Outwell

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Outwell
Saint Clements, Outwell South West Norfolk.jpg
Saint Clement's, Outwell
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Outwell
Location within Norfolk
Area12.21 km2 (4.71 sq mi)
Population2,083 (2011)
•  Density 171/km2 (440/sq mi)
OS grid reference TF5103
•  London 97 miles (156 km) SSW
Civil parish
  • Outwell
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WISBECH
Postcode district PE14
Dialling code 01945
Police Norfolk
Fire Norfolk
Ambulance East of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°37′04″N0°13′54″E / 52.61785°N 0.23157°E / 52.61785; 0.23157

Outwell is a village and civil parish in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, in the English county of Norfolk. [1]

Contents

At the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 2,083, [2] an increase from 1,880 at the 2001 Census. [3]

History

According to A Dictionary of British Place Names, derives from the Old English 'wella', meaning "a place at the spring or stream", combined with 'ūte', meaning "outer [or] lower downstream", distinguishing the place from Upwell, which is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south. In 963 the settlement was referred to as 'Wellan', and in the 1086 Domesday Book , 'Utuuella'. [4] Molycourt Priory in the parish dated from before the Norman Conquest, becoming a cell of Ely Cathedral and surviving until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Outwell has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086. [5] The parish was in the custody William de Warenne. The survey also records 16 bordars with lands worth 5s. as belonging to Saint Benedict's Abbey in Ramsey.[ citation needed ]

There was a Village lock-up until c1871 when it was sold to Mr Elworthy for £19. [6]

Drainage and flooding

In the Middle Ages the River Nene determined the layout of Outwell. Since that time, the landscape of the whole district has consequently been much altered by the construction of several large drains which run through the parish. In the 17th century Popham's Eau was cut to provide a conduit for the waters of the old River Nene into the River Great Ouse at Salter's Lode. This was followed by many alterations and new drains being dug. In May 1862 one sixth of the Parish of Outwell was inundated with water when the Middle Level Drain burst through its banks. It took three years before the area had fully recovered from the flood. Also constructed across the parish was the Wisbech Canal, now disused, which followed the course of the Well Stream as far as Outwell church and then struck across in a southeasterly direction to join Popham's Eau at Nordelph.

One benefit of the drains, washes and other watercourse around the Fens is the sport of Fen skating. During the cold winters of the 1820s and 1830s there were a number of fenmen who made a name for themselves as skaters, such as James May of Upwell. [7]

Beaupré Hall

Beaupré Hall was a large 16th-century manor house on the outskirts of Outwell, built by the Beaupre family, who also financed catholic chapels attached to the church at Outwell. It was later lived in by Robert Bell during the reign of Elizabeth I. In decline since the Victorian era, during the First World War, the hall was commandeered by the RAF and later used for holiday housing. Following this the Hall fell into a state of further disrepair until its demolition in 1966. [8] [9]

Geography

The village is 45 miles (70 km) west of Norwich, 12 miles (20 km) south-west of King's Lynn and 80 miles (100 km) north of London; the nearest town is Wisbech, which is 5 miles (8 km) north-west of the village.

Outwell is on the route of the A1101 road, close to the A47. [10] The nearest railway station is Downham Market on the Fen Line between King's Lynn and Cambridge, and the nearest airport is Norwich Airport.

The village and parish of Outwell is on the western edge of the county of Norfolk which borders Cambridgeshire. Until 1990 Outwell parish was split with half in Norfolk and half in Cambridgeshire with the boundary falling along the old course of the River Nene. The boundary also cut straight through the middle of the village. In 1935 the part of Outwell which was in Cambridgeshire was reduced in size to enlarge the nearby village of Emneth. Outwell parish today is part of the King's Lynn and West Norfolk local government district.

The village and parish is traversed by drainage channels which characterize this part of Fenland Norfolk. The eastern corner of the parish is cut north to south by the Middle Level main Drain. Crossing the parish from east to west is the Well Creek drain. The north and eastern parts of the parish consist of arable and pasture fields, the eastern area referred to as Walsingham Fens and the north area as Well Moors. On the edges of the village there is a small amount of woodland near Birdbeck Field and to the south and at Church Field to the east.

Notable people

Further reading

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fens</span> Natural region on the east coast of England

The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system of drainage channels and man-made rivers and automated pumping stations. There have been unintended consequences to this reclamation, as the land level has continued to sink and the dykes have been built higher to protect it from flooding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welney</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisbech and Upwell Tramway</span> Standard gauge tramway in East Anglia, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guyhirn</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upwell</span> Village in Norfolk, England

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The Wisbech Canal was a broad canal from Wisbech, Isle of Ely in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire, England. It ran from the River Nene at Wisbech to the Well Creek at Outwell now in Norfolk, which gave access to the River Great Ouse. It was abandoned in 1926 and filled in during the 1970s.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsoken</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downham West</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stradsett</span> Human settlement in England

Stradsett is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk The village is 40.8 miles (65.7 km) west of Norwich, 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south of King's Lynn and 96.4 miles (155.1 km) north of London. The nearest town is Downham Market which is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of the parish. The village is located on the A1122 which runs between Outwell and Swaffham. The A134 between King's Lynn and Colchester also passes through the parish. The nearest railway station is at Downham Market for the Fen Line which runs between King's Lynn and Cambridge. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport. The parish of Stradsett, in the 2001 census, has a population of 60. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. At the 2011 Census the population remained less than 100 and was included in the civil parish of Crimplesham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordelph</span> Human settlement in England

Nordelph is a civil parish near Downham Market in the English county of Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch, Cambridgeshire</span> Human settlement in England

Christchurch is a village in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 833. The village is sited close to the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.

References

  1. ↑ Ordnance Survey (2006). OS Explorer Map 228 – March & Ely. ISBN   0-319-23802-4
  2. ↑ "Outwell (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Outwell (Parish): Key Figures for 2001 Census". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Mills, Anthony David (2003); A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University Press, revised edition (2011), p.357. ISBN   019960908X
  5. ↑ The Domesday Book, England's Heritage, Then and Now, (Editor: Thomas Hinde), Norfolk, page 192, Outwell, ISBN   1-85833-440-3
  6. ↑ "Outwell Lock-up". Cambridge Independent Press. 18 November 1871. p. 6.
  7. ↑ N & A Goodman 1882 Handbook of fen skating. London.
  8. 1 2 "Wisbech Hundred: Outwell and Upwell", British History Online, quoting A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume IV
  9. ↑ Worsley, G., England's Lost Houses, Aurum Press Limited, 2002
  10. ↑ County A to Z Atlas, Street & Road maps Norfolk, page 230 ISBN   978-1-84348-614-5

Further reading

Smith, William P (2017). OUTWELL IN A NUTSHELL. Carillson Publications. ISBN   978-0-9543997-4-0.

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