On my ‘wish list’ was the desire to travel; and so I have, to villages and towns around the UK. Not quite what I had in mind when I sent the message to the ‘Universe’, but there you go. 🙂
The latest on my travels is what at first glance appears to be a rather non-descript little village named ‘Cottenham’.
Cottenham, Cambridgeshire
On arriving in Cottenham you could be forgiven for thinking that it looked rather dull, albeit lined with some pretty little houses and some fine examples of Georgian and Gothic architecture, there was nothing much else to excite the senses. It reminded me a bit of that song by John Denver; Saturday Night in Toledo. Some of the lyrics go: “they roll back the sidewalks at night”.
...they roll back the sidewalks at night
Ah! But wait, we have yet to discover what lies beneath!
Cottenham it seems has in fact existed since prehistoric times, and scattered discoveries of Mesolthic and Neolithic tools have been made. Now we are talking!
On a bend in the ‘High Street’, kind of halfway between here and there,
small part of the original settlement of Cottenham
on an area named the ‘pond’ of which there is currently no sign, are the markings of a very early ‘Roman’ settlement; now mostly built over with houses and buildings – the historic society has in fact been able to mark out the early boundaries of a formal settlement, long since disappeared into dust.
What the area looks like now:
what was the original Saxon settlement site, now built over
part of the medieval Crowlands Manor, now built up
Origin of the name Cottanham, appears to be Saxon, arising from the early English ‘Cotan’ for dwelling and ‘Ham’ for settlement. Most of the older houses along the High Street were at one time farmhouses.
The High Street, so named, is the longest in the country, measuring 1 & ¼ miles from the Green to the Church. The ‘Green’, a triangle of grass at one end of the village, is edged with lovely plane trees, planted in 1885 by Robert Ivatt, and was once the grazing ground for cattle, now an oasis of repose for the villagers, of which there are currently just over 5,000.
the Green at Cottenham, where they used to graze cows
Amongst the present inhabitants, many of whom are descendants of people who have lived here for centuries, are records of the Pepys family in the village since 1273 and the present Earl of Cottenham is a descendent of Samuel Pepys (the diarist) and recorder of the 1666 Fire of London.
Pepys house (Samuel Pepys; diarist used to live here)
Two thirds of Cottenham itself, was destroyed by fire in 1676 (mmm, seems perhaps we should take a closer look at Mr Pepys then!) The lady I was caring for has herself lived in the same house since the day she was born 84 years ago, and inherited the house from her parents.
Across from the Green and on the fork of two roads is the War Memorial – unveiled in 1921 in honour of fifty nine local men killed in the 1st World War.
memorial to fallen villagers WW1
On closer exploration are many fine houses, some of which are centuries old:
Queenholme built 16th century
The Wesleyan Chapel built 1864
The Gothic House built in the 1730s, was a red brick house, bought by the Ivatt family in 1770 and greatly altered around 1860 when the decorative chimneys were built.
Gothic House
front facade of the Gothic House
wisteria draped over the side of the Gothic House
detail above the front door
White Cottage – home to ancestors of Calvin Coolidge – American President 1923-29
White House (aptly named as it turns out)
As I explored the area on Sunday, I was drawn by the sound of bells pealing out their call to prayer! The ‘Parish Church of All Saints’; has evidence of a church on this site from the mid-10th century.
All Saints Church
The existing church was built in the 15th century, with a 100 ft tall church tower – and a sundial built into the side with the inscription – ‘time is short’.
'Time is short' inscription on the sundial
Across the road is the Old Rectory – dating back to the 16th century. In 1644 the Rectory was given to Oliver Cromwell’s sister; Robina. (I guess no-one would have argued with that).
At that point the road leaves the village proper and now becomes Twentypence Road – which derives it’s name from a parcel of thirty acres of land on the Cottenham side of the River Ouse, as described in Richard Atkins survey of the Fens in 1604.
Twentypence Road
At one time there were four pumps in the village, and with all but one subsequently removed, the remaining pump – erected in 1864, was moved to the Green in 1985 along with the horse-trough.
water pump and horse trough
Cottenham was a treasure trove of old houses, ancient history and houses with stories behind their walls.
Although the main road through the village was quite busy during the day the villagers seemed to prefer a lighter form of transport
the villagers preferred mode of transport!
On the sidewalk was a sight common in these villages; a sign board with description of goods for sale. In this instance ‘Pink Peony plants’, unattended, left on a stand or in a box or wheelbarrow, and as is common the instructions for payment are: “please put money through the letterbox”.
'Pink peony plants' - leave money in the letterbox
One day I discovered a book that detailed the history of the village and had a fine old time digging a bit deeper.
85 High Street; house of Fred Stone – watch and clockmaker and music teacher
house of Fred Stone - watch and clock maker
next door was the old Jolly Millers public house – burnt down in 1898 (now rebuilt)
Jolly Millers pub
Pond Villa’s built in 1902, and the last houses in the village to be built from Cotteham brick
Pond Villas
Pond Villas
120 High Street – Pond Farm; A group of fifty dissenting families, which called itself ‘The Church Congregation Society of the Protestant Dissenters of the Denomination of Independence’, worshipped in the barn behind this 17th century Farmhouse. Pond Farm was also the site for meetings of the Ranters, or Primitive Methodists.
Pond Farm
The village was a delight in it’s various architechtural styles.
