High Street with shops and bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...

s.

The village has been twinned with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 town of Selsingen
Selsingen
Selsingen is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southeast of Bremervörde, and 45 km northeast of Bremen, and is twinned with the English village of Sawston in Cambridgeshire....

 since Klaus Bruno Pape's visit to Sawston in 1984, as a result of a link being established between the two in Walther Piroth of Frankfurt University's
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
The Goethe University Frankfurt was founded in 1914 as a Citizens' University, which means that, while it was a State university of Prussia, it had been founded and financed by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt am Main, a unique feature in German university history...

 PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 thesis.

Prehistory

Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 for 400 to 600 years, there is evidence for a settlement in the vicinity dating back to the early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

 almost 5000 years ago. The northern high-ground in Sawston would have been the only vantage point from which to view the ancient Hill figure
Hill figure
A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and rubble made from material brighter than the natural...

s discovered in the Wandlebury section of the Gog-Magog hills.

Sawston Hall

Sawston Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...

 manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

 dating from the 16th century. The hall boasts many fine features, such as the magnificent Great Hall complete with Elizabethan pannelling and a large Tudor fireplace with fireback dated 1571. The hall also has its own private chapel which is also panelled and has an 18th century decorated plaster ceiling and wonderful stained glass windows. On the first floor the Long gallery and the bedroom where Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...

 was rumoured to have slept are also key features with original wide oak floorboards and exposed chalk clunch walls.

The hall is surrounded by almost 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of grounds which includes a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 protected by Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...

 due to the presence of Cambridge Milk Parsley
Selinum carvifolia
Selinum carvifolia is a flowering plant of the genus Selinum in the family Apiaceae.-References:...

, a rare English native plant. The ground also include a number of naturally fed springs, woodland walks, a half moat and a number of smaller landscaped gardens.

The Sawston estate was held by the Huddleston
Huddleston
Huddleston is a surname, and may refer to:* Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr* Adam Thomas Huddleston* David Huddleston* George Huddleston* George Huddleston, Jr.* John Huddleston* John Walter Huddleston* Mark Huddleston* Robert Alexander Huddleston...

 family from 1517 until the 1980s. The Hall was thrust into the history books in 1553 when Mary Tudor (soon to be Mary I of England), fleeing imprisonment by the Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....

, spent the night at Sawston Hall. Northumberland's soldiers followed Mary to Sawston forcing her to flee the next morning disguised as a dairymaid. As she fled, the soldiers put flame to the medieval manor destroying a large portion of the hall.

The Hall was re-built by Sir John and Edmund Huddleston between 1557-1584 with the help of a license granted by Queen Mary to use stone from Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is located in the town of the same name in Cambridgeshire, England. Originally built after the Norman conquest to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conflicts of the Anarchy, the First and...

. During the re-building Mary died and was succeeded by Elizabeth I. This resulted in the inclusion of a number of priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....

s in the building, allowing the Huddleston family to continue their practice of the Catholic faith, The priest's hole at the top of the spiral staircase at Sawston Hall is noted as one of the finest examples in the country.

During the Second World War Sawston Hall, still under the ownership of the Huddlestons, was occupied by the US Air Force as an operations base. The air raid shelter still remains in the grounds and on the top floor war-time graffiti still adorns the walls. In 1982 the Huddleston family sold the hall which became a language school until the present owner purchased the property in 2010.

Sawston Hall sits adjacent to the, earlier, Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 styled St. Mary's church.

Sawston Hall was the location used for the 1971 Michael Winner film "The Nightcomers".It was featured extensively including many scenes providing interior shots of the house throughout.

Sawston Cross

Until 1815 the village of Sawston had an ancient cross, possibly erected by the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...

. The cross had many purposes, even as a location where public officers administered justice during the 13th century. It survived the rage of the Puritans in the civil wars, but sadly was torn down between the summer of 1815 and autumn of 1816, along with the surrounding amphitheatre-like enclosure, the stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...

 and ancient sycamore
Sycamore Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to central Europe and southwestern Asia, from France east to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the Platanus...

 tree, and sold by greedy village elders to make way for redevelopment. William Hone
William Hone
William Hone was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom.-Biography:...

