Witchford, United Kingdom
Witchford is a town of 2,385 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Witchford
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Hawk Bridge, Oliver Cromwell's House, Stained Glass Museum and Doghouse Grove.
Weather in Witchford
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Witchford
Witchford is a village and civil parish about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,385.
From the Wikipedia article Witchford (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Hawk Bridge
Bridge · 2.5 mi
Railway bridge across the Great River Ouse, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK
Museums and landmarks4
Oliver Cromwell's House
Museum · 2.4 mi
Cromwell's family home in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
Stained Glass Museum
Museum · 2.5 mi
National museum of stained glass in Ely, England, United Kingdom
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Little Downham Local Nature Reserve
Park · 3.0 mi
Park in United Kingdom
Restaurants and cafes6
Starbucks
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi
58 Witchford Road, Ely
Mo-Fr 06:30-18:00; Sa 07:00-18:00; Su 07:30-18:00
The Village Inn
Bar and pub
80 Main Street, Ely
Su 12:00-21:00; Mo-Th 12:00-23:00; Fr 12:00-23:30; Sa 12:00-22:30
History
When the site of RAF Witchford was being cleared a bulldozer driver found an Anglo-Saxon pagan cemetery on the site. The bulldozer unearthed and crushed about 30 skeletons. Little archaeological work could be undertaken but some artefacts were recovered, which T. C. Lethbridge stated to be consistent with the period AD 450–650.
More recent survey work has found Iron Age and Roman domestic and other remains. An Anglo-Saxon cemetery was not found at that time, leading to the conclusion that this was not the site of the lost village of Cratendune.
Two hundreds of the Isle of Ely, North Witchford and South Witchford, took their name from the place and had their meeting-place at Witchford.
RAF Witchford was an RAF Bomber Command station that was built in 1942 and closed and dismantled in 1946. From July to September 1943 it was the base of No. 196 Squadron RAF which operated Vickers Wellington medium bombers. From November 1943 until April 1945 No. 115 Squadron RAF was based at Witchford operating Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.
After the Second World War it was proposed to convert the airfield to a missile base. Rumours said it was to become a Blue Streak base. Hence some older residents refer to the site (now an industrial park) as "The Rocket Base".
From the History section of Witchford on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Witchford
- George PowerEnglish cricketer (1849-1904)
Born in Witchford, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship9
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries2
Map of Witchford
29 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
RAF Mildenhall (MHZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Ely 3 mi east, about 4 min by car
- Stretham 3 mi south, about 5 min by car
- Wilburton 3 mi southwest, about 4 min by car
- Chatteris 8 mi northwest, about 13 min by car
- Earith 8 mi west, about 12 min by car
- Oakington 10 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
- Exning 11 mi southeast, about 18 min by car
- March 12 mi northwest, about 20 min by car
- Cambridge 13 mi south, about 22 min by car
- Saint Ives 13 mi west, about 20 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Witchford
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- UK Witchford, Uksignpix, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ElyRailwayHawkBridgeRiverGreatOuse, Andy F, CC BY 3.0
- Oliver Cromwell House Ely, Oxyman, CC BY 2.5
- Ely - The Stained Glass Museum, Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Doghouse Grove 5, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Little Downham Local Nature Reserve 6, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Peter-in-Ely (west end), Kevinsims158, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Mary's Church, Ely (2), Harry Mitchell, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Church of St Etheldreda in Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK, Perferens, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St Georges Church 5-01-2003, John McCullough, CC BY-SA 2.0 uk
- St James' Church Stretham 17-08-2010, John McCullough, CC BY 3.0
- Witchford Village College, Fr4zer at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Countess Free Church, Ely, Abbzziiee, Public domain
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, IpswichEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0
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