Offord D'Arcy
| Offord D'Arcy | |
| Huntingdonshire | |
|---|---|
 St Peter's, Offord D'Arcy | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL2266 |
| Location: | 52°16’59"N, 0°12’21"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 747 |
| Post town: | St Neots |
| Postcode: | PE19 |
| Dialling code: | 01480 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Huntingdonshire |
Offord D'Arcy is a village in Huntingdonshire. At the time of the 2001, the parish's population was 747 people. It is the twin village of Offord Cluny to the north and together they are known as The Offords. Of these, Offord D'Arcy is the larger parish, though a little smaller in population.
The Offords both stand along the road from Godmanchester to St Neots, with Great Paxton to the south of them. They stand on the eastern bank of the Great Ouse, with just the main railway line rudely interposing itself between the villages and the riverbank.
They are two villages are contiguous along the road. They are separate villages, and were separate parishes for centuries until the church in Offord D'Arcy closed, but they work closely together as one.
Offord D'Arcy was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period, and developed its identity in the Middle Ages, originally under the domination of the D'Arcy family from whom it is named. Far old traces remain here though, for the road which is now the B1043 runs south from the old Roman town of Durouigurtum; Godmanchester, and the village still contains original Roman work.
The old parish church is St Peter's. It is a Norman church with an elegant 14th-century tower and spire which looks kindly over the village green and the meadows down to the river. The interior is a mix of styles; rounded Norman arches (c 1100s), and graceful Gothic arches from some 200 years later facing them. St Peter's has however been closed and is in the care of the under the care of the Redundant Churches Fund. Parishioners must now repair to All Saints in Offord Cluny, just half a mile away.
The Church Rooms in Offord D'Arcy are still open and serve both villages. Offord D'Arcy also has the village pub, the Horseshoe Inn.
See also
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Offord D'Arcy) |