I hired a cab in Arlesey (silly, I should have hired it from Hitchin
or Letchworth) and got my driver to show me around these villages.
His name was Paul but people call him Orville because he flies
an ultralight plane from an airstrip just near Newnham.
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Arlesey: St Peter's Church
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Arlesey:
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Arlesey:
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Arlesey:
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Arlesey:
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Arlesey: I had great difficulty getting a cab. Several cab companies didn't
answer their phone. I suppose they must have all been at church for
Mothering Sunday. When I finally got onto Orville he picked me up from this
war memorial.
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Arlesey: Note the Gentle name.
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Newnham: Orville told me that Newnham is so small that it has no pub and no
street lights. However, it is a conservation area.
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Newnham:
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Newnam:
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Newnham:
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Newnham:
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Newnham:
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Between Newnham and Ashwell:
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Between Newnham and Ashwell: The soil is very chalky and grows wheat and barley very well.
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Ashwell: The church dominates the village.
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Ashwell: entry to the village. Population according to Wikipedia is 1667.
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Ashwell:
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Ashwell:
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Ashwell: The Three Tuns is the place to stay according to Orville (that's his cab in the foreground).
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Ashwell originally had three breweries because of this high quality spring,
which is in fact one of the sources of the river Cam. Orville said there
were very rare microscopic creatures in the water. It turns out to be a rare
species of stenothermic flatworm!
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Ashwell:
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Ashwell village green -- scene of summer cricket matches.
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Ashwell: the Maltings
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Ashwell:
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Ashwell: one of the old breweries, now converted into apartments
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Ashwell: the Bushel & Strike, opposite the church
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Ashwell: the church. A sign on the door said visitors were welcome but a
service was just starting. I resisted entreaties to join in and even passed
up an invitation to coffee afterward.
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Ashwell: didn't have time to check the headstones. Apparently there are a number of Gentles still living in the district.
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Ashwell church: 54 metre spire. Orville said he thought the church might be 700 years old. That's confirmed by Wikipedia. There was danger of falling masonry.
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Ashwell: The church and the pub, set up in competition, across the narrow
street from each other.
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Ashwell church from the other side.
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Ashwell churchyard.
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Ashwell: from the churhyard.
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Ashwell village museum: opens infrequently.
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Ashwell church lychgate: made of very old timber.
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Newnham: returning to the village from Ashwell.
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Newnham green.
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Newnham green.
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Newnham: opposite the green.
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Newnham: water pump on the edge of the green.
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Newnham: industrial area belonging to the Farr family who are the major
landowners in the Newnham area.
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Newnham: potato boxes belonging to the Farrs. Orville told me that
seed potatoes are grown in Scotland where risk of blight is least, and
sent south.
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Stotfold: There was no sign we could see at the entry to Stotfold. According
to Orville it has grown a lot, is largely a commuter town and has relatively
little of interest, apart from pubs!
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Stotfold:
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Stotfold: continuing the theme.
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Stotfold:
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Stotfold:
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Stotfold: sorry I should have deleted this one.
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Stotfold: From 1860 - 1999 there was a large mental hospital
(Fairfield) between
Stotfold and Arlesey. It's since been converted into upmarket apartments but
you'd have to be mad to pay the prices.
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Stotfold/Arlesey:
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Stotfold/Arlesey: the chapel associated with the mental hospital has also
been renovated.
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