119-605: Whittlesey (also Whittlesea ) is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire , England. Whittlesey is 6 miles (10 km) east of Peterborough . The population of the parish was 17,667 at the 2021 Census. Whittlesey appears in the Cartularium Saxonicum (973 CE) as 'Witlesig', in the 1086 Domesday Book as 'Witesie', and in the Inquisitio Eliensis . The meaning
238-522: A London borough . (Since the new county was beforehand a mixture of metropolitan boroughs , municipal boroughs and urban districts, no extant parish councils were abolished.) In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 retained rural parishes, but abolished most urban parishes, as well as the urban districts and boroughs which had administered them. Provision was made for smaller urban districts and boroughs to become successor parishes , with
357-591: A steam engine , and in 2009, a flying display by a Hawker Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight . An art competition for students of Sir Harry Smith Community College runs during the festival, with a display at Whittlesey Christian Church. At the 2009 festival local people raised £10,000 for bushfire victims in Whittlesea, Victoria , Australia. From 2011 to 2015, there was rivalry between
476-515: A Special Expense, to residents of the unparished area to fund those activities. If the district council does not opt to make a Special Expenses charge, there is an element of double taxation of residents of parished areas, because services provided to residents of the unparished area are funded by council tax paid by residents of the whole district, rather than only by residents of the unparished area. Parish councils comprise volunteer councillors who are elected to serve for four years. Decisions of
595-576: A boundary coterminous with an existing urban district or borough or, if divided by a new district boundary, as much as was comprised in a single district. There were 300 such successor parishes established. In urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes, the parishes were simply abolished, and they became unparished areas . The distinction between types of parish was no longer made; whether parishes continued by virtue of being retained rural parishes or were created as successor parishes, they were all simply termed parishes. The 1972 act allowed
714-477: A city council (though most cities are not parishes but principal areas, or in England specifically metropolitan boroughs or non-metropolitan districts ). The chairman of a town council will have the title "town mayor" and that of a parish council which is a city will usually have the title of mayor . When a city or town has been abolished as a borough, and it is considered desirable to maintain continuity of
833-462: A city council. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government , in England in 2011 there were 9,946 parishes. Since 1997 around 100 new civil parishes have been created, in some cases by splitting existing civil parishes, but mostly by creating new ones from unparished areas. Parish or town councils have very few statutory duties (things they are required to do by law) but have
952-559: A city was Hereford , whose city council was merged in 1998 to form a unitary Herefordshire . The area of the city of Hereford remained unparished until 2000 when a parish council was created for the city. As another example, the charter trustees for the City of Bath make up the majority of the councillors on Bath and North East Somerset Council. Civil parishes cover 35% of England's population, with one in Greater London and few in
1071-440: A civil parish is usually an elected parish council (which can decide to call itself a town, village, community or neighbourhood council, or a city council if the parish has city status). Alternatively, in parishes with small populations (typically fewer than 150 electors) governance may be by a parish meeting which all electors may attend; alternatively, parishes with small populations may be grouped with one or more neighbours under
1190-481: A civil parish which has no parish council, the parish meeting may levy a council tax precept for expenditure relating to specific functions, powers and rights which have been conferred on it by legislation. In places where there is no civil parish ( unparished areas ), the administration of the activities normally undertaken by the parish becomes the responsibility of the district or borough council. The district council may make an additional council tax charge, known as
1309-586: A common parish council. Wales was also divided into civil parishes until 1974, when they were replaced by communities , which are similar to English parishes in the way they operate. Civil parishes in Scotland were abolished for local government purposes by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 ; the Scottish equivalent of English civil parishes are the community council areas established by
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#17327722055521428-430: A community based station which broadcast online. The town is served by the local newspapers, Cambs Times and Peterborough Telegraph . The town has a secondary school, Sir Harry Smith Community College , which opened in 1953 on the site of Whittlesey Workhouse , and three primary schools (New Road Primary, Alderman Jacobs, Park Lane Primary) Park Lane, Sir Harry Smith Community College and New Road Primary are
1547-600: A description of the original custom that had partly inspired the Whittlesey revival. "Sessions" of traditional music take place in pubs during the day and evening, and a barn dance or ceilidh and a Cajun dance end the Saturday night. The bear "costume" is burned at a ceremony at Sunday lunchtime. Shrovetide bear costumes are also burned ceremonially after use in Germany.) The Whittlesea Straw Bear and Keeper appear in
1666-675: A lecture in January 1837. The five-week 1837 season opened in February with The Stranger followed by the farce Love, Law, and Physics . The theatre was described as having a ceiling "designed from the celebrated Painting by Rubens , in the Louvre ; the Fronts of the two tiers of Boxes are formed in compartments of Groups of Figures from the Mythology: the space between each Panel finished by
1785-697: A new Aldi store was opened on Eastrea Road in June 2023. Close to the King's Dyke brickworks stand three 80-metre wind turbines , the largest on-shore turbines in England. They power the McCains chips plant. Whittlesey Museum , located in the Old Town Hall, records the natural and cultural heritage of the town and surrounding area. The festival of the Straw Bear or "Strawbower" is a custom known only to
1904-529: A new code. In either case the code must comply with the Nolan Principles of Public Life . A parish can be granted city status by the Crown . As of 2020 , eight parishes in England have city status, each having a long-established Anglican cathedral: Chichester , Ely , Hereford , Lichfield , Ripon , Salisbury , Truro and Wells . The council of an ungrouped parish may pass a resolution giving