Ivy House
Before leaving I took a stroll over to the old Saxon area to see the moat
Cotttenham moat
Cottenham moat - a scheduled ancient monument
The area has been listed by English Heritage as a scheduled ancient monument. The moat contains a small breeding population of great crested newt, which is strictly protected under European legislation.
And that was my excursion to Cottenham, a quaint English village in Cambridgeshire, not too far from Cambridge and a treasure trove of ancient and new.
Not Just a Granny 
Great pictures! There is more architechtural variety in that little town than in a lot of big cities! Plus, what happened to the weather–it looks perfect.
Hey Thomas, thanks for that. Indeed, there were some really amazing house, I wish I could have posted photos of them all, but that would take ages 🙂 It was such a quaint little village.
We love exploring off the beaten path kinds of places. It looks like you found a treasure.
Can I ask about gothic house. I’m taking my 74 year old mother to the uk in september and have just started looking up her past. Her grandmother was born in gothic house and now I’m trying to get more info. I looked it up on google earth and it looked like it could be a business of some kind as there was an “office” sign on the front of the little building attached to the side of gothic house. Is there anything else about the house you noted that might be of interest to me.
hi Cheryl. mmm not sure which gothic house you are talking about. but if you would like to send me the address I can try to find out more for you, unless you are talking about the house in Cottenham. let me know either way and I will see what I can find out.
Yes it is the one in Cottenham
Hi Cheryl, ok cool. I will try to find out more for you and send you the details. have a great day
Hello again 🙂 Ok I did some research on the net and found these two sites that may be of interest to you.
History of Gothic House
and
from what i read the is indeed an office on the side. I dont really know much more than that, as I was only there for 5 days. Good luck with the trip. Let me know when youre planning your trip and I can give you some ideas of things to do in London if you spend any time there and also it would be fun to say hello. Hope you have a geat time. btw, to get to Cottenham you have to go by train from Kings Cross station to Cambridge and then take a taxi or hire a car. Taxi is probably best. there is a pub near to the house and I am sure there will be some B&B’s in the village. it was a lovely village and very quaint, but I am sure much changed.
Just found this post (a bit late), I know the person who has just sold gothic house and it has been in their family for many years, get in touch if you want to know more.
hi Paul, thanks for the info. I’ll be in touch, sounds interesting 🙂
I visited Cottenham in 2009 and 2010, and saw beautiful archetypal thatched cottages with multicoloured roses adorning them and wonderful gardens in the front yards, I don’t think any of them were the ones in this item which look so bare and basic for the most part. Did you see them in the season when they are so beautifully flowered?
Frederica Knight
hi Fredericka, I did see a few, but mostly when I was on a bus! I was working there so didnt have much time to travel around the area. It was lovely though, the bits that I did see. thanks for the comment
The picture of the house that you call Queenholme is not, in fact, Queenholme. My Aunt lives in Queenholme and I spent a lot of my childhood there. It’s a pity you haven’t got a picture of the house on here as it is a beautiful old house.
Hi Jennifer…..oh really….I can’t respond to this as I was only there for a few days and could only say what I saw…but I will certainly take your word it as surely if your aunt lives there then you would know best 😉 How wonderful to have spent your childhood there…the village is a delight.
Thanks for pointing out the info re the house, I would have loved to see the real Queenholme house. Do you by any chance have a photo you would be prepared to share? thanks for dropping by, Regards Cindy
I’m hoping this link will show you Queenholme. Sorry I have taken so long, I have been trying to access a picture for you. Although the roof of the house is in corrugated there is actually an old thatched roof underneath.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2861336,0.1260766,3a,75y,180.44h,96.84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2nNs7wGZe5aBxBKqdDYLEg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Hi Jennifer
Thank you so much for going to all the time and trouble to find a photo of Queenholme.
Hi Excellent site with brilliant info & photos. Do you know anything about the Whitehorn public house? An ancestor of mine, Robert Norman was the publican there at the time of his death in 1829.
Hi David, thanks for your comment. so glad you enjoyed the site. I’m afraid I don’t know anything at all about the Whitehorn, but how exciting to have an ancestor who owned? the place. The UK villages are so amazing with their history….thanks for dropping by. Forgive my late reply…I’ve been so buys with my business blog I have not been onto this one for ages 😉 Have a great day and year. regards Cindy
I lived in Cottenham (as a baby) and later as a teenager and young adult. In fact, the picture of the white wrought iron gate was the gate to my house, Lordship House adjacent to Lordship Lane. The property belonged to my aunt and uncle, Horace and Lilly Simpkins until their deaths in 1982 and 1980 respectively. I have very fond memories of going to school and growing up in Cottenham. Of course it has grown and changed beyond recognition now. Thank you for the trip down memory lane… sigh…
happy to oblige Chrissy 😉 Wow, I am delighted that you left the comment and that brings the blog more alive to hear from someone who actually lived there.
PS. I think the Gothic House belonged to a family by the name of Franklin. My older sister was best friends with their daughter Olga in the early 50s.
Oh thanks for that Chrissy, I always did wonder
Just googled the Gothic House in Cottenham to find your blog and 3rd picture up from the bottom found my cottage – the brick fronted thatch 🙂 Moved in just over a year ago and really like living in Cottenham, so thank you for your tour of the village!
hey, that’s awesome!!! It’s a cute village. I hope you have a fab time there. I enjoyed my stay. Thanks for your comment, It’s great to know folks are still finding that post.