BalshamCopyright Colin Bell

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County - Cambridgeshire | Map
Tel code: 01223 | code search
Postcode: CB21 | code search
Population: 1700
Balsham Jobs
Visitor reports

Add your shop free
Folk Customs:
Dicing for Bibles
Midsummer Cushion Ceremony
The Town Peas
Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival

Latest reviews

Bell
"Best IPA beer I have had in a long time.

Date visited: 27/04/08 ..." More

Bell
"This pub is ideally situated in the middle of the lovely village of Balsham. The food is acceptable "pub grub". However I was very disappointed with the "house" ..." More

Balsham Reviews (2)

Best rates for a Local Hotel

Latest reviews | Events in Balsham | 10 Places to Stay

Balsham in the south-eastern corner of Cambridgeshire, near the borders with Suffolk and Essex, is a quiet dormitory village of about 1600 souls these days, but it has a particularly bloody claim to fame as the most significant moment in its history. In 1010AD Norse raiders led by Thurkill the Tall reached the village having already put Thetford and Cambridge to the sword and flame. At Balsham the Vikings killed every inhabitant bar one, who has gone into legend either heroically or ironically as The Brave Man of Balsham, depending on which version of the tale you accept: in one he stands in the church doorway and keeps the fiends at bay with his sword; in the other he hides in the church and is missed by the plunderers. Rivalling the unnamed survivor as Balsham’s most famous son is Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, who in 1284 founded Peterhouse College in nearby Cambridge (about nine miles to the northwest), that city’s oldest college. The village has a primary school and two pubs, one a fine black and white building from the Tudor period, but as so often its most notable structure is its church, in this case a largely 14th century structure dedicated to St Nicholas, though the earliest parts date from the previous century. Balsham is situated in the pleasantly defined if low undulations of the Gog Magog Hills, a small area of chalk downland (where the Chilford Hall Vineyard is to be found a mile or so south of the village), with Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Saffron Walden and Newmarket all within easy commuting distance, along with of course Cambridge. The A11 is a short drive away and just beyond it the M11, making access and longer distance commuting relatively easy.

Pub and Bar

Bell

Places to Stay near Balsham

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The Black Bull Inn (0.05 miles)

The Black Bull Inn
Classic 16th Century Grade II listed thatched black and white Freehouse at the heart of a pretty village.
This gem has just been taken over by the owners of the award-winning Red Lion Hinxton and has ... More | visit website
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The Old Red Lion Inn (2.67 miles)

The Old Red Lion Inn
The Old Red Lion Inn is located in a small village called Horseheath with prime location just off the A1307. We have 12 letting rooms set aside from the main building which was an old ... More | visit website
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The Old Red Lion Inn (2.76 miles)

The Old Red Lion Inn
There are 12 comfortably furnished, en-suite bedrooms, including ground floor rooms some with disabled facilities. They are all situated in attractive buildings around the main building and restaurant, allowing for a more tranquil stay. We ... More | visit website
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Old Red Lion (2.76 miles)

Old Red Lion

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The Old Red Lion hotel dates back to its 18th Century days and was originally an old farm house. The lodges offer comfortable accommodation in a charming setting. There are 12 comfortably ... More

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The Swynford (4.16 miles)

The Swynford

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Swynford Hotel is set in over 5 acres of beautiful grounds in an open park land setting. The Hotel's meandering entrance way is flanked by specimen trees framing the approach to the ... More

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White Horse Inn (4.31 miles)

White Horse Inn

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Traditional Thatched Country Inn with bar restaurant and 5 letting rooms in a converted cart lodge for either single or double occupancy convenient for Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds and ... More

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The White Hart Inn (4.98 miles)

The White Hart Inn
The White Hart is extremely well presented and enjoys a prominent location in the village, with easy access to and from Cambridge and it's surrounding areas. Easily reached from the A11, Newmarket and Duxford are ... More | visit website
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Cross Green B & B (5.23 miles)

Cross Green B & B
Surrounded by paddocks and a quiet bridleway, Cross Green Bed and Breakfast is located four miles from Newmarket race courses.

There are excellent road and rail links from Dullingham to Newmarket, Cambridge, Ely, Saffron Walden and ... More | visit website
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Old Vicarage (The) (5.30 miles)

Old Vicarage (The)
Set in mature grounds and woodlands this delightful Old Vicarage has a friendly family atmosphere. Complete peace and comfort are assured with wonderful views of the Suffolk countryside. Open log fires welcome you ... More | visit website
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Days Inn Haverhill (6.25 miles)

Days Inn Haverhill

The Days Inn offers style and comfort where it matters. All of the rooms are designed in a bright contemporary style with Hypnos beds, white cotton duvets, spacious desks and superb en suite shower rooms complete ... More | visit website

Brit Quote:
All that we are not stares back at what we are. - W H Auden
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On this day:
Battle of Berwick - 1296, Fire Claims 19 Glasgow Firefighters - 1960
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