2023-431: A new smaller manor, there was a means of making a chapel which, if generating or endowed with enough funds, would generally justify foundation of a parish, with its own parish priest (and in latter centuries vestry ). This consistency was a result of canon law which prized the status quo in issues between local churches and so made boundary changes and sub-division difficult. The consistency of these boundaries until
2142-693: A parish (a "detached part") was in a different county . In other cases, counties surrounded a whole parish meaning it was in an unconnected, "alien" county. These anomalies resulted in a highly localised difference in applicable representatives on the national level , justices of the peace , sheriffs, bailiffs with inconvenience to the inhabitants. If a parish was split then churchwardens, highway wardens and constables would also spend more time or money travelling large distances. Some parishes straddled two or more counties, such as Todmorden in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Angles Theatre The Angles Theatre
2261-416: A parish council, and instead will only have a parish meeting : an example of direct democracy . Alternatively several small parishes can be grouped together and share a common parish council, or even a common parish meeting. A parish council may decide to call itself a town council, village council, community council, neighbourhood council, or if the parish has city status, the parish council may call itself
2380-571: A part of the ASPIRE alliance. There is another primary school in neighbouring Coates . The town has a non–league football club, Whittlesey Athletic , which plays in the Eastern Counties League Division One North, at Feldale Field. In birth order: Civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government . It is a territorial designation which
2499-503: A population of between 100 and 300 could request their county council to establish a parish council. Provision was also made for a grouped parish council to be established covering two or more rural parishes. In such groups, each parish retained its own parish meeting which could vote to leave the group, but otherwise the grouped parish council acted across the combined area of the parishes included. Urban civil parishes were not given their own parish councils, but were directly administered by
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#17327722055522618-576: A purpose-built terminal in Grosvenor Road. The civil parish of Whittlesey includes the town itself and the villages of Coates , Eastrea , Pondersbridge and Turves . It has a town council , the lowest level of local government. Whittlesea is in Fenland District in the county of Cambridgeshire . It is in the parliamentary constituency of North East Cambridgeshire . Whittlesey is between Peterborough , 6 miles (10 km) to
2737-1079: A range of discretionary powers which they may exercise voluntarily. These powers have been defined by various pieces of legislation. The role they play can vary significantly depending on the size, resources and ability of the council, but their activities can include any of the following: Parish councils have powers to provide and manage various local facilities; these can include allotments , cemeteries, parks, playgrounds, playing fields and village greens , village halls or community centres , bus shelters, street lighting, roadside verges, car parks, footpaths, litter bins and war memorials. Larger parish councils may also be involved in running markets , public toilets and public clocks, museums and leisure centres . Parish councils may spend money on various things they deem to be beneficial to their communities, such as providing grants to local community groups or local projects, or fund things such as public events, crime prevention measures, community transport schemes, traffic calming or tourism promotion. Parish councils have
2856-409: A role in the planning system; they have a statutory right to be consulted on any planning applications in their areas. They may also produce a neighbourhood plan to influence local development. The Localism Act 2011 allowed eligible parish councils to be granted a " general power of competence " which allows them within certain limits the freedom to do anything an individual can do provided it
2975-598: A set number of guardians for each parish, hence a final purpose of urban civil parishes. With the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930, urban parishes became a geographical division only with no administrative power; that was exercised at the urban district or borough council level. In 1965 civil parishes in London were formally abolished when Greater London was created, as the legislative framework for Greater London did not make provision for any local government body below
3094-507: A small area of Fenland on the borders of Huntingdonshire and Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire , including Ramsey Mereside . Similar ritual animals appear elsewhere in Europe, including parts of Germany at Shrovetide . On Plough Tuesday, the day after the first Monday after Twelfth Night , a man or a boy is covered from head to foot in straw and led from house to house, where he danced in exchange for gifts of money, food or beer. The festival
3213-943: A small village or town ward to a large tract of mostly uninhabited moorland in the Cheviots, Pennines or Dartmoor. The two largest as at December 2023 are Stanhope (County Durham) at 98.6 square miles (255 km ), and Dartmoor Forest (Devon) at 79.07 square miles (204.8 km ). The two smallest are parcels of shared rural land: Lands Common to Axminster and Kilmington (Devon) at 0.012 square miles (0.031 km ; 3.1 ha; 7.7 acres), and Lands Common to Brancepeth and Brandon and Byshottles (County Durham) at 0.0165 square miles (0.043 km ; 4.3 ha; 10.6 acres). The next two smallest are parishes in built up areas: Chester Castle (Cheshire) at 0.0168 square miles (0.044 km ; 4.4 ha; 10.8 acres) (no recorded population) and Hamilton Lea (Leicestershire) at 0.07 square miles (0.18 km ; 18 ha; 45 acres) (1,021 residents at
3332-660: A splendid Drapery of Green and Gold, in imitation of the Ornamental arrangement of the Italian Opera in 1831, the whole forming a coup d'oeil of elegant embellishment never before attempted in Wisbech". Hill was also the owner of the newspaper The Star in the East , in which he promoted the theatre's productions, such as the four day engagement of vocalist Harriet Waylett . He built a progressive infant school in front of
3451-521: A spur to the creation of new parishes in some larger towns which were previously unparished, in order to retain a local tier of government; examples include Shrewsbury (2009), Salisbury (2009), Crewe (2013) and Weymouth (2019). In 2003 seven new parish councils were set up for Burton upon Trent , and in 2001 the Milton Keynes urban area became entirely parished, with ten new parishes being created. Parishes can also be abolished where there