's Table-book includes a contributor's description when he stumbled across the villagers discussing whether or not to tear down the cross. A poem comparing Sawstonites to the Jews, which would today appear to be highly controversial and antisemitic, was subsequently penned, and published in the 1827 journal:

The Jews of old, as we've been told——

And Scriptures pure disclose——

With harden'd hearts drew lots for parts

Of our Salvator's clothes.



The modern Jews ——the Sawstonites——

As harden'd as the Israelites——

In ignorance still more gross——

Thinking they could no longer thrive

By Christian means, did means contrive——

Draw lots, and sold the cross!

Recent history

Sawston has seen substantial development since the end of the Second World War and, more recently, a number of large housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...

s have been constructed, most notably to the north-west and south of the village. This development has led to the area of Sawston spreading into the small nearby village of Pampisford
Pampisford
Pampisford is a village, south of Cambridge, on the A505 road near Sawston, Cambridgeshire, England.Pampisford Hall, the principal house of the village, was rebuilt to the designs of George Goldie for James Binney, whose descendants still live there...

.

Sawston has been earmarked for development to meet Cambridgeshire's ever-growing housing needs, including a recent development led by South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the local authority for the district of South Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Cambourne, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire County Council...

. Plans are ongoing for the construction of a village community centre but no site has currently been found.

Geology

The underground structure of Sawston is the same as that of the region - permeable chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....

 and impermeable clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

. The low-lying nature of the village is indicative of a former flood plain which still tends towards the moist, although comparatively recent dredging
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...

 of the local ditches and rivers has alleviated the general flooding problem. The chalky nature of the local geology provides for a clean, if hard
Hard water
Hard water is water that has high mineral content . Hard water has high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Hard water is generally not harmful to one's health but can pose serious problems in industrial settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling...

, water supply as it is drawn from artesian
Artesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...

 wells in the area. The chalk and clay in the area contains a large quantity of flint that often finds its way into older local construction.

There is a hill, Huckeridge Hill, to the north west of the village. At 32 m it is a good viewpoint for the Gogs
Gog Magog Downs
The Gog Magog Downs are a range of low chalk hills, extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge in England. The highest points are marked on Ordnance Survey 1:25000 maps as "Telegraph Clump"Telegraph Clump, at , Little Trees HillLittle Trees Hill, and Wandlebury Hill,Wandlebury...

 across the valley of the Granta.

Industry

For the last couple of hundred years, the two principal industries in Sawston's environs have been Paper & Printing and Leather. The original paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...

 in Sawston is on the current Spicers site, named after the family who owned the mill in the last century. This complex is located at the north-west corner of the parish.

There are two sites in Sawston which support or have formerly supported Tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...

 facilities. The site south of the village centre and backing onto the grounds of the Sawston manor house - Sawston Hall - is the Hutchins and Harding site. The other site is on the southern border of the village, crossing over into neighbouring Pampisford, the Eastern Counties Leather site which has now been mostly converted into a general industrial estate. These industries were introduced into Sawston to take advantage of the clean water supply. Examination reveals that both sites are located on bore holes or streams.

A further large industrial estate exists in the north of the village adjacent to Babraham Road.

Local government

The Parish Council has recently moved to a new office building on Link Road which incorporates a new village library and village museum. The Sawston Health Centre has recently moved into a larger building on the new London Road site. The Sawston Parish Council is active in many aspects of village life, including renting village facilities (parks, communal buildings etc.) and organising events (such as annual bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...

 nights and Christmas lights displays). The council has some Conservative and Liberal Democrat representatives but is not divided along party political lines.

Sawston is within the South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the local authority for the district of South Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Cambourne, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire County Council...

 local government area, which is responsible for the provision of local services such as street lighting (though this has recently become the Parish Council's responsibility after funding was withdrawn by SCDC) and waste collection. Nationally, Sawston is in the South Cambridgeshire constituency
South Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Cambridgeshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...

 for representation in the Westminster Parliament - a seat currently held by Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 Member of Parliament Andrew Lansley
Andrew Lansley
Andrew David Lansley, CBE, MP is the UK Secretary of State for Health, who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire since the 1997 general election, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Health from June 2004 until becoming Secretary of State for Health in May 2010...

