Wisbech
Wisbech (
IPA /'wɪzbiʧ/) is a market town and former inland port with a population of about 20,000 in the
Fenland area of
Cambridgeshire. The tidal
River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges. The name is believed to mean
mouth of the (River) Ouse but it has never been resolved.
Prior to the
Local Government Act 1972 coming into force in
1974 Wisbech was a
municipal borough. It is now a
civil parish in the
Fenland district.
A
Norman castle to fortify Wisbech was built by
William I, and in later Tudor times became a notorious prison. The Castle was rebuilt in the mid-17th century and again in
1816 by Joseph Medworth, who also developed the Crescent, familiar as the setting in numerous costume dramas. The major town dwelling is
Peckover House with its fine walled garden, built for the banking family in
1722 and now owned by the
National Trust.
In the
17th century, the local inhabitants became known as the "
Fen Tigers" because of their resistance to the draining of the fens, but the project turned Wisbech into a wealthy port handling agricultural
produce. At this time Wisbech was on the estuary of the
River Ouse, but silting caused the coastline to move north, and the
River Nene was diverted to serve the town.
The eight-kilometre (5-mile) £6 million
A47 Wisbech/West Walton Bypass opened in autumn
1984.
Elgood's Brewery is a local independent brewery whose ales are sent out across England.
Wisbech once had four railways leading to
Magdalen,
March,
Sutton Bridge and
Peterborough.
The
Angles Theatre is a thriving professional theatre, run almost entirely by volunteers and backed by many leading names including Derek Jacobi, Jo Brand and Cameron Mackintosh. It is also the home of the "Nine Lives" theatre company, a company formed as part of Performing Arts programme run by the Isle College.
The local
football team is
Wisbech Town Football Club, nicknamed
The Fenmen.
*
Peckover House (
1722; owned by the National Trust)
*
Clarkson Memorial (
1881)
*
St. Peter and St. Paul's, the parish church.
*
William Godwin, (3 March 1756 â€" 7 April 1836) was an English political writer and novelist, considered one of the important precursors of both
utilitarian and liberal
anarchist thought. Born in Wisbech.
*
John Feckenham, last
Abbot of Westminster, like many other Catholic clergymen, including several bishops, was imprisoned in Wisbech Castle and died there.
*
Thomas Clarkson, the anti-slavery campaigner, was from Wisbech and was educated at
Wisbech Grammar School. The
Clarkson Memorial was built to commemorate his life, and is situated on the south bank of the Nene, near to the old bridge.
*
Octavia Hill, co-founder of the National Trust, was born in Wisbech.
* Octavia Hill's sister
Miranda Hill, probably also born at Wisbech, founded the influential Kyrle Society, a progenitor of the National Trust.
*
Sir Harry Kroto,
1996 Nobel Laureate in
Chemistry, for the discovery of
fullerenes.
*
Anton Rodgers, actor, born in Wisbech.
*
Rev. W. Awdrey the creator of
Thomas the Tank EngineWisbech is noted for its unspoilt
Georgian architecture, particularly along
North Brink and
The Crescent. It has been used in the
BBC's adaptation of
Charles Dickens'
David Copperfield and
ITV's
Micawber, starring
David Jason.
*
List of places in Cambridgeshire*
2001 Census
