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.