Place Information
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Sawston is a large village in Cambridgeshire in England, situated on the River Cam seven miles south of Cambridge. It is the largest village in the county with a population of 7,150 (Census 2001). It is debatable whether it should be described as a village or a town, it fulfils many of the criteria for being a town such as a High Street with shops and banks. Sawston Hall is a Tudor Manor House rebuilt in the 16th century. Historically it was owned by the Huddleston family, a prominent Catholic family in England. Queen Mary I of England spent a night there before she was queen because she was hiding from John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, a Protestant nobleman. John Huddleston disguised her out of Sawston Hall as a dairy maid and Northumberland's supporters burned Sawston Hall when they could not find Mary. The hall was rebuilt after Mary's coronation, in fact the new Monarch donated some of the rubble from the ruined Cambridge castle for the rebuilding. It is assumed that only a ruined portion of the castle was donated as most of Sawston Hall is brick built. The Hall is supposed to be haunted quite severely. In 1985 a photograph was taken showing a ghostly face at one of the windows and the headless ghost of Queen Mary I is reputed to live there. It has been the subject of a paranormal investigation by the Cambridge Paranormal Group, during which they heard 'several loud bangs'.It is proposed that the Hall be converted into a hotel which would provide jobs for the village - at the present time it appears likely that the lawyers of the previous owner rather than the ghosts of former residents pose the greatest danger to this plan. Sawston Hall sits adjacent to the, earlier, Norman styled St. Mary's church. Prehistory
Although the current village of Sawston has only existed as anything more than a hamlet for 400 to 600 years, there is evidence for a settlement in the vicinity dating back to the early Bronze age almost 5000 years ago. The northern high-ground in Sawston would have been the only vantage point from which to view the ancient Hill figures discovered in the Wandlebury section of the Gog-Magog hills. Research Tips
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