3570-629: A tenant. The Licensing Act 1737 was modified by the Theatres Act 1843 so that spoken drama could be performed in any theatre. In August 1843 the theatre was used for a concert by the Ely Cathedral choir. In November 1843 the Wisbech Theatre was again put up for auction "in an excellent condition". In 1845 Joseph Richardson 's Rock Band gave morning and evening concerts with their lithophone . Star appearances at Wisbech and
3689-464: A theatre on Deadman's Lane (later Great Church Street and now Alexandra Road) is a benefit performance, for Mr and Mrs James Edward Miller, of the play The Battle of Hexham , on 20 May 1791, which was the last performance of the 1791 season. The Stamford Mercury of 24 February 1792 stated, "A correspondent from Wisbech informs us, that a very elegant theatre is just fitted up in the compleatest stile (sic), and will be opened on Saturday, March 3d, with
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3808-422: Is "Wit(t)el's island", deriving from either Witil, "the name of a moneyer", or a diminutive of Witta, a personal name; + "eg", meaning "'island', also used of a piece of firm land in a fen." Before the fens were drained, Whittlesey was an island of dry ground surrounded by them. Excavations of nearby Flag Fen indicate thriving local settlements as far back as 1000 BCE. At Must Farm quarry, a Bronze Age settlement
3927-439: Is a theatre and historic Georgian playhouse in the market town of Wisbech , Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire, England. It is among the oldest of Britain's theatres. The current premises consists of the original theatre building and a former library, originally an "infant" school built in 1837, both of which are Grade II listed . The patrons are Sir Derek Jacobi , Jo Brand , Claire Tomalin and Dame Cleo Laine . The theatre
4046-629: Is all wett and marshy but there are severall little Channells runs into it which by boats people go up to this place; when you enter the mouth of the Mer it looks formidable and its often very dangerous by reason of sudden winds that will rise like Hurricanes...." The town is still accessible by water, being connected to the River Nene by King's Dyke, which forms part of the Nene/Ouse Navigation. Moorings can be found at Ashline Lock, alongside
4165-489: Is an SSSI of notable diversity. To the south-east is Lattersey Nature Reserve. Whittlesea railway station , using the town's alternative spelling, is on the Ely to Peterborough Line ; it is served by direct trains to Cambridge , Birmingham New Street , Liverpool Lime Street , Leicester , Stansted Airport , Ely , Ipswich and Peterborough . Services are operated by CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway . Bus services in
4284-507: Is at present the only part of England where civil parishes cannot be created. If enough electors in the area of a proposed new parish (ranging from 50% in an area with less than 500 electors to 10% in one with more than 2,500) sign a petition demanding its creation, then the local district council or unitary authority must consider the proposal. Since the beginning of the 21st century, numerous parish councils have been created, including some relatively large urban ones. The main driver has been
4403-470: Is described as "Britain's Pompeii " due to its relatively good condition. In 2016 it was being excavated by the University of Cambridge 's Cambridge Archaeological Unit. At Must Farm at least five homes of 3,000 years in age have been found, along with Britain's most complete prehistoric wooden wheel, dating back to the late Bronze Age. Whittlesey was linked to Peterborough in the west and March in
4522-539: Is evidence that this is in response to "justified, clear and sustained local support" from the area's inhabitants. Examples are Birtley , which was abolished in 2006, and Southsea , abolished in 2010. Every civil parish has a parish meeting, which all the electors of the parish are entitled to attend. Generally a meeting is held once a year. A civil parish may have a parish council which exercises various local responsibilities prescribed by statute. Parishes with fewer than 200 electors are usually deemed too small to have
4641-521: Is later. It has one of the largest buttressed spires in Cambridgeshire. The spire is 171 feet (52 metres) high. The church also contains a chapel, which was restored in 1862 as a memorial to Sir Harry Smith . St Mary's is a Grade I listed building . St Andrew's Church originally dates back to the 13th and 14 centuries, with a major restoration taking place in 1872. The church, featuring a three-storeyed west tower with an eastern clock face, blends
4760-405: Is not prohibited by other legislation, as opposed to being limited to the powers explicitly granted to them by law. To be eligible for this, a parish council must meet certain conditions such as having a clerk with suitable qualifications. Parish councils receive funding by levying a " precept " on the council tax paid by the residents of the parish (or parishes) served by the parish council. In
4879-404: Is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes , which for centuries were the principal unit of secular and religious administration in most of England and Wales. Civil and religious parishes were formally split into two types in the 19th century and are now entirely separate. Civil parishes in their modern form came into being through
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4998-463: Is wanted for ordinary purposes in a short time. The Stamford Mercury reported, in 1842: "A Travelling fair known as The Mart arrives in Wisbech each March for 'Mart Week'. ... [B]oth travelling performers and the local theatre sought to benefit from the large crowds attending the fair and race weeks." Other travelling exhibitions used the theatre as a venue; in November 1842 a Grand Moving Panorama
5117-504: The 'Standards Board regime' with local monitoring by district, unitary or equivalent authorities. Under new regulations which came into effect in 2012 all parish councils in England are required to adopt a code of conduct with which parish councillors must comply, and to promote and maintain high standards. A new criminal offence of failing to comply with statutory requirements was introduced. More than one 'model code' has been published, and councils are free to modify an existing code or adopt
5236-708: The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which have fewer powers than their English and Welsh counterparts. There are no equivalent units in Northern Ireland . The parish system in Europe was established between the 8th and 12th centuries, and an early form was long established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest . These areas were originally based on the territory of manors , which, in some cases, derived their bounds from Roman or Iron Age estates; some large manors were sub-divided into several parishes. Initially, churches and their priests were
