Chatteris
Encyclopedia : C : CH : CHA : Chatteris
| Chatteris | |
|---|---|
| OS Grid Reference: | |
| Lat/Lon: | |
| Population: | 8820 (2001 Census) |
| Dwellings: | 3926 (2001 Census) |
| Formal status: | Town |
| Administration | |
| County: | Cambridgeshire |
| Region: | East Anglia |
| Nation: | England |
| Post Office and Telephone | |
| Post town: | Chatteris |
| Postcode: | PE16 |
| Dialling Code: | 01354 |
Chatteris is one of four market towns in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, situated in The Fens between Whittlesey and Ely. It is reputed to have been the last refuge of Boudica as she fled from the Romans [link] and is the highest single location above sea level in Cambridgeshire. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Caeteric - Ceto meaning a wood and Ric, a river.
History
Chatteris was once the site of a Benedictine nunnery, built in 980 by Alfwen the niece of King Edgar. Little of it remains today, although the "Park Streets" of Chatteris mark the boundary of its walls. A large portion of the town was destroyed by a great fire which raged between 1306 and 1310, and destroyed the nunnery and a large portion of the church, although the current tower is original. The fire was allegedly started by a boy playing with a mirror. To the north of the town runs the Forty-foot Drain, a large river also called Vermuyden's Drain, after the Dutch engineer whose name is associated with the fen drainage works of the middle of the I7th Century. Several of the older buildings of the town show evidence of the Dutch architectural style.
Today
The town has two primary schools, Kingsfield Primary School (created in 2003 by the amalgamation of the former Burnsfield School and King Edward School), and the Glebelands School, which dates from the early 1994. In particular, there is an on-going controversy over the selling of the Kingsfield playing fields for housing. There is also a secondary school, Cromwell Community College, founded in 1939.
The town is noted for its well reputed annual display of Christmas lights, which are entirely funded by community donations and have been featured on BBC Look East. In June, it hosts a popular festival week, which includes a flower festival in the church, a street carnival and a concert by the Chatteris Town Brass Band.
\"For What Is Chatteris\"
In 2005, cult British indie band Half Man Half Biscuit - best known for "The Trumpton Riots" & "Dickie Davies Eyes", had a song entitled "For What Is Chatteris" on their award winning Achtung Bono album. The song eschewed the virtues of the small Fenland town offset against how little the best place in the world can suddenly become to someone when the one they love is no longer resident.
News of the song made the headlines of the Cambridgeshire Times during September 2005 - a month before the album's official release - & bemused locals were delighted with their immortalisation from this unlikely source. [link]
See also
External links
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