Chippenham and its history: Part II
The draining of the Fen Today around 99% of the original fenland that once so dominated East Anglia has been drained, with just a few isolated sites remaining. One of those sites is Chippenham Fen , in Cambridgeshire. Unlike Wicken , Woodwalton and Holme fens, Chippenham Fen was at one time drained. But today it is wetland again. The Fen’s story is interesting for what it tells us about the history of East Anglia, for what it tells us about our changing attitude towards nature and peatland, and for what it tells us about the fortunes of the family that has owned Chippenham Fen for over 200 years. These three things are all relevant to the draining of the Fen and its subsequent return to a more natural state. This is a long post so there is a link at the bottom for anyone wanting to download a pdf version. What has come to intrigue me since I started writing about the Fens is how the few small parcels of fenland that remain today managed to evade the mass draining that East Anglia h
