As the 20^th Century draws to a close, it seems appropriate that we should create a "snapshot" of the village in which we live. The Christchurch Community Appraisal aims to capture the size and shape of the community, the issues that concern us and how we want to develop in the years ahead.

The Appraisal has been undertaken with advice and guidance from ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), grants from The European Social Fund, The Rural Development Fund, and Fenland Rural Development. Local financial support was provided by The Dun Cow, Gorefield Ironworks, CW Photography, Fenland Fabrication, Roland Singleterry, WJ Small and Nigel Russell.

A Steering Group was formed to manage the process and consolidate the findings of the survey into a single document.

Our special thanks must go to the Local Shop who helped in so many ways.

However, this Appraisal would not have been possible without the support of the people of Christchurch – of the 300 questionnaires distributed, 122 were completed, representing 249 people. This return rate of 41% exceeds the turn-out for local and some Government elections – so the major thanks must go to those who took the time to complete the questionnaire.

Many village appraisals have been completed during the last 2 years – ours is unique in that it covers 3 distinct areas – Christchurch, Tipp’s End and Euximoor. The body of the appraisal focuses on the combined statistics, except where there are interesting anomalies from any one location.

Throughout the Appraisal therefore, the word Christchurch is used to refer to the communities of Christchurch, Tipp’s End and Euximoor.

We hope that you find the Appraisal interesting and informative – if nothing else, it should provide future generations with an insight into the way we lived.

This first Village Appraisal of Christchurch, Euximoor and Tipp’s End has been well received, with an encouraging level of response and positive views on many aspects of village life.

• Health services (especially the local GPs) are good

• Unemployment levels are low

• Townley school is well regarded and considered to be good

• The Heron is considered to be a good source of local information

• Recycling facilities are required

• The problem of speeding cars must be addressed – a lower speed limit is the most popular proposal

• More street lights are required

• Significant interest in adult education – especially Computing

• Sports and leisure facilities for those under 25 are very poor

• Greater Police presence requested

• There should be more local involvement in the Parish Council – the meetings are open and people should be encouraged to attend.

In the beginning there were dry lands, stone age man (and woman) lived on these very fens almost 500,000 years ago - remains have been found which show that hunter gathers moved across the low plain into the large landmass that is now Europe and Asia.

….Then came the floods, around 8000 BC the Fenland basin was formed, silts and peat formation, fen edge and clay island occupation, and then submergence. In AD 900 the first sea defences were built and Fen lives recorded. Upwell the Manor was recorded in AD 970 together with Outwell under the banner of King Edgar when the Abbot was confirmed at 'Hutwele.'

As can be seen from the aerial photograph, salt making was a major industry in the Romano-British era and the largest salt making site was in the village we know today as Christchurch (Landranger 143 OS TL 4996). The fields were marked out (delineated) in a series of grids called centuriation, Christchurch fields do not fulfil this classification entirely, the less formal grid indentation would suggest that the "limitatio" method was used, which in turn suggests that these field formed part of an imperial estate. The Roman Fen Causeway passes to the right of the village of Christchurch and over into Euximoor.

(Courtesy of "The Ancient Fenland" by Coles and Hall)

It would seem that Fen people lived a good life; they fished, hunted a vast number of fowl and eggs and grew staples. Even after much of the produce went to the Lords of the Manors, the Monasteries or even the crown (Tithes to each were as much as 20 per cent), their living seems to have been very hard but fruitful. The map shows how much of Cambridgeshire was under the plough and how much modern farming techniques are able to manage today.

The first recorded sight of the village now known as Christchurch was in 1255 when an area referred to as Eusmore was where the actual village stands today - Eusmore Fen was called Upwell Common. On the 1684 Sir Jonas Moor map (courtesy of the Cambridge Collection ) of the Great Levell of the Fenns (sic), Christchurch village is shown quite clearly as Eximore or Euximore, the Sixteen Foot Drain as Thurloes Drain and Drove and Euximoor Fen as Eusimore Fenn. One 500 acre plot shown on the map was still intact in 1926 when it was sold to the Day Family of Euximoor.

On the map from the Cotten Collection in the British Museum dated 1604, Eusmore becomes Eusimoor and Upwell Common becomes Eusimoor Fen. It is not surprising that the place names change over the years, since they were passed phonetically by word of mouth rather than being written – only Lords of the Manor, monks and priests were educated enough to read.

