Wisbech

Wisbech is a historic Georgian Market town. Located in the East Anglian fens, Wisbech is often known as “The Capital of the Fens”.

The towns history can be traced back to the Iron Age, right through until the present day. 

Wisbech has a great deal of notable history and architecture supporting that history. 

The Wisbech Castle was constructed by William the first, to protect the town against attackers. In the Tudor era, the Wisbech Castle became a famous prison, noteable for it’s use in holding Catholic Priests, Bishops and other political prisoners. Many of the prisoners in this time perished due to the disgusting conditions inside the prison.

The Castle was restored around the middle of the 1600s, and later on in the early 1800s, the latter occasion it was on instruction of Joseph Medworth, the man responsible for developing The Crescent, a well known local feature which has been used in many films and television productions.

Peckover House is a property on he North Brink of Wisbech, it is currently operated and managed by The National Trust.

Constructed in the early 1700s, the house was purchased towards the end of the century by Jonathan Peckover. The Peckover family were a family of famous Quaker bankers and they operated the Peckover Bank. During the time that the family owned the property it was known as Bank House. 

Peckover House also boasts a 2 acre traditional Victorian walled garden. The home of rare trees, obscure plants and orange trees as old as 300 years, that still produce fruit.

In 1948 the Peckover family passed ownership of the property to the National Trust.

Wisbech has a population of just over 20,000, and boasts two secondary educational facilities.

The Thomas Clarkson Academy, which used to be known as the Queens School and the privately operated Wisbech Grammar School. 

Wisbech has a long standing history of appearing in the news. A study of immigration patterns previously proclaimed Wisbech to be the 7th most English town in the United Kingdom. In early 2008, the Daily Express claimed the “Death of a Country Idyll”, when writing about the recent increase of immigrants from Eastern Europe and the increase in crime they had brought with them.