Sawtry
| Sawtry | |
| Huntingdonshire | |
|---|---|
 Village Green at Sawtry | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL168836 |
| Location: | 52°26’24"N, 0°16’48"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,000 (approx.) |
| Postcode: | PE28 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Huntingdonshire |
| Website: | http://www.sawtry.net |
Sawtry is a village of some 5,000 souls in Huntingdonshire. It is found on the western edge of the Great Fen, halfway between the county town, Huntingdon, and the City of Peterborough to the north in Northamptonshire. The main village is just west of both the old and new routes of the A1 (the Great North Road) and A1(M); from here Sawtry is about six miles north of the A14, and a fifty-minute car drive from both Stansted Airport and Luton Airport. As such, it is a sought-after location for commuters.
Other nearby villages include Folksworth, Alconbury, Holme, Yaxley, and Stilton.
The village and neighbourhood
The village itself, an extensive one, appears mostly quite modern including the present church, which was built in 1880; very modern by Huntingdonshire standards. The site of a Romano-British settlement lies under the A1 and the site of a Cisterian Monastery (demolished in King Henry's time) is clearly visible.
Extensive new housing areas have been built and Sawtry has good residential amenities.
Sawtry has two pubs: The Bell and The Greystones. It also has an Ex-Services and Working Men's Club. It has an infant school and a junior school; and a community college.
There is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument known as Sawtry Moat and Shrunken Mediæval Village which runs alongside the new motorway.
History
In the Middle Ages Sawtry was divided into three parishes: All Saints, St Andrew and St Judith and originally got its name from the fact that it was a trading centre for salt, an essential commodity in the Middle Ages.
A Cistercian Abbey, Sawtry Abbey, was founded in 1147 by Simon de Senlis grandson of Judith De Lens, niece of William the Conqueror who owned land in many parts of Britain but built her Manor in Sawtry and whom the Parish of Sawtry Judith is named after. The Abbey took 91 years to complete and ministered to the local area both spiritually and physically. This was demolished in 1540 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries as part of the Reformation, although traces of the Abbey still remain.[1]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Sawtry) |
- The Sawtry Working Men's Club website
- The Sawtry Motor Cycle Club website
- The Greystones Free House
- The Bell
- Sawtry Leisure Centre
- Vocal Academy - men's barbershop chorus based in Sawtry
- A Potted History of Sawtry