Balsham
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The location of Balsham within East Anglia. |
Balsham is a rural
village in the county of
Cambridgeshire,
United Kingdom which has much expanded since the 1960s and is now one of several
dormitory settlements of
Cambridge. The village is 9.3 miles (15km) south east of the centre of Cambridge beyond the
A11 road. The village is also within comfortable driving distance of
Newmarket and
Haverhill where many residents work and shop. The village is sited on a ridge which runs from east to west, reaching 380 feet (116m) at its eastern edge. From the village, the ground falls away giving good views out across open countryside.
The first evidence of settlement is from
Saxon times, when there was a Saxon farmstead on the site. The semi-circle on the
High Street in the centre of the village marks the boundary of the original farm. Several
Roman roads also run through and near the village showing
Roman activity in the area.
Within a mile of Balsham is the only unbroken sector of the once mighty earthwork known as Fleam Dyke. Here, in 909, there was a great slaughter when Danish invaders were attacked by King Alfred's son. A century later East Anglia and Balsham suffered an invasion by the
Vikings. The entire village was massacred, apart from one man, named Jack Balsham, who hid in the Saxon church tower. This is the scene recorded on the village sign next to the Prince's Memorial and where the village gets its name. Balsham boasts an impressive multi-buttressed church what we see today being mostly built by
John de Sleford, who added the clerestoried nave and the aisles to the 13th century tower and the chancel, built just before his time. He furnished the chancel with 24 magnificent stalls still there, with traceried fronts and backs, lions and faces for poppyheads, and such an array of creatures onthe tops and under the seats that they are like and old bestiary in wood. the bell in the tower is 400 years old.
Two famous benefactors are remembered in the church:
Hugh de Balsham, the founder of
Peterhouse College, and
Thomas Sutton, founder of
Charterhouse. John de Sleford, who had also been
Master of The Wardrobe to King
Edward III, is remembered by a splendid brass over eight feet long. Another brass is in memory of John Blodwell, who as Archbishop of
Rouen, assisted in the trial of
Joan of Arc.
In 1568 William Blodwell, Esq., sold an
armiger, Richard Killingworth, Esq., of
Great Bradley in
Suffolk, an estate at Balsham, which by 1590 belonged to his son, John Killingworth, and was called Place Manor, much later becoming Place Farm. John Killingworth still held the Manor at the time of his death in 1617, which was on the site of what in 1975 was called Balsham Place, together with freehold and copyhold lands, an enclosure in Balsham Wood, and heathland in the west part of the parish. His son Giles Killingworth held the manor of the
Charterhouse Foundation, as feudal superiors. A Mr.Killingworth still held the estate in 1715 when it appeared to extend to 261 acres, but in 1756 it was up for sale.
In the Will of "Richard Killingworth, gentleman", made on 12th September 1586, he left a legacy of £10 sterling for the poor of Balsham.
Several existing cottages and farmhouses on the High Street date from the 16th century.
Post-war there has been significant development in the village, including the construction of several large housing estates in the 1960s and 1970s. The population has increased from 660 in 1951 to over 1600 as of 2001.
There is one school in Balsham which provides for primary school children aged from 4 to 11. The school had 264 pupils as of 2003. Children from the surrounding villages
West Wratting,
West Wickham and
Weston Colville also attend the school, travelling there by bus. Children of secondary school age travel to nearby
Linton and attend
Linton Village College.
The two
public houses are notable parts of village life. The Bell on the High Street has two bars and the Black Bull, similarly on the High Street, and also known as a restaurant. Balsham also has a small
post office and
butcher's shop. It is also served by two mobile
fish and chip sellers, one on Wednesday by the bandstand and one on Thursday at the end of the village, and a visiting mobile library. In the 1960s, Balsham used to boast six pubs and five shops but many of these have closed in recent years. This follows a perceived trend in smaller villages in which it is claimed that local services cannot compete with larger businesses nearby and close down leaving people without transport increasingly isolated. There is a small local bus service running through the village operated by
Stagecoach and Burtons Coaches. Buses run from Haverhill to Cambridge and vice versa several times a day until the last bus home at 6pm! Another feature is the monthly
parish magazine, the
Balsham Review, which publishes local news, sporting reports and advertisements.
The Church Institute used to host a number of groups and societies. However, in recent years, groups such as the traditional Women's Institute and BURPS (a local pantomime group) are more likely to meet at the school. The Prince's memorial is a full-sized bandstand opposite the village green which is a very unusual feature. The village has a large recreation ground and bowling green used by
football,
cricket and
bowls teams.
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The Prince's Memorial bandstand, January, 2006. The village sign normally situated nearby was away for restoration work. |
Holy Trinity Church holds two services every Sunday and communion every Wednesday.
A local tradition is
Plough Monday. Revived some 50 years ago by Jim Daniels (a local resident), one evening a year local residents carry an antique plough around the village stopping in the pubs and houses for drinks on the way collecting donations. The money is donated to local charities. The ploughmen are accompanied by the Cambridge Morris Men. A minute's silence is observed for Jim Daniels, at his memorial outside The Black Bull, at the end of the evening.
Balsham is one of the highest points in an extremely low-lying county. There are a number of walks and footpaths through the village and surrounding countryside which offer pleasing views and are popular with walkers. The nearby registered
ancient monument Fleam Dyke is a 7th century raised bank structure and follows a local
ley line and modern footpath.
Member of ParliamentThe local Member of Parliament is
James Paice, the
Conservative member for
South East Cambridgeshire. He was returned in the 2005 General Election with 26374 votes to
Jonathan Chatfield of the
Liberal Democrats with 17750 votes and
Fiona Ross of the
Labour party with 11936. This is a majority of 8624.
County CouncillorThe current County Councillor is
John Batchelor of the
Liberal Democrats who defeated
Peter Hase of the
Conservative Party.
John Batchelor was elected with 2298 votes.
District CouncillorsBalsham ward is a two member seat. In the 2006 elections, the incumbent
Sam Agnew was defeated by
Vicky Ford who joins Richard Barrett, both of the
Conservative Party. The turnout was 58.8% which is likely to be one of the highest turnout in the 2006 elections.
The result was:
Sam Agnew 1011
Vicky Ford 1060
Maj: 49
OtherThe
British National Party has a PO BOX in Balsham, displayed on its website, although the party does not represent Balsham in any form, or stand in any elections.
*
The Victoria County History of Cambridgeshire, volume VI, page 129.
* Mee, Arthur,
The King's England - Cambridgeshire, New revised edition, London, 1965, pps: 26-28.
*
Cambridgeshire County Council History on the Net*
Census 2001 Profile*
From the Viking Invasion to the Norman Conquest*
Meadow School 2003 Inspection Report*
Ordnance Survey Landranger Map 154*
List of Places in Cambridgeshire