In 1650 the Manor of Upwell was acquired by the Beaupre family and represented a constant populace of about 200. (Townley School in Christchurch was named after one of the latter descendants of the Beupre family; Rev. CS Townley who was one of the benefactors of the new school in 1932.)

The later maps in the 17th and 18th century record the name of the village as Brimstone Hill. Although there are numerous theories for this name, there is no universally accepted explanation. The most commonly held belief is that it is named after the Brimstone butterfly.

The area was well served by Public Houses - in addition to The Farmers Boy and The Dun Cow which still remain, a pub called The Crown stood on the junction of Crown Drove and the Sixteen Foot Bank (next to the Hereward Way footpath) while further along the Sixteen Foot Bank stood The Wheatsheaf Pub (now converted into two houses). Both The Farmer’s Boy and The Dun Cow have significant history of serving drovers with refreshments for drovers could quench their thirst and take a break from their hard labours.

The late Georgian style house that stands on the Sixteen Foot Bank, has recently been excavated. Evidence suggests that the clay island on which it stands may have been a home for some 1000 years. Beth Davis, who was previously the Fenland District Conservation Officer, suggests that the parkland fronting the Sixteen Foot River (which in the 12th century was called Thurloes Dyke) had a series of dykes on which the populace paddled small coracle type boats to and from the medieval buildings on that site. Evidence of these dykes can still be seen in the untouched and uncultivated areas of the spinney.

If Hereward and the peoples who followed him could see the changes in the last hundred years or so what they would have made of them? Radio, television, computers even libraries and museums have all helped in our search to find the truth behind the legends and the sources and resources of the people of Christchurch, Tipp’s End and Euximoor - the amazing People of the Fens.

The majority of households in our community lie within the village of Christchurch with Tipp’s End and Euximoor having almost equal numbers

Christchurch is one of the smaller villages within the Fenland district – the following table taken from the 1991 Census Data shows us as the third smallest in the area in terms of both number of households and population.

However, the population density is reflected in the size of the area – the parish of Christchurch covers 2,800 hectares, compared to only 1,800 for Wisbech, yet Wisbech has 25 times the population of Christchurch!

The people of Christchurch are distributed over a wide age range – with the majority being in the 25 to 60 age range but significant number over the official retirement age of 60 (though later results will demonstrate how active this group is!). The relatively low number of people under 18 raises issues with regard to education and training. There is a healthy mix of the sexes – reflecting the national average of 50:50.

The village clearly attracts a loyal following – over 75% of the population have lived here for more than 6 years and 1/3^rd of the population have lived here for more than 25 years.

The reason for living in Christchurch also varies – the sorted responses show a high number of people staying in the village from their birth, but the other reasons for choosing Christchurch are fairly evenly split.

We are also shown to be a caring community, when asked what was most important to them about the village, 27% people responded "The Community", 24% said "The Environment", 40% said "Family" and only 11% said "House Prices".

All areas are well provided with Mains electricity, water and telephone. The two Mains services which are not provided to most of the community (Drainage/Sewage and Gas) are catered for in a variety of ways.

Only 15% of households have Mains Drainage – 50% of the remainder use a Cess Pit, while 35% have a Septic Tank.

Only 6% use (bottled) gas, the rest are fairly evenly split in our choice of heating methods between Electricity, Oil and Solid fuel. It is interesting to note that, if offered Mains Gas, only 50% of households would choose to be connected!

All households had some energy-saving feature, if only to lag the hot water tank and insulate the loft. Half of households and cavity wall insulation – given the fact that the older properties don’t have cavity walls, it must be assumed that almost all of the newer houses are insulated in this way.

35% have installed at least one low energy light bulb, yet only 5% use any water saving device – probably not surprising from an area that was once below the water line!

The quality of all services was considered to be "good" or "reasonable".

The questionnaire reveals that we are not heavy users of the Emergency Services – over half of all households had never user Fire, Police or Emergency Ambulance. Of those that had, most thought that the Fire Service was "good" or "reasonable". The Police fared less well, with 25% of the view that the standard of policing was "poor" and over half the households wishing to see a greater police presence – 30% of the respondents did not believe that Christchurch had a Community Police Officer.

Perhaps reflecting the closeness of the Welney Wash, 6 people believe that the Coastguard offered a "poor" service!

Reflecting our concern for the environment, over 80% of households would be prepared to separate items from their refuse – most would use a "bank" for Bottles, Cans, Newspapers and Clothing.

