Stetchworth

Infobox UK place
official_name= Stetchworth
country= England
region= East of England
os_grid_reference= TL639585
latitude= 52.2
longitude= 0.4
post_town=
postcode_area=
postcode_district=
dial_code=
shire_county= Cambridgeshire
shire_district= East Cambridgeshire
population= 691 (2001 Census)
hide_services= Yes

Stetchworth is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, convert|3|mi|0 from the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around convert|12|mi|0 from Cambridge. The village of Dullingham is close to Stetchworth.

The last census recorded 691 residents.

The parish church of St Peter's is around 800 years old, and is the oldest building in the village. There are bells in the tower dating from 1450 onwards, but they have not been used in recent years. The church boasts examples of early English graffiti (apparently carved into a pillar during a visit to Stetchworth by one Queen Philippa) depicting a woman in an elaborate head-dress, and several animals.

Devil's Dyke (or Ditch), an Anglo-Saxon earthwork built between the Cambridgeshire villages of Reach and Wood Ditton, runs through Stetchworth. It consists of a ditch and a mound of earth which continues for over seven miles, and is a popular place for local walks. The Devils Dyke Morris Men dance along its length to end up at the 800 year old Reach Fair on May Day. The relatively rare pasque flower grows along the dyke in the chalky soil.

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/stetchworthvillage/ Village website]
* [http://www.ccan.co.uk/group.aspx?GroupID=yyyj Stetchworth Community Archive]