Sawston
| Sawston | |
|---|---|
 Sawston
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| Sawston shown within Cambridgeshire | |
| Population | 7,145 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | TL487496 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Cambridge |
| Postcode district | CB22 |
| Dialling code | 07 |
| Police | Cambridgeshire |
| Fire | Cambridgeshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam seven miles (11 km) south of Cambridge. It has a population of 7,150 (Census 2001).
Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a hamlet for 400 to 600 years, there is evidence for a settlement in the vicinity dating back to the early Bronze Age almost 5000 years ago. The northern high-ground in Sawston would have been the only vantage point from which to view the ancient Hill figures discovered in the Wandlebury section of the Gog Magog Downs.
Sawston Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house dating from the 16th century. The hall boasts many fine features, such as the magnificent Great Hall complete with Elizabethan panelling and a large Tudor fireplace with fireback dated 1571. The hall also has its own private chapel which is also panelled and has an 18th-century decorated plaster ceiling and wonderful stained glass windows. On the first floor the Long gallery and the bedroom where Queen Mary I was rumoured to have slept are also key features with original wide oak floorboards and exposed chalk clunch walls.
The hall is surrounded by almost 60 acres (24 ha) of grounds which includes a Site of Special Scientific Interest protected by Natural England due to the presence of Cambridge Milk Parsley, a rare English native plant. The ground also include a number of naturally fed springs, woodland walks, a half moat and a number of smaller landscaped gardens.
The Sawston estate was held by the Huddleston family from 1517 until the 1980s. The Hall was thrust into the history books in 1553 when Mary Tudor (soon to be Mary I of England), fleeing imprisonment by the Duke of Northumberland, spent the night at Sawston Hall. Northumberland's soldiers followed Mary to Sawston forcing her to flee the next morning disguised as a dairymaid. As she fled, the soldiers put flame to the medieval manor destroying a large portion of the hall.
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Wikipedia