| Fordham | |
|---|---|
 Fordham Moor | |
  Fordham Location within Cambridgeshire | |
| Population | 2,712 (2011) [1] |
| OS grid reference | TL630708 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ELY |
| Postcode district | CB7 |
| Dialling code | 01638 |
Fordham is a village in rural Cambridgeshire, England. Fordham is part of the East Cambridgeshire district. It is four miles north of Newmarket, as well as being close to the settlements of Soham, Burwell, Isleham, Mildenhall and Chippenham.
The parish of Fordham covers 4,331 acres (1,753 ha) in an irregular shape. Its southern border is the county border with Suffolk and most of its south-eastern border with Snailwell follows the path of the River Snail. It also borders Chippenham and Isleham to the east, Soham to the north, and Burwell to the west, as well as having a short boundary with Wicken at its western tip. In 1953 the civil parish was merged with that of Landwade, a tiny parish of only 147 acres (59 ha), although Landwade and its ecclesiastical parish are both in Suffolk. [2]
The parish has been occupied for several thousand years; weapons and tools in both flint and metal have been found from the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age, as well as pottery and burials. Wall plaster and tiles have been found from the Roman era, indicating that villas may have been sited near to Biggin and Block Farms in the 2nd to 4th centuries A.D. [2]
In the Middle Ages the village was home to Fordham Priory, a Gilbertine priory and cell to Sempringham Priory, that was founded in the reign of Henry III in the 13th century by Robert de Fordham. [3] Fordham Abbey, a Grade II listed Georgian manor house was built on the site of the Priory in the eighteenth century. [4]
Fordham had a railway station serving as a junction the Cambridge to Mildenhall railway and the Ipswich to Ely line that opened to the west of the village in 1879. The station finally closed in 1966. [2]
Though spelled Fordeham in the Domesday Book of 1086, the village's spelling has remained unchanged since the 10th century. The name "Fordham" means "homestead or enclosure by a ford". [5]
Fordham War Memorial commemorates the village's dead from the two world wars. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and originally featured a bronze statue of St George by Sir George Frampton. The memorial was destroyed and the bronze stolen in 1991 and the community raised funds to rebuild it and replace the bronze with a fibreglass replica. It is a Grade II listed building. [6]
The parish church has been dedicated to St Peter since around 1850, prior to which it had been dedicated to St Mary since at least the 14th century. The present building consists of a chancel with side chapels and a two-storeyed north chapel, an aisled and clerestoried nave with south porch and west tower. It is a Grade I listed building. [7]
The earliest parts of the building date from the 12th century, and stonework suggest that by 1200 it was already its present size. The majority of the current structure date from an extensive rebuild in the 13th century. The church is noted for its fine 14th-century north chapel, unusual in having an upper floor and undercroft. [2]
The village has a Church of England-controlled Primary School which feeds into Soham Village College. [8]
Fordham has a pub, The Chequers which was open by 1760. The Greyhound, which opened in the 1990s, converted into a restaurant called The White Pheasant. Other former pubs include the Green Dragon (previously known as The Bull) on the Market Street green, which was also open by 1760 and closed by the 1960s. [2] The Crown pub became an Indian Restaurant in 2021, which was destroyed by a fire on 14 August 2023.
Fordham Community Archive has been set up to record the history of Fordham in the form of photographs, documents and written and oral memories. The group was formed in August 2007 and holds community events. [9]
Fordham Woods nature reserve is located south of the village.
A Ham class minesweeper HMS Fordham is named after the village.[ citation needed ]
The 'Hedgerow poet' James Withers lived in the village. Fordham is the birthplace of operatic bass-baritone Darren Jeffery. In 2007, villager Tracey Barnard was a contestant on Channel 4's Big Brother . Alison Bruce, another villager, has previously been on 'The Weakest Link'.
Burwell is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some 10 miles north-east of Cambridge. It lies on the south-east edge of the Fens. Westward drainage is improved by Cambridgeshire lodes (waterways), including Burwell Lode, a growth factor in the village. A population of 6,309 in the 2011 census was put at 6,417 in 2019.
East Cambridgeshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in the city of Ely. The district also contains the towns of Littleport and Soham and surrounding rural areas, including parts of the Fens.
Soham Village College is a secondary school with academy status located in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. It has around 1,400 pupils, aged 11 to 16. Although its wide catchment area does not include Ely, some pupils from there and its neighbouring villages attend the college. It is split between two adjacent sites: Beechurst, formerly a large house, and Lodeside, built more recently.
Isleham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Cambridgeshire. It is part of the Fens. It has three pubs.
Wicken is a small village on the edge of The Fens near Soham in East Cambridgeshire, ten miles north east of Cambridge and five miles south of Ely. It is the site of Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve.
Reach is a small village and civil parish on the edge of the fenland in East Cambridgeshire, England at the north end of Devil's Dyke, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Burwell.
Burwell is a small village and Civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A16 road, and north from Spilsby. The village covers approximately 2,200 acres (8.9 km2).
South East Cambridgeshire was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2015 to 2024 by Lucy Frazer, a member of the Conservative Party who has served as the Culture Secretary since 2023. The constituency was established for the 1983 general election and was based on the cathedral city of Ely.
Newmarket was a rural district in Cambridgeshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded the town of Newmarket, in West Suffolk, on the north, west and south sides.
Chippenham is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, part of East Cambridgeshire district around 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Newmarket and 10 miles (16 km) north-east of Cambridge.
Wissett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of the market town of Halesworth in the East Suffolk district. Historically, it was in the Blything Hundred.
Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.
Isleham Priory Church, located in Isleham, Cambridgeshire, England, is a Benedictine alien priory built around 1100 AD. It is an important example of an early 12th-century Norman church. Despite being converted into a barn after the Reformation, the building remains mostly in its original state. The church is designated a Grade I listed building. The structure and surrounding area are also designated a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Exning is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England.
Kington St Michael is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Chippenham in Wiltshire, England.
Stetchworth is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, 3 miles (5 km) to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around 12 miles (19 km) east of Cambridge.
Snailwell is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Newmarket.
Landwade is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Exning, in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is 4 miles north of Newmarket. It was one of the smallest parishes in the county, it is only 1 kilometre from north to south and at most 500m from east to west. In 1951 the parish had a population of 38.
Media related to Fordham, Cambridgeshire at Wikimedia Commons
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