Bluntisham

Autumn begins

Bluntisham is a small village 4½ miles north-east of St. Ives.   There has been a community living here since before 1000AD.  Bluntisham probably means "Blunt's homestead".

It is close to the River Great Ouse and bordered on the one side by the fens and on the other by land which was formerly orchards. The two villages of Bluntisham and Earith, which are one mile apart, have probably always formed one ecclesiastical parish with the parish church in Bluntisham and a chapel in Earith. The navigable river Ouse forms the southern boundary of the parish for the distance of about three miles.

Agriculture

The soil varies: in the gravel areas, fruit trees, barley and oats do well whilst on the loam and clay lands wheat prevails. The water supply traditionally was derived from gravel springs; later wells, fed by surface water (called 'sock' wells) were used. In the west, near the Somersham Road, was the Chalybeate spring where more than one attempt was made in the 18th century to establish a Spa (known as Somersham Spa).

Evidence of Neolithic and Roman inhabitants have been found and the four open fields of the old village can still be traced: Higham Field lay in the north-western part of the parish - about 30m above sea-level, Gill (or now Gull) Field in the south-western part, gradually slopes down to the River Ouse, and takes its name from the 'Gills' or water channels, to the north-east corner lay Colneway Field; whilst, Old Mill Field or Inhams, stretched from Bluntisham to Earith, between Coleway Field and riverside land known as Bury or Berry Fen.

The sharp turns in the modern A1123 before the village are caused by the road following the boundaries of these ancient fields.   The west end of the parish was part of Somersham Heath, which was enclosed in 1797. There was no road across it before then. This part of the parish is still called Bluntisham Heath.

Churches

The medieval church is dedicated to St. Mary and built of local brown cobbles. In 1708, the Revd Saywell, gave land for the support of a charity school. The lands were held in trust, by a body of Feoffees, for the use of the poor, who had also the benefit of various small benefactions. The former Rectory (now called Bluntisham House), is a Georgian house set in wooded grounds.

Around 1787 the Baptist Church was formed. This is located in the High Street, the present building is the second one to be built on the site. For an account of its history click here.

In September 1741, A tremendous hurricane, swept across the country, destroying sixty barns, and about twelve dwelling-houses in the parish, besides causing considerable damage to other kinds of property.

The western end of the village is called Wood End.  The old workhouse was also found in Wood End.  In Colne Road some of the oldest buildings were located.

Village centre

The main part of Bluntisham village runs straight north and south between Rectory Corner on the St. Ives Road, and the "Little Ring". At Rectory Corner stood the village pound and a small hamlet known as Little London.  The Little Ring circled the old Paddock (now built upon and called the same).  This may well have been the village green and also a secure area for cattle.

By 1831, Bluntisham had a population of just 635 inhabitants. The once quite considerable woodland has almost disappeared. In 1843, there still was 68 acres of woodland but this had reduced to only 10 acres by 1925, leaving only their names.

The village had two mills, one was found in Mill Road, on the old road between Bluntisham and Earith, and the other in Wood End.  The Town Mill was eventually owned by the Feoffees, although at one time it was leased by Coxe Feary.

Current housing consists of a diversity of old properties, some thatched, through to modern estate homes.

Dorothy Sayers

The writer, Dorothy L Sayers, at the age of four, moved to spend a happy childhood, in the Rectory. She was the only child of the Revd Henry and Helen Sayers, and in the south aisle of the Parish Church is a board, which refers to his care of the church. The little hall south-west of the church is where Dorothy used to play the violin at village concerts. Dorothy lived at Bluntisham until 1909, when she went away to school at Salisbury in Wiltshire, winning a scholarship to attend Oxford University.

Transport

Until 1931, a passenger train service provided Bluntisham with links to Ely and St. Ives. Freight services were retained for several more years, before the line between Bluntisham and Sutton was used for storing trucks. The section from Bluntisham to Sutton finally closed on 6th October 1958, and from Bluntisham to Needingworth Junction on 5th October 1964.

The road from St Ives enters Bluntisham over a bridge for the now dismantled railway line. The station was located immediately below the bridge. Another track forked at the Needingworth junction (close to the start of the modern Needingworth bypass) and took trains across Bluntisham Heath into Somersham and on to March.

The Pathfinder Walk

The Pathfinder Long Distance Walk is a circular walk in Cambridgeshire designed to perpetuate the name of the Royal Air Force Pathfinder Force. The route links the four historic RAF stations of Wyton, Graveley, Oakington and Warboys. It runs over established rights of way through some of England's most gentle countryside.

Close to Bluntisham the walk follows the River from Holywell and Overcote, before turning north across Gull Field.  This last stretch is an ancient path, which allowed access to a ford across the Ouse, and to then to Over and Cambridge.

The Walk then follows the High Street and Colne Road, before heading across Colne Green towards Somersham.