Only 3.5% of the households believe that there are enough litter bins in the village (or that they are in the right place).

Commercial Services are limited to the village shop (which doubles as the Post Office) and regular mobile deliveries. It is clear that only the shop attracts regular custom – very few people make use of the mobile services which are essential to the housebound. Those shopping outside of the village do so because of better choice, more competitive prices or ease of parking.

89% of the households consider the car to be their major means of transport with another 10% using the bus services. There was little interest in taking part in any car sharing scheme.

Those without access to car make use of the "Croft Carrier", a minibus service which has been providing regular services to March, Downham Market and Peterborough for over 10 years. The Croft Carrier is available for both individuals and organisations for special hire. The questionnaire showed that it was most used for shopping trips.

Speeding cars through the village are seen as a major issue, with a variety of proposals to reduce speed. The following table lists the various measures proposed by the questionnaire and the support received for each measure:

A number of additional measures have also been proposed which would ease the impact of the car on the community. 171 households wanted additional or improved street lights, additional cycle paths, footpaths or pavements were also important but there was no perceived need for pelican crossings, traffic islands or roundabouts. However, it is worth noting that a significant number did not believe that any of these should be introduced.

The village is able to draw on a wide range of medical services, though none are provided within the village on a daily basis. The following table demonstrates how little the health services are used by the community – with the exception of the GP, which almost everyone agrees to be "good" or "reasonable", very few of the services are widely used (households which do use these services consider them to be good).

In many ways, the Parish Church lies at the heart of modern Christchurch, since it is from the church that the village gained its name. In 1864, the Parish of Upwell (until then one of the largest Parishes in the land) was divided into 3 (Upwell, Outwell and Christchurch). The foundation stone of the church was laid on June 30^th 1864 and the church was consecrated in October of the following year. However, major renovations have been required over the last 5-6 years, with significant work being devoted to replacing the floor and repairing the roof.

The parishes of Christchurch and Welney shared the same Rector for many years – this arrangement was extended in 1995/6 when Manea joined the team to create a 3-way Benefice. Liaison with the local school has always been a feature of village life – this has been strengthened under the current Rector (Rev. Sheila Tooke) with "The Teddy Bear Club" for under 4s and "Power Pack" for those between the age of 4 and 11.

The survey highlights the range of value that the community attaches to the Church, with a fairly sentimental view leading the list and the tradition of Sunday worship failing to make significant impact.

Although now a private house, the Old Rectory was an influential house in the village, since it was home to the Rector and his family. Once such family was that of the Revd Henry Sayers, whose daughter (Dorothy L Sayers) set the novel The Nine Tailors in Christchurch and the surrounding area.

The Village Hall (officially the Christchurch Memorial Hall) provides a central venue for a wide range of activities and is the scene for most of the village’s formal social events. Built after the 1914-18 war, it has been renovated many times and maintained to provide a venue for local events.

Lying at the heart of Christchurch, The Dun Cow has acted as a focus for much of village life. First recorded in May 1776, the Dun Cow used to lie on the main road between Tip’s End and Welney. Previously known as the Surveyors Arms (presumably after the Surveyors of the Fens), the Tenants can be traced back continuously to 1871 (when the rent was £12 and the Pub was valued at £506) when the current owners (Elgoods) acquired the property

Looking forward, the Dun Cow has plans to expand and provide additional accommodation without changing the nature of what is a very strong community venue.

The Farmer’s Boy also has a long history, dating back over 200 years. Originally two buildings, the current Pub provides a full range of drinks, meals and entertainment. Situated on the junction of Church Road and the B1100 Welney Road on the edge of the village, it was sold in 1978 by the Norwich Brewery and is now free house owned by Mr & Mrs Saunders

Outside the Pub, there are two beer gardens with seating and plenty of room for ball games.

The employment rate within the village is excellent, with the level of unemployment (3%) being well below the national average. The relatively low number in education reflects the age distribution across the village.

Townley School is a major feature of the village with 70 children from "rising 5" to 11 years of age from a wide catchment area. There has been a school in Christchurch since 1865 with a temporary school in use on Euximoor Drove from 1910 to 1932 so that pupils did not have to endure the long walk.

The school now hosts the pre-school playgroup, so that transition to the main school is made as easy as possible

Investment in IT enables the pupils to remain in contact with the rest of the county through the use of Video Conferencing and connection to the rest of the world through the Internet. The school has a very high degree of support from the local community; the questionnaires showed that 72% believe that the school is "very important" to the local community.

