| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Whittlesey is located between the city of Peterborough, 6 miles to the west and the town of March, 11 miles to the east, and is bordered to the north by the River Nene and to the south by Whittlesey Dyke. Historically it was connected to Peterborough and March by the roman road Fen Causeway constructed in the 1st century AD, a route approximately followed by the modern A605. The rail station is on the line between Peterborough and Ely (historically the Great Eastern Line), with direct trains to Cambridge, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, Stansted Airport and others.
Whittlesey appears in the Domesday Book as Witesie, but it is probable that the name derives from Whittle's Ea, where Ea is a Saxon term for an island.
Before the draining of the fens, Whittlesey was an island of dry ground surrounded by the marshy fens. Excavations of nearby Flag Fen indicate thriving local settlements as far back as 1000 BC. In more recent times Whittlesey was linked to Peterborough in the west and MarchFor alternative meanings, see March (disambiguation). March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. Named for Mars, the Roman god of war. In ancient Rome, March was called Martius. It was named after the war god ( Mars) and in the east by the RomanRoman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens but also applicable to typography math and a commune''. Roman The noun Roman means a citizen of Rome. The adjective Roman means pertaining or related to Rome. The name Romans in Fen Causeway, probably built in the 1st century1st century BC 1st century 2nd century other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 99. Events Beginning of Christianity Spread of the Roman Empire Masoretes adds vowel pointings to the text of the Tanakh Pompeii and Herculaneu AD, and Roman artifacts have been recovered at nearby Eldernell.
At one time Whittlesey is thought to have had its own abbey, but subsequently the town's two parishes of St Mary's and St Andrew's were controlled by the abbeys in Thorney and Ely respectively until the Dissolution of the MonasteriesThe Dissolution of the Monasteries (sometimes called the Suppression of the Monasteries was the formal process, taking place between 1536 and 1540, by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the Roman Catholic institutions in England for himself (c. 1540Events January 6 King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. July 9 King Henry VIII of England divorces Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. July 28 One of the most important political figures of the reign of Henry VI). St Mary's church dates back to the 15th century, but the majority of the building is later, and the church now boasts one of the largest butressed spires in Cambridgeshire. St Andrew's is a mixture of perpendicular and decorated styles and has records back to 1635. The parishes were combined for administrative purposes by the Whittlesey Improvement Act of 1849. Despite the proximity of Peterborough, Whittlesey is in the Diocese of Ely.
Until its draining in 1851, nearby Whittlesey mere was the largest lake in southern england, and the town is still accessible by water, connected to the river Nene by King's Dyke.
Other notables include the market cross, known as the butter cross, dating back to 1680, the old town hall (once also serving as the fire station, and now the town museum) of 1857 and a number of thatched walls.