5355-1010: The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) to become the smallest geographical area for local government in rural areas. The act abolished the civil (non-ecclesiastical) duties of vestries . Parishes which straddled county boundaries or sanitary districts had to be split so that the part in each urban or rural sanitary district became a separate parish (see List of county exclaves in England and Wales 1844–1974 ). The sanitary districts were then reconstituted as urban districts and rural districts , with parishes that fell within urban districts classed as urban parishes, and parishes that fell within rural districts were classed as rural parishes. The 1894 act established elected civil parish councils as to all rural parishes with more than 300 electors, and established annual parish meetings in all rural parishes. Civil parishes were grouped to form either rural or urban districts which are thereafter classified as either type. The parish meetings for parishes with
5474-411: The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73), which established elected parish councils to take on the secular functions of the parish vestry . A civil parish can range in size from a sparsely populated rural area with fewer than a hundred inhabitants, to a large town with a population in excess of 100,000 . This scope is similar to that of municipalities in continental Europe, such as
5593-643: The Robber's Wife ; a full house was reported. In May 1847 Mr Davenport, manager of several Norfolk theatres, took a season at the Wisbech theatre, which commenced with Richard III . In August the Distin family performed a well attended concert. The following year, the composer Henry Russell gave a concert at the theatre in May. In August Robertson had a portable theatre erected in Pickard's Lane in Wisbech. Whereas
5712-472: The break with Rome , parishes managed ecclesiastical matters, while the manor was the principal unit of local administration and justice. Later, the church replaced the manor court as the rural administrative centre, and levied a local tax on produce known as a tithe . In the medieval period, responsibilities such as relief of the poor passed increasingly from the lord of the manor to the parish's rector , who in practice would delegate tasks among his vestry or
5831-692: The communes of France . However, unlike their continental European counterparts, parish councils are not principal authorities , and in most cases have a relatively minor role in local government. As of September 2023 , there are 10,464 parishes in England, and in 2020 they covered approximately 40% of the English population. For historical reasons, civil parishes predominantly cover rural areas and smaller urban areas, with most larger urban areas being wholly or partly unparished ; but since 1997 it has been possible for civil parishes to be created within unparished areas if demanded by local residents . In 2007
5950-470: The (often well-endowed) monasteries. After the dissolution of the monasteries , the power to levy a rate to fund relief of the poor was conferred on the parish authorities by the Poor Relief Act 1601 . Both before and after this optional social change, local (vestry-administered) charities are well-documented. The parish authorities were known as vestries and consisted of all the ratepayers of
6069-564: The 19th century is useful to historians, and is also of cultural significance in terms of shaping local identities; reinforced by the use of grouped parish boundaries, often, by successive local authority areas; and in a very rough, operations-geared way by most postcode districts. There was (and is) wide disparity in parish size. Writtle , Essex traditionally measures 13,568 acres (21 sq mi) – two parishes neighbouring are Shellow Bowells at 469 acres (0.7 sq mi), and Chignall Smealy at 476 acres (0.7 sq mi) Until
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#17327722055526188-591: The 2011 census, Newland with Woodhouse Moor and Beaumont Chase reported inhabitants, and there were no new deserted parishes recorded. Nearly all instances of detached parts of civil parishes (areas not contiguous with the main part of the parish) and of those straddling counties have been ended. 14 examples remain in England as at 2022, including Barnby Moor and Wallingwells , both in Nottinghamshire. Direct predecessors of civil parishes are most often known as "ancient parishes", although many date only from
6307-511: The 2021 census). The 2001 census recorded several parishes with no inhabitants. These were Chester Castle (in the middle of Chester city centre), Newland with Woodhouse Moor , Beaumont Chase , Martinsthorpe , Meering , Stanground North (subsequently abolished), Sturston , Tottington , and Tyneham (subsequently merged). The lands of the last three were taken over by the Armed Forces during World War II and remain deserted. In
6426-617: The Angles Theatre Company staged She Stoops to Conquer . This was one of the most regularly staged plays in the theatre's heyday. This may be in part because its author, Oliver Goldsmith , stayed with the Lumpkin family at Park House, Leverington , and lampooned his friend Nicholas Lumpkin (1748–1825); Goldsmith may even have written part of the play while at Park House. After spending much of his wealth Lumpkin moved to Wisbech where he died in 1825. On 23 September 1979
6545-561: The High street by the company of James Augustus "Jemmy" Whitley (c. 1724–1781) for a season in 1779. Whitley announced, in 1779, an intention to build an elegant and extensive structure for the 1780 season. With Whitley's death, however, that theatre was never built, and the way was left open for the development of a theatre in Wisbech by others. The Theatrical Representations Act 1788 allowed local magistrates to license occasional performances for periods of up to 60 days. An early reference to
6664-491: The Lincoln Theatre Circuit, "What a gap in my journal! April to November! But better not record such a summer as I have passed. God deliver me from such another. What suffering, what anguish, and loss! Whittlesea! Shall I ever have the idea of entering that place again? The cholera there raged in all its fury. I was numbered amongst its victims, and, false or true, was certainly dreadfully ill. All Peterborough
6783-687: The Manor Leisure Centre's cricket and football pitches. Whittlesey was significant for its brickyards , around which the former hamlet of King's Dyke was based for much of the 20th century, although only one now remains, following the closure of the Saxon brickworks in 2011. The local clay soil was also used to make cob boundary walls during a period in which there was a brick tax . Some examples of these roofed walls still stand today and are claimed to be unique in Fenland. Clay walls predate
6902-538: The Perpendicular and Decorated Gothic architectural styles of the 13th to 15th centuries. St Andrew's is listed Grade II*. Both churches still see active use, each with a separate congregation. The market is held in the Market Place every Friday. The right to hold a weekly market was first granted in 1715, although there have been several periods since in which the market did not function, for example from
