Around Cambridge: Linton

More about our day trips to places around Cambridge:

Linton

Another charming village quite close to Cambridge is that of Linton. We only discovered this village by accident – our friend Heather was keen to locate her grandparents’ headstones in the Linton cemetery, so we happily volunteered to look (have we mentioned a predilection for prowling around graveyards looking for tombstones previously?).



The name ‘Linton’ apparently means ‘Flax-Town’ and is derived from the Saxon language. This is because wild blueflax (Linum Perenne) once grew in abundance in the area.



We were delighted to find that Linton was a village that in many ways, has architecturally stood still in time. Though the trappings of progress surrounded the perimeter of the village, the village itself was full of mediaeval buildings, including thatched cottages and cruck frame buildings. Because of this, the High Street of Linton has a Grade II listing.



The church (St Mary the Virgin) was initially built in Norman times, replacing an older wooden building, and like most churches, has had additions made to it over the centuries. The last major one was in 1587, when the north chancel chapel was added – though today this chapel houses the pipe organ!

It was quite an atmospheric church, with its stone architecture, lovely stained glass windows, and many candles. Apparently it houses both an Anglican and Catholic congregation.

Though we did not manage to find the headstones we were in search of, we did find a little local pub called “The Dog and Duck”. This was a traditional English pub which has recently been restored – indeed, the day we were there, there was a thatcher hard at work rethatching the roof in traditional reed thatch.



According to the blurb on the menu, the site of The Dog and Duck dates back to the 16th century. It had originally been two cottages, but became a public house in 1851. We enjoyed two traditional English meals and the atmosphere very much.