The number of people in Education beyond 16 appears to be very low – of the households that responded, only 12 people were identified as being at 6^th form college, university or on other training courses. However, this should be considered in relation to the number of 16-18 year olds within the village (less than 20).

Adult education received much interest in the survey; 126 responses were received to this question. The table shows Computing highest on the list, followed by more leisure-oriented activities such as crafts, woodwork and gardening.

Almost all of those interested in classes believed that evenings are the best time to attend.

The table below demonstrates the poor opinion held by the people of Christchurch on the provision of local social facilities. There is clearly an overwhelming need for additional sport and recreation for all age groups.

This table shows the groups that people would attend if they were provided. It is worth noting that since the survey was completed, a Gardening Club has been formed and currently has attracted around 30 members in its first year.

However, it must be noted that none of the activities suggested are primarily aimed at the younger community.

Asked about additional sporting facilities, there was an assortment of sports, covering both indoor and outdoor sports.

Current sports and social clubs include the following:

Formed in October 1990 and meeting on Thursday evenings, the club runs various competitions between members and is associated with the Paget League for more competitive events. In addition to Club social events, money has also been raised for the Memorial Hall and the annual "Children in Need" appeal.

The Club recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee as a member of the March and District League and marked the event by planting 1500 bedding plants donated by the local nurseryman Jos Hoek. Its recent history has seen a string of successes in League and Knock-Out events.

The Club enjoys an outdoor Bowling Green with 6 rinks – the Captain of the last 19 years manages the logistics of each season, organising matches and events.

The first Christchurch WI meeting was held in 1928, since when members have enjoyed traditional craft demonstrations and discussions on many topics. The Golden Jubilee Party was held in 1978 when the WI looked back over its first 50 years and ahead to the future. Today, the WI remains an important contributor to many village events.

The Good Companions are another long standing group within the village – having met for the last 42 years. Membership is open to the over 50s and aims to provide social events and organise outings.

As with most small communities, news and information is most effectively transmitted using the local grapevine! However, this is formalised through the publication of The Heron, a monthly news magazine which reports highlights of the previous month, notices for the month ahead and carries many advertisements for the local businesses. The effectiveness of The Heron is confirmed by the survey findings – 142 of the 195 responses said that they usually get information about forthcoming events from The Heron, followed by the local newspapers, Post Office and Notice Boards.

However, the survey also indicates that people would like to see more information, with significant interest in additional Notice Boards, an Information Point, Signposts and a Map.

The Parish Council consists of 7 local people whose aim is to represent local opinion in consultations with both Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council. Meeting regularly at Townley School, the Parish Council has achieved much over the last 4 years, including:

• Provision of a Play Area, Picnic Site, 6 new streetlights and sign posting of the Hereward Way

• Acquired trusteeship of the Recreation Ground

• Lobbied for the retention of the Post Office

• Provided financial help to the upkeep of the War Memorial, churchyard and The Heron

Although Parish Council meetings are "open", only 12% of the survey respondents had attended a meeting. Only 36% of the survey believed that the local council publicised its activities and decisions "very well" or "reasonably well".

Looking to the future, the people of Christchurch are clearly keen to protect the environment, while there is some difference of opinion on housing development.

When asked how wildlife could be protected, there was strong support for three ideas:

• Campaign against litter and rubbish (98 households thought this was "very important" or "worth doing"

• Create a local nature reserve (79 households)

• Create new ponds (57 households)

There was little support for the view that we should "Discourage too many people from using the countryside".

Concern over play areas for children was also evident – over 170 households agreed that there should be open spaces for local people to picnic and children to play in.

Housing development met with a more mixed response. The table shows the opinion on the need for more accommodation within the village. The majority of respondents did not believe that there was a need for more accommodation within the village. Of the rest, sheltered housing with a warden is seen as the most important.

This first Village Appraisal for Christchurch, Tipp’s End and Euximoor has created a snapshot of the village as a modern place with solid historical roots, a village with unique qualities yet with the concerns of many similar communities. It will be interesting to review the next appraisal and compare issues, features and personalities!

This Appendix contains the analysed results from the computer programs provided by ACRE

Note that, for multi-part questions, the percentage is calculated by the computer program from the number of respondents to the whole question, rather than the respondents to a particular part of the question. Where the question has been referred to in the body of the report, these percentages have been re-calculated to reflect the true opinions of those who answered that part of the question.