Christchurch, Cambridgeshire

Coordinates: 52°32′46″N 0°12′10″E / 52.5460°N 0.2027°E / 52.5460; 0.2027

Christchurch
Christchurch  Christchurch shown within Cambridgeshire
OS grid reference	TL4996
District	Fenland
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Wisbech
Postcode district	PE14
Dialling code	01354
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire

Christchurch is a village in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England sited on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border. Village facilities include a small village school and preschool which is sited in the school grounds. There is also a public house, The Dun Cow, which is tithed to Elgoods and Sons Ltd, the Wisbech brewery. There is a recreation ground with football pitch and two children's play areas. A new addition to the village is a skateramp, which was co-funded by donations and the parish council.

Christchurch has a small church, which was built in 1863 and consecrated in 1865. This is the source of Christchurch claim to fame. The rector of the church from 1917 to 1928 was The Rev. Henry Sayers, father of the novelist, Dorothy L. Sayers, and he and his wife were buried in unmarked graves in the churchyard at the behest of their daughter Dorothy. A plaque has since been installed in the churchyard to commemorate their internment. One of Sayers novels, "The Nine Tailors" is based around the Christchurch and Upwell area.

The village was allegedly named after the church because of the two large oil paintings hanging in the nave. One depicts Christ crowned with thorns and the other his descent from the cross. Both were brought from Italy by the church’s architect, Sir Roger Pratt. Until the turn of the century, the village name was still spelt "Christ Church", and prior to that was known as Brimstone-Hill, presumably after the butterfly which used to be common in the area.

External links

Media related to Christchurch, Cambridgeshire at Wikimedia Commons