Wandlebury House by munki-boy
Wandlebury House
The Wandlebury estate including a mansion house (demolished) and the remaining stable block and buildings where once the home of the second Earl of Godolphin and is situated within the Wandlebury Ring ancient fort.
Stables were built in 1685 by order of King James II and were the residence of the prominent racehorse “Godolphin Arab” which is buried beneath the buildings archway.
Wandlebury House with its wonderful Clock Tower, is now the location of the office of Cambridge Past Present and Future, a registered charity.
There is an old bridge over the banks of Wandlebury Ring, leading to Wandlebury House, probably part of the 17th-18th Century Wandlebury estate.
There is a small building hidden in the undergrowth in the inner bank at Wandlebury Ring. Constructed in 1975 over an open drainage tunnel that looks contemporary with the buildings of the Wandlebury estate.
The tunnel was discovered by archaeologists and was left open on the advice of a warden concerned about the local bat population as it would provide an ideal roost. Apparently bats moved in straight after construction of the small tower. During the winters of 1990-1993 the tunnel was found to be providing a home for several species of bat including Natterers, Daubentons and Long-eared bats.
The open drainage tunnel used as a bat roost, has a similar structure to other drainage tunnels such as can be seen at other country estates, good examples are open at Croome Park by design of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
The tunnel is within the inner bank of the Wandlebury Ring ancient fort.
Created: 27 November 2016 Edited: 29 November 2023
Wandlebury House
Local History around Wandlebury House
There are some historic monuments around including:
Causewayed enclosure at Great ShelfordTwo moated sites 150m east of College FarmChesterton AbbeyCambridge Castle moundSettlement NW of Little ShelfordCivil War earthworks at the CastleMoated site 130m west of Whittlesford ManorBowl barrow 1080m north east of Worsted Lodge Farm, part of a dispersed round barrow cemetery in Charterhouse PlantationMoated site at Manor FarmBorough Hill: a large multivallate hillfortHobson's ConduitWandlebury Camp: a multivallate hillfort, earlier univallate hillfort, Iron Age cemetery and 17th century formal garden remainsRoman settlement S of Chronicle HillsOld Cheddar's Lane pumping stationSettlement site by Caudle Corner FarmIron Age ritual enclosure containing a Bronze Age barrow, and Roman cemeteryLong barrow and enclosure 870m ENE of Copley Hill FarmCausewayed enclosure 900m west of Great Wilbraham parish churchWormwood Hill tumulusBrent DitchSite revealed by aerial photography W of White Hill FarmBowl barrow on Copley HillCausewayed enclosure and bowl barrow at Little Trees HillHenge 220m ESE of Herring's HouseMoated site SE of St Peter's ChurchFour bowl barrows 920m and 950m south east of Heath Farm, part of a dispersed round barrow cemetery in Charterhouse PlantationChapel of the Hospital of St John at Whittlesford Bridge.
