Waterbeach
Waterbeach photos (10 available)
Waterbeach maps (2 available)
Map of Cambridgeshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of Cambridgeshire
Personalised maps
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Waterbeach books (10 available)
- 5 photos on Waterbeach appear in 4 Frith books - View photos of Waterbeach
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Waterbeach and Cambridgeshire
Waterbeach memories
Read and share memories of Waterbeach and Cambridgeshire inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Cambridgeshire below.
Cambridgeshire memories
Playing in the corn fields
I lived in the cottage next to the Chapel, and played with Wendy, we used to cycle to Upware and Wicken fen. At one point we would sit on the haystacks after the farmers had finished them. I would go horse riding in the corn cut fields, wonderful thing to do.
One good memory was when it snowed, Mrs Dowdswell used to pour water on the playground so we could all slide on it. Not allowed to do that sort of thing for the children today, Health & safety and all that! The village used to have a few shops, which sold more or less anything you wanted, and two pubs. We had lots of places to play, cadnam, down ...read more here
A memory of Swaffham Prior contributed by Mary Whiting
sweet shop
my g.g.g. grandparents the Nixons had a sweet shop at 26 Petty Cury in the 1850s to early 1880s. Anybody ant news or pics?
A memory of Cambridge contributed by sylvia finch
Marshall's Airport
I lived at 14 The Homing, Meadowlands, Cambridge which was close to the airport. I was 8 years old in 1955. Often on sunny weekends, my Mum would takes us on a walk over to the airport.
It was a quiet relaxed place in those days. There was no kind of airport security, and you could stroll through the gate and sit down on benches to watch the odd Tiger Moth taxi over to the runway and take off. The pilots would fly over and wave.
I remember watching a Venom jet fighter being started up and all the sudden noise compared to the previous peace and quiet. Occasionally we would walk down by the taxi way, and watch ...read more here
A memory of Cambridge contributed by Chris Birkbeck
My sister.
The lady on the left by the railings of King's College is my older sister then aged 22. We lived in Cambridge until 1922 and I was a pupil at Cambridge High School during the First World War. I am now 93.
A memory of Cambridge contributed by M Helyer
Extracts From Waterbeach & Cambridgeshire books
The name of the town does not refer to any beach, but comes from the Old English word ‘beck’, meaning ‘stream’. Clayhithe was the harbour of Waterbeach; the word ‘hythe’ means ‘landing-place’. By the time of this photograph, the former harbour has been given over to leisure activities. In the 17th century many people thought that the river Cam would dry up as a result of Vermuyden’s drainage scheme; Cambridge university and the town both protested against the building of the Denver Sluice!
An extract from from"East Anglia".
The Clayhithe ferry ceased operating in 1875 when a company was formed to replace it with an iron bridge to be maintained by tolls. The Cam Sailing Boat and Motor Boat clubs now use the old moorings.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Living Memories".
Denny End is named after the abbey that was re-sited in 1342 from the present church to a spur of land linked to Waterbeach by a causeway. The abbey was built for the nuns of the Franciscan order of St Clare- the Poor Clares.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Villages Photographic Memories".
Here we see manually-operated lock gates in the River Cam at Waterbeach, north of Cambridge. These days the lock is electrically operated.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Photographic Memories".
In the 1960s two large housing estates were laid out on the east and west of the main street, and in 1972 a Village Society was formed to oppose the continued growth. The nearby airfield was used in World War II for bombers and then for training, with the 39 Regiment of Royal Engineers stationed here from 1966 onwards.
An extract from from"Cambridgeshire Living Memories".