7021-635: The Robertson theatre company. T. W. Robertson , the son of her nephew, William Shaftoe Robertson , performed here, aged five, as Hamish, the son of the title character in Rob Roy . The banker James Hill (father of Octavia Hill and Miranda Hill ) bought the theatre and adjoining land in 1835 and started to invest money in the theatre and in further developing the site. The two Masters Grossmith (William and Benjamin) performed in December 1835. When
7140-467: The Sutton road were used as theatres in the 18th century. The Whitley and Herbert company of comedians performed in the town during Wisbech Race Week in June 1777. In 1778 or 1779 Italian writer Giuseppe Marc'Antonio Baretti attended a theatre performance here. Other early theatres in Wisbech, referred to in newspapers and other documents, appear to have been temporary structures such as that erected near
7259-549: The Whittlesey Improvement Act of 1849. Despite the proximity of Peterborough , Whittlesey is in the Diocese of Ely . Nearby Whittlesey Mere was a substantial lake surrounded by marsh until it was drained in 1851. According to the traveller Celia Fiennes , who saw it in 1697, the mere was "3-mile broad and six-mile long. In the midst is a little island where a great store of Wildfowle breed.... The ground
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#17327722055527378-423: The Wisbech theatre, which Mrs Robertson was then leasing. The theatre opened for the usual five-week season on 5 March 1841 with a new company and extensive internal alterations. The Cambridge Independent Press described the improvements: "[A] floor has been laid along the entire length from the stage to the boxes, and the space hitherto appropriated to the stage, tastefully embellished with variegated drapery;
7497-738: The administration of the poor laws was the main civil function of parishes, the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866 , which received royal assent on 10 August 1866, declared all areas that levied a separate rate or had their own overseer of the poor to be parishes. This included the Church of England parishes (until then simply known as "parishes"), extra-parochial areas , townships and chapelries . To have collected rates this means these beforehand had their own vestries, boards or equivalent bodies. Parishes using this definition subsequently became known as "civil parishes" to distinguish them from
7616-565: The admired comedy of As You Like It , and the Farce of No Song, No Supper ." The theatre was built by Miller, who managed it jointly with Thomas Shaftoe Robertson until 2 May 1796, when Robertson purchased Miller's rights in all the properties of the Lincoln theatre circuit. In 1793 The Millers advertised the last benefit of the 1793 season at Wisbech Theatre to be Everyone Has His Fault and Don Juan . When not in use for performances
7735-712: The album art of The Young Knives ' album, Voices of Animals and Men . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia . Television signals are received from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter, BBC East Midlands and ITV Central can also be received from the Waltham TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on 95.7 FM, Heart East on 102.7 FM, Greatest Hits Radio East on 107.7 FM, Smooth East Midlands (formerly Connect FM ) on 106.8 FM, Peterborough Community Radio (PCRFM) on 103.2 FM and More Muzic Radio,
7854-420: The area are operated by Stagecoach East . Routes link the town with Peterborough , Chatteris , March , Ramsey and Yaxley . Whittlesey town centre hosts the annual Fenland BusFest event. It is one of the area's most popular vintage vehicle gatherings. Whittlesey Summer Festival fills much of the centre each September. Attractions have included a classic car display, an Italian food stall, fairground rides,
7973-553: The building was documented in 1980 by Richard Leacroft, who used the timbers and doorways to deduce the original design of the building. He noted that the size, shape and layout of the auditorium was similar to that of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, North Yorkshire, but the current design does not reflect the original form. In the 1980s the theatre's director was Rex Mountain. His first production in 1983
8092-522: The building was put up for auction as "The Old Theatre" by Johnson & Easter in July 1921 at the White Lion hotel. At this time it had a pedestrian entrance from Crescent Passage . The stable, coach house and yard were occupied by Dr C. H. Gunson. In 1978, the theatre building was "rediscovered" by drama enthusiasts looking for a space to rehearse their productions, and they renovated it, together with
8211-540: The character of Lady Eleanor Irwin, in Elizabeth Inchbald 's comedy Everyone has his Fault after which she delivered a very neat and appropriate address. There was a full house, but we are sorry to say the season has been productive of very few even tolerable houses." The recently redecorated theatre was offered for sale by auction at the White Hart Inn in May 1843. The Robertson company continued as
8330-399: The charter, the charter may be transferred to a parish council for its area. Where there is no such parish council, the district council may appoint charter trustees to whom the charter and the arms of the former borough will belong. The charter trustees (who consist of the councillor or councillors for the area of the former borough) maintain traditions such as mayoralty . An example of such
8449-537: The council are carried out by a paid officer, typically known as a parish clerk. Councils may employ additional people (including bodies corporate, provided where necessary, by tender) to carry out specific tasks dictated by the council. Some councils have chosen to pay their elected members an allowance, as permitted under part 5 of the Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003. The number of councillors varies roughly in proportion to
8568-464: The council of the urban district or borough in which they were contained. Many urban parishes were coterminous (geographically identical) with the urban district or municipal borough in which they lay. Towns which included multiple urban parishes often consolidated the urban parishes into one. The urban parishes continued to be used as an electoral area for electing guardians to the poor law unions . The unions took in areas in multiple parishes and had
8687-466: The council will an election be held. However, sometimes there are fewer candidates than seats. When this happens, the vacant seats have to be filled by co-option by the council. If a vacancy arises for a seat mid-term, an election is only held if a certain number (usually ten) of parish residents request an election. Otherwise the council will co-opt someone to be the replacement councillor. The Localism Act 2011 introduced new arrangements which replaced
