Overview of Christchurch

Christchurch is a village in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England sited on the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border. Christchurch has a small church, which was built in 1863 and consecrated in 1865. This is the source of Christchurch's claim to fame. The rector of the church from 1917 to 1928 was The Rev. Henry Sayers, father of the novelist, Dorothy L. Sayers. He and his wife were buried in unmarked graves in the churchyard at the behest of their daughter Dorothy. A plaque has since been installed in the churchyard to commemorate their internment. One of Sayers novels, The Nine Tailors is based around the Christchurch and Upwell area. The village was allegedly named after the church because of the two large oil paintings hanging in the nave. One depicts Christ crowned with thorns and the other his descent from the cross. Both were brought from Italy by the church’s architect, Sir Roger Pratt. Until the turn of the century, the village name was still spelt "Christ Church", and prior to that was known as Brimstone-Hill, presumably after the butterfly which used to be common in the area. Village facilities include a small village school and preschool which is sited in the school grounds. There is also a public house, The Dun Cow, which is tithed to Elgood's Brewery of Wisbech. There is a recreation ground with football pitch and two children's play areas. A new addition to the village is a skateramp, which was co-funded by donations and the parish council.