Madingley

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 52.2250
longitude= 0.04092
official_name= Madingley
population = 206 (2001)
shire_district= South Cambridgeshire
shire_county = Cambridgeshire
region= East of England
constituency_westminster= South Cambridgshire
post_town= CAMBRIDGE
postcode_district = CB23
postcode_area= CB
dial_code= 01954
os_grid_reference= TL395605

Madingley is a village near Coton and Dry Drayton on the western outskirts of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The village's former public house, "The Three Horseshoes", is now a good-quality restaurant though it still has a bar that serves beer. The village has an independent pre-preparatory school which caters for reception to year-two students. The village's community spirit is exemplified by the yearly quiz. There is also a village church, which still takes services weekly.There is a B&B at Beck Brook Farm.

Madingley Hall

The village is home to Madingley Hall, which was built by Sir John Hynde in 1543 and occupied by his descendants until the 1860s. It is surrounded by parkland. It was the residence of his descendants until the 1860s. Queen Victoria rented the Hall in 1860 for her son Edward (the future King Edward VII) to live in while he was an undergraduate in Cambridge University. The family sold the Hall in 1871.

The lake in the grounds is home to a variety of wildlife. The rare black squirrel has been spotted in the area and even red kites have been mentioned as being spotted by locals.

The Hall and its surrounding park and farmland have been owned by the University of Cambridge since 1948.

Madingley in Poetry

Despite being well known for its beauty, poet Rupert Brooke once said in his poem "Grantchester"::'And things are done you'd not believe:At Madingley on Christmas Eve.'

He said this because he was writing about Grantchester, a nearby village, and, despite never having visited the beautiful Madingley, made up a false accusation.

Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial

A cemetery and chapel dedicated to American servicemen opened in 1956, on the southern edge of the village beside the road from Cambridge to St Neots. The 30½ acres were donated by the University of Cambridge.

3812 American military dead are buried in the cemetery. In addition, the names of 5127 are inscribed on the "Wall of the Missing", Americans who lost their lives but whose remains were never recovered or identified. Most of these died in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) or in the strategic air bombardment of Northwest Europe during World War II.

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