8806-459: The creation of town and parish councils is encouraged in unparished areas . The Local Government and Rating Act 1997 created a procedure which gave residents in unparished areas the right to demand that a new parish and parish council be created. This right was extended to London boroughs by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 – with this, the City of London
8925-463: The desire to have a more local tier of government when new larger authorities have been created, which are felt to be remote from local concerns and identity. A number of parishes have been created in places which used to have their own borough or district council; examples include Daventry (2003), Folkestone (2004), Kidderminster (2015) and Sutton Coldfield (2016). The trend towards the creation of geographically large unitary authorities has been
9044-724: The east by the Roman Fen Causeway , probably built in the 1st century CE. Roman artefacts have been recovered at nearby Eldernell, and a Roman skeleton was discovered in the nearby village of Eastrea during construction of its village hall in 2010. The town's two parishes of St Mary's and St Andrew's belonged to the abbeys in Thorney and Ely respectively until the Dissolution of the Monasteries about 1540. The two parishes were combined for administrative purposes by
9163-439: The ecclesiastical parishes. The Church of England parishes, which cover more than 99% of England, have become officially (and to avoid ambiguity) termed ecclesiastical parishes . The limits of many of these have diverged; most greatly through changes in population and church attendance (these factors can cause churches to be opened or closed). Since 1921, each has been the responsibility of its own parochial church council . In
9282-494: The ensemble forming an elegant saloon, adapted to public assemblies, lectures, &c., but easily convertible, we believe, to its original use." In October a newspaper reported that "Wisbech old workhouse is to be sold on the 30th inst., the building is of immense size, in a good situation, and at small expense might be converted into a theatre. The present theatre is much too small, and in a miserable situation, difficult of access in carriages." A later report gave further details of
9401-534: The established English Church, which for a few years after Henry VIII alternated between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England , before settling on the latter on the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558. By the 18th century, religious membership was becoming more fractured in some places, due in part to the progress of Methodism . The legitimacy of the parish vestry came into question, and
9520-550: The former school, under its old name, Angles Theatre. On 25 November 1978 a civic opening of the building was attended by the Mayor of Wisbech and chairman of Fenland District Council and presided over by Anton Rogers. Richard Leacroft, architect and theatre historian, gave a lecture on the development of regional theatre. Another speaker was Gregor MacGregor of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond , North Yorkshire. Four days later
9639-645: The gift and continued patronage (benefaction) of the lord of the manor , but not all were willing and able to provide, so residents would be expected to attend the church of the nearest manor with a church. Later, the churches and priests became to a greater extent the responsibility of the Catholic Church thus this was formalised; the grouping of manors into one parish was recorded, as was a manor-parish existing in its own right. Boundaries changed little, and for centuries after 1180 'froze', despite changes to manors' extents. However, by subinfeudation , making
9758-455: The government at the time of the Local Government Act 1972 discouraged their creation for large towns or their suburbs, but there is generally nothing to stop their establishment. For example, Birmingham has two parishes ( New Frankley and Sutton Coldfield ), Oxford has four, and the Milton Keynes urban area has 24. Parishes could not however be established in London until the law was changed in 2007. A civil parish can range in area from
9877-468: The interior: [N]otice the splendid manner in which the spirited proprietor of the theatre has fitted it up, which renders it excellently adapted for a variety of purposes for which a spacious room is much wanted here. The pit has a temporary covering connected with the stage, the sides and back of which are surrounded folds of drapery, alternatively scarlet and green, and from the ceiling two splendid chandeliers are suspended. The whole can be removed when it
9996-873: The introduction of brick tax in other parts of the country, and some were thatched. Whittlesey had a large number of public houses . In 1797, a local farmer noted in his diary, "They like drinking better than fighting in Whittlesea." Among the public houses that have closed are the Plough, the Letter A, the Letter C, the Queen Adelaide, the Old Crown, the King's Head, the Morton Folk and the White Horse, many of which are now private residences. Whittlesey
10115-460: The late 1700s until about 1850. In the centre of the Market Place is the Buttercross , dating back to 1680. Originally a place for people to sell goods, the structure was considered useless in the 1800s and only saved from demolition when a local businessman donated some slate tiles for the roof. Latterly it served as a bus shelter, until the bus services were relocated from the Market Place to
10234-476: The late 19th century, most of the "ancient" (a legal term equivalent to time immemorial ) irregularities inherited by the civil parish system were cleaned up, and the majority of exclaves were abolished. The census of 1911 noted that 8,322 (58%) of "parishes" in England and Wales were not geographically identical when comparing the civil to the ecclesiastical form. In 1894, civil parishes were reformed by
10353-523: The lease of the Wisbech Theatre would be £400, the temporary theatre cost him not more than £50. In December a political lecture at the theatre was given by J. Kingsley of the British Anti-State Church Association . At the beginning of 1849 the theatre yard was being used for auctions; the road was described as Great Church Lane. In 1850 the building ceased being used as a venue for regular theatrical performances and
10472-465: The mid 19th century. Using a longer historical lens the better terms are "pre-separation (civil and ecclesiastical) parish", "original medieval parishes" and "new parishes". The Victoria County History , a landmark collaborative work mostly written in the 20th century (although incomplete), summarises the history of each English "parish", roughly meaning late medieval parish. A minority of these had exclaves , which could be: In some cases an exclave of
