Tydd St Giles
Tydd St Giles is a village in Fenland, Cambridgeshire, England. It is the northernmost village in Cambridgeshire (bordering Lincolnshire), on the same latitude as Midlands towns such as Loughborough, Leicestershire and Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The village is in the distribution area of one local free newspaper, "The Fenland Citizen". History. The name 'Tydd' derives from a corruption of the word "Tide", as the village was home to an important sluice used for draining the Fens. Although many Fenland names derive from Anglo-Saxon words, a few scattered around Wisbech include Anglo-Saxon words referencing the native British population . Although the village is old enough, it does not appear in the "Domesday Book", because the village was in the liberty of the Bishop of Ely. Tydd St Giles was founded in the late 11th century with the building of the church of St. Giles in 1084 on a natural rise in the land of the Fens. The church was built of Barnack stone, known to be the gift of the Bishop of Peterborough. Village guilds. The village had three guilds: the Guild of our Lady (1350), the Guild of the Holy Cross (1385) and the Guild of St Giles  (1386). The Guild of Our Lady had a membership restricted to twelve brethren. It was founded by William Everswell, chaplain and Nicholas Clerk. The foundation of the guild also established a chaplaincy. by 1535 the value of the guild was valued at £4 13s 1d. The guild provided candles and torches for the icon of Our Lady in the church. The Guild of the Holy Cross had a chapel at Sea Gate, near the outfall of the North Level Main Drain (Then the Shire Drain). The Guild of St Giles, provided candles for the mass in the church. The  membership was paid in bushels of barley. The members was also required to attend Vespers on the eve of St. Giles and mass on the feast day itself (1 September). The guild was also involved in charitable acts in the parish, being required to donate 1s 8d worth of bread to the poor after St. Giles' mass. There was also a Guild of St John, although no guild documentation exists. They may have met in a chapel by the Tritton (now Tretton) Bridge. Geography. The village is completely low-lying, with an average altitude of 0 metres. The village is  roughly square shaped (formed by the four main roads of Church Lane, Hockland Road, High Broadgate and Newgate Road). The eastern side of the village is dominated by the Norman church. The western side of the village is dominated by the Community Centre, a large blue roofed barn-like structure. The civil parish of Tydd St. Giles also includes the hamlets of Foul Anchor, and part of Tydd Gote which lies partly in Tydd St Giles and partly in Tydd St Mary in Lincolnshire. the village has no direct "A" road access, but is joined to the A1101 by the  B1165. Tydd St Giles is in the (old) Wisbech postal district, and is the northernmost settlement in Cambridgeshire. It is also the northernmost, and last, parish in the Diocese of Ely. This is enhanced by the fact that the traditional county and diocesan bound is Eau Dyke, to the north of the village. Eau dyke is the only natural watercourse in the village, as it follows the course of the old Cat River. Across the southern boundary of the village runs a part of the North Level Main Drain. The drain is a vital part to the draining and continuing  existence of the Fens. The drain then joins the River Nene at Foul Anchor, after passing through a pumping station, that brings the water up to the level of the river. Although the village is officially recorded at an altitude of 0 metres, the age of the settlement, and the vowels "i" and "y" in the village name suggest that it stands on a low mound that would have been above the surface of the fen. It is certain that the village was inhabitable before the 16th and 17th Century draining of the fen, because of the age of the  church. A survey of 1868 described it thus: "TYDD ST. GILES, a parish in the hundred of Wisbech, Isle of Ely, county Cambridge, 5 miles north-west of Wisbech, its post town, and 6 from St. Mary Sutton. The preparation of woad for dyeing is carried on. The construction of the Bedford Level canal, which is 100 feet wide and 30 feet deep, has greatly improved the quality of the land. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely, value £653, in the patronage of the bishop. The church is dedicated to St. Giles. The parochial charities  produce about £80 per annum. There is an endowed school, and the Independents have a chapel." Governance. The village is in the North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency, the seat of Steve Barclay MP (Conservative). The village polling station is in the community centre to the west of the village. In local government the village is in Roman Bank - Wisbech Ward of Fenland District Council. St Giles Church. The Norman church dedicated to St. Giles, dominates the eastern side of the village. The church, although extensively redesigned in the 19th century (see below), still retains its Norman architecture and feel . The West Window was designed by Alan of Walsingham, the designer of the famous "octagon" lantern on Ely Cathedral, this rare clear glass medieval window (which survived the depredations of Oliver Cromwell) fills the whole of the western end of the building. All of the woodwork and pews in the church are later Victorian additions. In the Lady Chapel there are still some remnants of the church's original medieval stained glass, the rest of the church's stained glass is Victorian. The East Window shows the life and passion of Jesus Christ, while the North-Western Window depicts the  church's (and village's) patron saint, Saint Giles and St. Paul (one of the patrons of the Church of Ss. Peter & Paul in Wisbech). The outer southern wall of the church still has the remains of a medieval sundial, which was in use when the church was a cell of the priory in Wisbech. The church is one of the few in the area to have a separate tower. The tower fell away from the eastern end of the church in the 18th century (due to poor foundations and strong wind), and was rebuilt by Sir George Gilbert Scott  when the building