About Whittlesey

Market Day: Friday

Whittlesey sits on the very western edge of the Fens, close to the cathedral city of Peterborough. The town has an interesting maze of streets with a mix of architecture spanning several centuries. The Buttercross in the Market Place is one of the most striking buildings and a reminder of Whittlesey's rich trading and agricultural history.

South of the town, the narrow river, part of the Nene - Ouse Navigation Link, meanders alongside the Manor fields - a perfect spot to moor for a while and take a stroll.

Whittlesey has two beautiful churches, both close to the town centre. The Church of St Mary is famous for its glorious spire supported on elegant flying buttresses from the massive tower below. The Church of St Andrew is less grand but has the light airy feel that is typical of many East Anglian churches.

Each January Whittlesey celebrates the old agricultural custom of Straw Bear dancing with a three day festival that grows bigger and better each year. 'The Bear', a man in a costume made of straw, is accompanied by his keeper and several hundred dancers and musicians in a procession around the town and stops off for refreshments at pubs along the route.

Buttercross Auctions are open the first Friday of the month. With the market traders also visiting the town every Friday, on Whittlesey Market Place. The Fenland markets are great for tasty fruit and Vegetables, freshly baked bread, cakes, sweets, cheeses, meats, fish, DIY stalls and a wide variety of goods, all at bargain prices!

The Must Farm project is the first landscape scale archaeological investigation of deep Fenland, with its complex geological history (from wet to dry and back again). The project’s exploration of deeply buried deposits is transforming our understanding of prehistoric life and revealing a level of preservation previously only dreamt about. Find out more about the Must Farm Project