10591-558: The musical Songbook was performed at the theatre after relocating from the Gielgud Theatre for the single performance. This event was arranged by cast member and president of the Angles Theatre Anton Rodgers . The Wisbech Players ' first production at the theatre was Pygmalion in 1979; they then used other venues until their production of The Unexpected Guest in 1988. The architecture of
10710-465: The new district councils (outside London) to review their parishes, and many areas left unparished in 1972 have since been made parishes, either in whole or part. For example, Hinckley , whilst entirely unparished in 1974, now has four civil parishes, which together cover part of its area, whilst the central part of the town remains unparished. Some parishes were sub-divided into smaller territories known as hamlets , tithings or townships . Nowadays
10829-591: The office of Examiner of Plays, whose responsibilities included censoring all plays in Britain. In 1778, John Larpent was appointed inspector of plays by the Marquis of Hertford , who was then Lord Chamberlain . He preserved manuscript copies of all the plays submitted to the inspector from 1737 to his death in 1824, including those produced at the theatre in Wisbech . Buildings in Wisbech in Pickard's Lane and on
10948-488: The other conurbations. Civil parishes vary greatly in population: some have populations below 100 and have no settlement larger than a hamlet , while others cover towns with populations of tens of thousands. Weston-super-Mare , with a population of 71,758, is the most populous civil parish. In many cases small settlements, today popularly termed villages , localities or suburbs, are in a single parish which originally had one church. Large urban areas are mostly unparished, as
11067-401: The parish the status of a town, at which point the council becomes a town council . Around 400 parish councils are called town councils. Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 , a civil parish may be given one of the following alternative styles: As a result, a parish council can be called a town council, a community council, a village council or occasionally
11186-404: The parish. As the number of ratepayers of some parishes grew, it became increasingly difficult to convene meetings as an open vestry. In some, mostly built-up, areas the select vestry took over responsibility from the entire body of ratepayers. This innovation improved efficiency, but allowed governance by a self-perpetuating elite. The administration of the parish system relied on the monopoly of
11305-562: The parish; the church rate ceased to be levied in many parishes and became voluntary from 1868. During the 17th century it was found that the 1601 Poor Law did not work well for very large parishes, which were particularly common in northern England. Such parishes were typically subdivided into multiple townships , which levied their rates separately. The Poor Relief Act 1662 therefore directed that for poor law purposes 'parish' meant any place which maintained its own poor, thereby converting many townships into separate 'poor law parishes'. As
11424-499: The perceived inefficiency and corruption inherent in the system became a source for concern in some places. For this reason, during the early 19th century the parish progressively lost its powers to ad hoc boards and other organisations, such as the boards of guardians given responsibility for poor relief through the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 . Sanitary districts covered England in 1875 and Ireland three years later. The replacement boards were each entitled to levy their own rate in
11543-411: The population of the parish. Most rural parish councillors are elected to represent the entire parish, though in parishes with larger populations or those that cover larger areas, the parish can be divided into wards. Each of these wards then returns councillors to the parish council (the numbers depending on their population). Only if there are more candidates standing for election than there are seats on
11662-567: The rest of the Lincoln theatre circuit in spring 1845, for which the theatres charged premium prices, were Charles Kean and his wife Kate Terry ; her roles included Miss Halley in The Stranger and a role in The Honey Moon . By the mid-1840s the situation for suburban theatres was becoming more difficult financially, and the theatre companies sought subscriptions to keep going: "Mr. Robertson has announced his intention of opening
11781-438: The right to create civil parishes was extended to London boroughs , although only one, Queen's Park , has so far been created. Eight parishes also have city status (a status granted by the monarch ). A civil parish may be equally known as and confirmed as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council, a right not conferred on other units of English local government. The governing body of
11900-421: The streets with its attendant "keeper" and musicians, followed by traditional dance sides (mostly visitors), including morris men and women , molly dancers , rappers and longsword dancers , clog dancers , who perform at points along the route. The Bear dances to a tune (reminiscent of the hymn " Jesus Bids us Shine ") which featured on Rattlebone and Ploughjack , a 1976 LP by Ashley Hutchings , along with
12019-582: The supermarket chains Tesco and Sainsbury's to build on neighbouring sites in Eastrea Road. Dubbed "Supermarket Gate" in the press, the dispute was resolved when Sainsbury's won approval in June 2015 for its scheme for a supermarket, business park and country park. Plans for over 400 houses on an adjacent site, construction of which began in late 2014, caused concern about extra traffic on the A605 . The Sainsbury's store never went ahead, however, and instead,
12138-431: The theatre at Wisbech during the month of May, provided the inhabitants will at once engage 30 season tickets, at £1 each the subscription to extend over one year, for which Mr R guarantees twenty separate performances; the arrangement will include the engagement of all 'stars' introduced in the course of the year. ... [A] great many applications have already been made for season tickets." Henry Langdon Childe 's chromatrope
12257-603: The theatre in 1838. Mr Young performed the titles roles in Virginius and Hamlet and took the part of Quasimodo in Esmerelda in March 1838. Richard Owen returned that year to give three lectures. The Wisbech Dramatic Society gave their first performances, The Castle Spectre and Hunting a Turtle , in December 1838 and January 1839. They performed The Honeymoon and The Haunted Inn in June. The theatre pit
12376-432: The theatre opened in February 1836 for a one-month season, it was advertised as the "New Theatre", with the scenic department and every other arrangement on a scale of expensive improvement never before attempted in Wisbech. The improvements did not go unnoticed; in May a Georgina Gooch was charged with stealing the theatre's gas fittings. William Macready performed here in June 1836, and social reformer Robert Owen gave
