An Illustrated map of the Cambridgeshire village of Chippenham

An Illustrated map of the Cambridgeshire village of Chippenham. . , Chippenham Fen , Chippenham Fen covers 117 Ha and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The reserve lies in a shallow peat-filled depression underlain by a thick layer of chalky marl which rises to the surface in places., More than 400 species of wild flowers have been recorded here and it is the main British site for the very rare Cambridge milk parsley. More than 500 species of moths occur and many nationally scarce and rare invertebrates have been found here., Breeding birds seen at Chippenham Fen include woodcock, snipe, all three British woodpeckers and nine species of warbler. Access to the reserve is by permit only. However there is a public footpath running directly through the reserve signed from Fordham Road or Snailwell Road giving good views across the site., For details www.naturalengland.org.uk, Rosser's Sac Spider , The Rosser's sac spider, which had not been seen for 10 years, was recently discovered at Chippenham Fen on the outskirts the village., It makes its home in wetland areas and had been found only once before, at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk., Fears were growing that the spider had died out due to loss of habitat. The light brown spider was first discovered in the 1950s but the draining of the fens and changing farming practices since the World War II had put it under threat., Asian Water Buffalo , Chippenham Fen is not normally associated with exotic beasts., The boggy wetland has remained unchanged for centuries, providing an ideal home for reeds but leaving it decidedly short of livestock., That all changed with the release of several Asian water buffalo brought in as environmental managers for the fen. The buffaloes' task is to keep 40 acres of wetland cropped by grazing on the rough grass and plants. These powerful animals can break up scrub with their horns and are well-suited to the boggy conditions., The Village Pub now The Tharp Arms , There has been an inn at Chippenham since 1633 on the northeast side of the High Street successively named the New Goat Inn (1793), the Angel (1805), and the Hope Inn until (1910), when it became the Tharp Arms. In the late 19th century inquests were held here, and the estate owner's rents were collected there. The pub sign shows the coat of arms of the Tharp family surmounted by the mysterious Tharp lady. Legend has it that on New Year's eve at midnight the lady comes down and dances., Owned by Greene King for many years the pub has recently been acquired by a group of villagers and is now independent., St Margaret of Antioch Church , The church building dates back to the 13th Century and included a chapel used by the Knights Hospitallers. Parts of the Norman church are still visible and you can see the outlines of early windows in the North part of the choir and behind the main altar After a disastrous fire in 1446, much of the church was rebuilt. The wall-paintings are also 15th Century In 1885 the chancel was rebuilt, a new East window installed and the floor tiled., In the 20th century, the Tharp Chapel in the North aisle was constructed by the Tharp family. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Ely in 1948. The inscription round the chapel walls records the memory of John Tharp, killed in Algiers in 1943., The Old Schoolhouse , In 1708 Lord Orford founded and endowed a school where children were to be instructed in English and Arithmetic, but if the schoolmaster taught Latin or any other foreign tongue he was to be dismissed., 1730 there were 12 children at the school, and by 1818 it taught 40 children paying fees, and 19 others supported by subscription. In 1955 there were two junior and one infants classes, but numbers dwindled and in 1978 the school was closed and the remaining 25 pupils moved to Isleham school., William and Mary Cottages , These former estate cottages, known as William and Mary houses, were restored and converted in the 1980's from tiny, estate-workers dwellings into substantial houses. Known affectionately in the village as the 'Rhubard and Custards' on account of their colours, each of the houses would originally have been three or four cottages. The long gardens remain, fronting onto the High Street., More than half the High Street consists of listed buildings, and where there were once cowsheds and pig sheds there are now houses., Chippenham Village , To a casual visitor, Chippenham might seem to be in a time warp. On the surface it seems little changed from the days when the village existed only to house workers on the estate., The history of Chippenham can be traced back to William the Conqueror who gave the manor of Chippenham to one of his Knights Geoffrey de Mandeville. In turn Geoffrey's son William gave it to the Order of Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem in 1184, and they were the Lords of Chippenham for the next 300 years., The churchyard contains the graves of at least two of the Knights., The Order of St John was suppressed in England in 1540, but take a look at the village sign -- a knight in armour can be seen riding past the Church., Chippenham Cricket Club , Chippenham Cricket Club was formed in 1993. Started by a group of villagers the club is very active within the community and runs a village side that plays every Sunday during the summer. In addition, they run two league sides on a Saturday, two midweek teams and a number of Junior sides., Home games are played in the beautiful Chippenham Park., Chippenham Park , The layout of the village was altered at the end of the 17C when a large part of it was enclosed within the Park. The 17th-century mansion was been built in about 1690 by Admiral Edward Russell., John Tharp who bought the estate in 1791 engaged James Wyatt to draw up designs for a substantial new house but the only part of these plans to be built was a a triumphal arch with a pair of lodge cottages., Monty Tharp inherited in 1875 and had the house rebuilt in the Queen-Anne-Revival style, raising the existing house by a floor behind three Dutch gables. The architect is not known., Chippenham Park remains the thriving heart of a family and a busy estate. The award-winning gardens are open to the public on several days throughout the year.