was extensively renovated in the 1880s. Local legend has it that the tower was pushed over by the devil, as he could not abide the sound of the church bells. The tower has a ring of six bells with a tenor weight of 8-2-8cwt tuned to A. The bells were recast for the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, from the original ring of 5, six bells were cast. The bells hang in a wooden frame, and are rung in the traditional English full circle ringing system. Starting in 1868, the church was renovated by the  famous architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. The church was shortened, where the collapse of the tower had destroyed the original sanctuary (The east wall of the building still has the original blank arch). The nave roof was built up to its present level, and a new clerestorey was installed—the original can still be seen on the inside where the builders filled the Norman windows. The side aisles were also extended and the roof was re-leaded. The original plans, drawn by Scott can be seen on display at the back of the church, where they are now displayed after  being found in a drawer in the church vestry. The church's roof was repaired in 2001–2002, as the original Victorian tiling and structure had decayed, letting in rain water along the whole of the nave and the side aisles. At the request of English Nature (now Natural England) the woodwork in the new roofs had holes bored into them to allow the resident colony of pipistrelle bats in and out of the building. The nave roof was blessed by the Right Rev'd Anthony Russell (retired) Bishop of Ely and Lord Spiritual, and the then incumbent of the parish, Rev'd  Nigel Whitehouse, the roof was baptised using a bottle of specially brewed ale by Elgood & Sons Ltd., called Tydd St. Tiles. The Church has a copy of the Coventry Cross of Nails hanging in the sanctuary. The church also has a (tentative) claim to having had a pope in the parish. It is believed that Nicholas Brakespeare (Pope Adrian IV) was a curate of the parish. As a consequence the local pub is called the 'Crown and Mitre'. The parish is the owner of a rare Elizabethan chalice, gifted to the church by the then lord of the manor. It  is inscribed: "A gift for Tedd sent Gyles". The chalice is only used by the church on special occasions, and when not in use is kept under lock-and-key in a local bank vault. The church has a restored Victorian bier, found and restored by a parishioner. The original wooden framework ond cast iron suspension units were in rescuable condition upon its discovery, but the wheels were made by a local smith, and the side rails are in fact lengths of copper heating pipes. War memorial. The War Memorial for the parish of Tydd St. Giles and Foul Anchor  records the details of 15 men who fell in the Great War (12), the Second World War (3), and in Northern Ireland (1). The men are recorded as "Fallen from this parish in the Great Wars 1914–18 and 1939–1945" Brigstock and Wren Charity. The village is home to a local charity, Brigstock & Wren (B&W). B&W was recognised as a charity in 1910, to help people in the parish. At the time of the charity's founding it managed of land and three cottages in Tydd St. Giles, B&W also controlled of land in Sutton St. Edmund. The aid from B&W  generally comes in the form of money, although sometimes items will be bought for applicants considered worthy of aid. The committee of B&W consists mostly of local landowners, all elected by the wider membership. The parish priest is an ex officio member of the committee. B&W was originated in the British attack on the Dutch in Sole Bay in 1672. One of the officers involved was Matthew Wren, son of the Bishop of Ely. In his will (written just before the attack), Wren left of Low Marsh to the poor of the village. By 1837, the Charities Commissioners also acknowledged  that John Brigstock had left land to the poor in 1667, although Brigstock never owned the land. He had merely controlled the land for an older charity (whose name is now lost), and his name was on the deeds Tydd Steam Brewery. The village is home to a micro-brewery, Tydd Steam. The brewery was founded in 2007. The newly installed plant is capable of producing 2500l per brew. The brewery is in a renovated and converted barn. The barn was used as a garage for two steam ploughs that were used by the farm. The steam engines are now  kept in the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln. In 2018 Tydd Steam Brewery won a CAMRA silver award for one of its beers. Landmarks. The village has seven listed buildings in its "historic centre" (around Church Lane and Kirkgate). Two of these are the Church and Tower. Also included are the "Old School", a Victorian primary school building and school master's house on Church Lane, which has fallen into disrepair. The Old Tithe house (also on Church Lane) is a Grade I listed building, that was part of the parish properties (and used as a parish hall). For  centuries it was not used, but was bought by a local member of SPAB, and restored. The other notable building is the Grade 1 listed Elizabethan manor house (Tydd Manor). On Hockland Road is Paget Hall, a Grade II listed building and former rectory. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott for his brother Rev'd Canon John Scott, then Rector of the parish. It was built in 1868, about the time the church was renovated. The Wisbech Chronicle (8 August 1868) described it: "A new Rectory house now occupies the site of the mean and dilapidated tenement which formerly  stood upon it; and when we say that it was designed by Mr Gilbert Scott, it will be inferred that it is an ornament to the place, as well as a convenient and commodious abode for the Incumbent. Standing upon elevated ground, among clumps and avenues of trees in which it is encircled, it presents a picturesque and striking appearance, and gives an air of life and importance to its surroundings". Education. The village has a school - Kinderley County Primary School. It was opened in 1987 following the merger of Colvile school in Newton-in-the-Isle and Tydd St  Giles School, in 1990 it had 84 children on the school roll, with a capacity of 90.