12495-589: The theatre regularly held auctions, the most prominent of which was the sale of household furniture, linen and china from Wisbech Castle , belonging to the late Edward Southwell. This was most likely the first auction held at the "New Theatre" in November 1791, because the sale of the mentioned items was not permitted on the castle premises. Robertson married Frances Maria Ross in 1793. Robertson announced in 1806: "The Theatre has undergone considerable improvement and will be lighted up with new and elegant chandeliers"; these are unlikely to have been supplied by gas as
12614-738: The town council did not negotiate gas supplies until the 1830s. Child actor William Henry West Betty performed at the Wisbech theatre in 1808. Amelia Holman Gilfert and her father Joseph George Holman , appeared in 1812 as Cora and Rolla in Pizarro , Desdemona and Othello in Othello and Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in Macbeth , and she played Lady Contest in the farce The Wedding Day . The use of weapons firing blanks, candles, oil lamps, fireworks and other special effects could cause fires and injuries. For example, Fanny Robertson's half-sister Mary Brown
12733-475: The west, and March , 11 miles (18 km) to the east. It is bordered to the north by the River Nene and to the south by Whittlesey Dyke. Historically, it was connected with Peterborough and March by the Roman Fen Causeway of the first century CE, a route roughly followed by the modern A605 . To the north of Whittlesey is a recorded Ramsar site, a protected wetland. There is also Morton's Leam, which
12852-534: Was Mr Saunders, a tent and marquee maker. In 1891, the School of Science and Art leased the theatre property. At that time, the Georgian theatre building still contained the stage and gallery, with the school occupying the former infant school in the front. The school continued to occupy the property into the beginning of the new century. A poster in the Wisbech & Fenland Museum printed by Poysers records that
12971-517: Was a Ray Cooney Farce, Not Now Darling . The theatre company also toured; in 1987 its performances included David Storey 's Home at Wells , Norfolk, and Romeo and Juliet outdoors at Wisbech Castle . The theatre suffered a fire in 1991. In 2018 the Angles Theatre celebrated the 40th Anniversary of its reopening with an extensive programme of events including a production of She Stoops to Conquer . The 2019 pantomime production
13090-553: Was a member of the Wisbech company until she married an actor of the Stamford company and moved to Stamford, where, in 1816 whilst working on a dress, a candle set her clothes on fire; she died of her burns. William Hilton the elder (father of William Hilton ) created scenery for the Robertsons for many years until the 1820s. Madame Tussaud brought her touring waxwork show to the theatre in November and December 1825. The pit
13209-443: Was an important trade route in the late Bronze Age (about 1100–800 BCE). Evidence for this was found at the archaeological site of Must Farm, where log boats, roundhouses, bowls with food in them, and the most complete wooden wheel were housed. In 1832, Whittlesey, then spelt Whittlesea, was ravaged by the second cholera epidemic, along with nearby Peterborough. According to a diary entry of Mrs Thomas Shaftoe Robertson , manageress of
13328-550: Was believed to have been built in 1790 as part of the Lincoln theatre circuit and was generally referred to as the Wisbech Theatre . Regular performances at the theatre continued until about 1850 when it was used as a concert room for a number of years. At the end of the 19th century, part of the property was used by the School of Science and Art. The building was returned to use as a theatre and arts venue, and renamed as The Angles, in 1978. The Licensing Act 1737 created
13447-677: Was boarded over to facilitate the 1839 New Year's Eve Ball. In March 1839 the theatre hosted circus acts for three days. Also in 1839, Mrs Robertson engaged Henry Compton to perform at Wisbech and other Lincoln circuit venues. A critic wrote that his performance as Touchstone in As You Like It and as Mawwarm in Isaac Bickerstaff 's The Hypocrite "was capital, he kept the audience in one tumult of laughter from beginning to end". On 27 June 1840 James and Thomas Hill went bankrupt, and their estates were sold by auction, including
13566-638: Was covered over to enable the display of her works. A military band played. Tickets cost one shilling, and the theatre was crowded each evening. The 1827 season included Sarah Booth 's appearance for five nights in May, playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet . The theatre was "entirely new Painted", in addition to improvements made in the previous year. The "Infant Roscius" Master Herbert performed in Wisbech in 1829. Edmund Kean appeared in April 1831. The same year, Robertson died, leaving his wife Fanny in charge of
13685-501: Was exhibited by Mr Blanchard of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in late May. The press reported: "The dissolving views and images of animalculae were seen by numerous visitors". In July 1846 Robertson's theatrical company performed a play Mind how you Wed! written by Dr Whitsed, a local GP and later mayor. The season finished with another benefit for Mrs Robertson featuring The Beggar on Horseback and
13804-407: Was in a languishing state. Mr Walker, the surgeon, behaved most kindly, and never charged me a shilling." A year later this entry was amended: "Let me correct this error. The year after he sent me in a bill of £5 14s 6d." The Lincoln Theatre Circuit also included at various times Whittlesey, Wisbech , Boston and other nearby towns. St Mary's Church contains 15th-century work, but most of the building
13923-529: Was of a stature that farmers would often reserve their best straw for making the bear. The custom died out about 1909, probably because the police saw it as begging, but it was revived by the Whittlesea Society in 1980. It has now expanded to cover a whole weekend, when the Bear appears not on Plough Tuesday but on the second weekend in January. On the Saturday of the festival, the Bear progresses round
14042-434: Was set up at the theatre, claiming to use 20,000 feet of canvas to display scenes such as the "Fire of York Minster" and the whole city of New York. Prices were similar to those for a theatrical performance: Boxes 2s, Pit 1s and Gallery 6d. In April 1843, The Theatre wrote: "Mrs Robertson had her farewell benefit, having resigned the management [of her theatres] to her nephew, Mr. [William Shaftoe] Robertson. She appeared in
14161-508: Was then used as a concert room. In August that year Mr & Miss Southgate of Wisbech Castle presented a "drawing-room" entertainment, and Henry Vincent delivered a lecture on the Great Exhibition . The following year, a building (probably the former school) was referred to as "Concert-room, Crescent Passage" when used for a lecture on Bloomerism and for lectures by Mrs Balfour that year and in 1853. One lessee after that
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