The History of Wicken Village Community
In the late 1980’s there was pressure within South Northants to expand the area’s housing potential.
To ensure that any new buildings or changes in Wicken were of a standard to enhance rather than detract from the charm of our village David Archibald proposed the creation of a society which could reinforce the work of the Parish council.
A meeting was called on 31 January 1988 and a committee of interested villagers was soon formed, which was the start of the Wicken Conservation Society.
Quoting from the first Wicken News in May 1988, the aims were: -
- To promote high standards of architecture.
- To stimulate public interest in the geography, history and environment of Wicken.
- To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest in the Parish.
The Wicken News was formed to bring to the notice of residents, the views and reports of what is happening in our community and publish information of topical and local interest.
In 2018, recognising that there were very few conservation projects identified, and that running village events and publishing the Wicken News were the main activities of the society, it was decided to change the name to Wicken Village Community to better reflect this change. The new name came into effect when approved at the June 2018 AGM.
Examples of projects over the years:
Year |
Project |
Outcome |
1988 |
WCS began |
Start of the Wicken Conservation Society. |
1999 |
Tree planting |
Beech trees planted in Deanshanger Road. |
1988-2015 |
Bench in Cross Tree Road |
Commissioning the construction of a circular bench in Cross Tree Road. |
St John’s Church Clock |
Fund raising and organising the restoration of the clock dial and re-balancing the hands and dial works. |
|
Road Finger Posts |
Painting signs and posts and refurbishing the Willow Bridge railings. |
|
Church Tower Restoration |
Producing and selling Christmas cards in aid of the restoration fund. |
|
Footpaths |
Waymarking of the village footpaths. |
|
Bridge Date Stone |
Organising and fund raising for the restoration of the 1840 date stone on the Leckhampstead Road bridge. |
|
Gospel Elm |
Fund raising and organising the repairs to the Gospel Elm site. |
|
Village Pound |
Contributing to the repair of the Pound. |
|
Churchyard |
Provision of Yew trees to fill gaps in the churchyard hedge. |
|
Footpath Stile |
Repair of the footpath stile. |
|
Village Green |
Planting and maintenance of shrubs on the village green. |
|
Telephone box |
Lobbying for maintenance of the telephone box and repair of stone walls. |
|
Church Cobble Path |
Co-organising the repair of the church path. |
|
Notice Board |
Provision of a second village notice board. |
|
Grants |
Co-ordinating Environmental Enhancement Grants from SNDC. |
|
A Little History of Wicken |
Production of a history of the village and its people from Saxon times to the present day. Updated in 2002 and 2003. |
|
Bulb Planting |
Continuing annual bulb planting to enhance village verges. |
|
Village Archive on CDROM |
Production of a CDROM containing photographic, written and aural records of Wicken through the ages. |
|
British Legion Seat |
Refurbishment of the seat at the village entrance. |
|
Walking map |
A map showing the footpaths around the village and places of interest. |
|
DVD - Medieval Wicken |
A description of the finds made in Wicken during 2004 – 2005. |
|
Wild Flower Planting |
A programme of planting on specific sites in the village. |
|
2000 |
Tree planting |
10 chestnut trees planted in Larks Lane. |
2000 |
Playground |
Old playground replaced. |
2000 |
Millennium Photographic Record |
Organising a photographic record of each household in the village at the Millennium. |
2004 |
British Legion seat |
Seat refurbished. |
2004 |
Barn Dance |
Held at Pightle Farm. |
2004 |
Village Hall fundraising |
£2000 raised during 2004 |
2009 |
Old Photographs of Wicken |
Book published by Jonathan Gudgeon in 2009. |
2015 |
Telephone box library |
Took over phone box from the Parish Council and converted to library. |
2015 |
Village planters |
4 planters installed at the village entrances. |
2018 |
Scarecrow Festival |
|
2018 |
Village BBQ |
|
2018 |
Playground |
New playground equipment funded by SNC and the Solar Fund. |
2019 |
Scarecrow Festival |
|
2019 |
Easter Treasure Hunt |
Organised by Wickids. |
2019 |
Photography competition |
|
2019 |
Commemorative benches |
Installed on The Green and Larks Lane/Leckhampstead Road junction. |
2019 |
Village BBQ |
|
2019 |
Kids film matinee |
Organised by Wickids. |
2019 |
Halloween Night |
Organised by Wickids. |
2020 |
Easter Treasure Hunt |
Organised by Wickids. |
2020 |
Litter Pick |
|
2020 |
VE Day Celebration |
VE Day 75 yrs anniversary. |
2020 |
Halloween |
Residents’ pumpkins. |