WIVENHOE

'Wivenhoe' is a small town in the Colchester borough of Essex in the East of England.
It lies on the eastern outskirts of the town of Colchester and is popular with students from the University of Essex owing to the seven pubs located there. Wivenhoe station is served by an hourly electric rail service to and from London Liverpool Street currently provided by One. The town is connected by a seasonal ferry service across the River Colne to Fingringhoe and Rowhedge. As of 2003, the town had a population of 9,000. The town's history centres around fishing, ship building, and smuggling.
Wivenhoe is a Saxon name meaning Wifa's (Wiven) Ridge (hoe). Wifa was a person or tribe the town's area belonged to before the Norman Conquest. Also dating to time of the Saxons is the site of the town's first church: St. Mary-the-Virgin. Interestingly, there is also a second theory that the town name has evolved from "Wyvernhoe" to its current name. This originates from a mythical beast called a wyvern and the previously mentioned ridge (hoe)

Contents

History

Famous Citizens

Current Issues

Sports and recreation

Books

External links

History

In 1884 the town suffered significant damage when it lay close to the epicentre of one of the most destructive UK earthquakes of all time. The incident is known as the Great Colchester Earthquake.

Famous Citizens

Wivenhoe is the home of the poet Martin Newell who every year also attends and is the main star at the May fair, which is located in the King George V playing field. It was also home to BAFTA-nominated actress Joan Hickson who played Miss Marple in the BBC adaptations of Agatha Christie's novels, and children's writer Leila Berg.
It was once a favourite watering hole of Francis Bacon (who's house still remains as it what when it died, on Queens Road), the famous British artist, and several journalists and writers have been based in the lower end of the town - George Gale (former editor of The Spectator, Daily Telegraph cartoonist and Daily Express columnist) and Peregrine Worsthorne, (former editor of the Sunday Telegraph) both had homes there. Nowadays residents include Professor 'Hugh Brogan', author of the Penguin History of America, 'Auriol Ashworth', former editor of the Times Educational Supplement, 'John Ashworth', chairman of the British Library, Professor 'Anthony Everitt', former Arts Council secretary general and writer of best-selling biography Cicero, and 'Roddy Ashworth', Essex chief reporter of the East Anglian Daily Times and night news editor of the Sunday Express. Wivenhoe is also the home of renowned sculptor 'Guy Taplin' and a sign above the entrance to its station car park inspired then resident film director Steve Roberts to create the science fiction TV series of the 1980s, Max Headroom. Respected film and TV director 'Gerry Poulson' - who has been the man in the chair for everything from the early 70's ''The Adventures of Black Beauty'', through ''Heartbeat'' and ''London's Burning'' - also lives here on the "frontage" of the River Colne, Essex.
Actor-manager Sir John Martin-Harvey was born in the village in 1863 and is commemorated by a blue plaque on Quay House, one of his childhood homes. He was the son of yacht-designer John Harvey and grandson of Thomas Harvey, yacht builder. The ''Volante'' was built by Thomas Harvey & Son (Thomas & Thomas Harvey junior) in the Halifax Yard at Ipswich. The "Volante" competed in the first America's Cup in 1851.
During the first half of the nineteenth century, Wivenhoe Hall was the home of William Brummell, brother of the more famous Beau Brummell.
Harry Bensley became famous for taking on a wager to walk around Britain and 18 other countries while wearing an iron mask and pushing a perambulator. Bensley lived in the village with his wife, Kate, after having served in the First World War. [1]
Wivenhoe Park, now part of the University of Essex was the home for several centuries of the Rebow family, descendants of Flemish clothweavers from Colchester.

Current Issues

At the moment there are a number of local issues being thrashed out. One of these is an application for planning permission - now approved by Colchester Borough Council - to build a new housing estate on the old James Cook & Son shipyard site. Issues over transport links and provision of services are some of those being debated.
Another community project in the town focuses on a former goods shed (paradoxically known as "The Engine Shed") near the town's station. This large, grade II listed Victorian building is in an ever-deteriorating state of disrepair and has been disused for around 20 years. Over the past decade, a committee made up of local councillors and amateur theatrical group members have been attempting to gain permission and funding to convert the building into a small theatre. Originally it was hoped a capital lottery grant could help with this, as Railtrack, the building's owners, were prepared to lease the building for a peppercorn rent or even sell the deeds altogether for a minimum sum. Unfortunately, with the passing of time, the lottery's criteria and priorities for funding have changed and it now looks less likely that the hundreds of thousands of pounds needed to bring the project to fruition can be raised from that source.
Wivenhoe has also been the home of the Wivenhoe Funny Farm comedy club since September 2005; a non-profit making club run by a local comedian that attracts professional comedians to perform at Wivenhoe Town FC clubhouse.
[2]

Sports and recreation

Wivenhoe has a playing field called ''King George V Playing Field'' in memorial to King George V. There is a small skate park situated halfway down the field.
The Colne being a fine river for sailing, there is a
Wivenhoe Sailing Club, home of the Wivenhoe One Design. The club was founded in 1925, and for many years operated from a small clubhouse on the town quay. In 1994, the National Rivers Authority constructed the Colne Barrier just downstream of the village; since this greatly impeded access to the Colne estuary from the quay, a new clubhouse, and slipway were constructed immediately downstream of the barrier.

Books

★

★

External links

★ The Wivenhoe Encyclopedia - maintained by Cllr. Peter Hill, Paul Alden, and Wivenhoe Town Council

★ Homepage for Wivenhoe Town Council

★ Article on Wivenhoe from the "Towns & Villages" section of the "This is Essex" website

★ - Wivenhoe Funny Farm website.

★ Wivenhoe - White's Directory of Essex, 1848