 (incumbent since 1997).

Education

Sawston Village College
Sawston Village College
Sawston Village College, the first community college in the country and the first Village College, was founded in 1930 and realised the vision of Henry Morris, then Secretary of Education for Cambridgeshire....

 was the first ever village college to be built, by Henry Morris
Henry Morris (education)
Henry Morris is known primarily as the founder of Village Colleges. He was the Chief Education Officer for Cambridgeshire for over thirty years, taking up the post in 1922 during a time of depression in the United Kingdom following the First World War.-Early life:Morris was born in Southport in...

 in 1930. As of 2005 it has 1,085 pupils in 5 year groups and approximately 50 teaching staff. The former principal was Mrs June Cannie. In addition to this the village also has the Icknield Primary School, the Bellbird Primary School (previously the John Falkner Infant and the John Paxton Junior Schools) and a number of nursery and preschool groups.

Social events in the village take place in the village's three churches, community hall or four pubs, or on the Sawston Village College site, which incorporates a youth centre (including theatre/cinema), an Assembly Hall which is also fitted out as a show venue and a new Arts Centre. The Village College site also has a new, large sports centre which was built in 2004 with two large halls, a swimming pool, and a gym.

Churches

The village has four churches, Sawston Free Church, the parish church for the village of Sawston, Saint Mary's Church (There are some pictures and a description at the Cambridgeshire Churches website), Christ Church South Cambs also Church of England, and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, now under the leadership of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge.

Youth and charity

Due to its size the village hosts a large number of youth groups and clubs, as well as some organised by the village college. Notable organisations in the village include:
  • Sawston Cricket Club, who play at Spicers Sports Ground
  • Boys' Brigade
    Boys' Brigade
    For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...

     Company
  • Girls' Brigade
    Girls' Brigade
    The Girls' Brigade is an international and interdenominational Christian youth organization. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structured organizations in 1964...

     Company
  • Air Training Corps
    Air Training Corps
    The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...

     Squadron (2461 (Sawston) Squadron)
  • Army Cadet Force
    Army Cadet Force
    The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...

  • 1st Sawston Scout Group (including Beaver
    Beavers (Scouting)
    Beavers in Scouting is one name for the youngest section of Scouting with members younger than Cub Scouts and sometimes going to as young as five years of age. Other names are used in some countries...

    , Cub
    Cub Scout
    A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...

     and Scout divisions) of The Scout Association
    The Scout Association
    The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...

  • Girl Guides
    Girlguiding UK
    Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...

     and Brownies
  • Sawston Youth Drama
  • Sawston United Youth Football Club
  • Sawston United Girls Football Team
  • Sawston Youth Group (a large independent youth group)


Sawston is the base for the charity Opportunities Without Limits (OWL), which in 2010 merged with the Papworth Trust. OWL have their headquarters on the Village College site, where they maintain the school gardens and hedges. They incorporate a number of other training projects for adults with learning difficulties including a bike refurbishment and resell shop, and a café attached to Sawston Free Church in the high street.

Culture

The village has a thriving history society,
a book group, and a twinning association (Sawston is twinned with Selsingen, Germany). Since 2005, the village has had an annual music festival, based around a weekend near Midsummer's Day. There are also regular musical events in St Mary's Church, often of Renaissance music sung by a consort of singers, The Company of Musicians.

The community magazine Sawston Scene was started by a group of volunteers in 1970, with the first issue printed in April of that year. It has been published every two months ever since, celebrating its fortieth anniversary in April–May 2010. The magazine includes reports from county, district and parish councils as well as local groups and societies, a diary of local events, and a directory of local information.

Transport

A cycle path linking Sawston with Babraham
Babraham
Babraham is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about six miles south-east of Cambridge on the A1307 road....

, and Babraham with Abington
Abington, Cambridgeshire
The Abingtons are a community in South Cambridgeshire consisting of two villages: Little Abington and Great Abington, south east of Cambridge.-History:...

 was completed in October 2010, at a cost of £350,000. The route will eventually cross the A11 using the existing footbridge and join the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...

route 11.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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