| Mepal | |
|---|---|
Aug2006.jpg) Mepal'svillage sign, showingCornelius Vermuyden's wooden bridge, and sheep being transported by boat | |
  Mepal Location withinCambridgeshire | |
| Population | 976 (2021)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL441808 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ELY |
| Postcode district | CB6 |
| Dialling code | 01353 |
| |
Mepal/ˈmiːpəl/ is a village inCambridgeshire, England. Mepal is part of theEast Cambridgeshire district, and is located just north of the A142 road betweenEly andChatteris. First listed asMepahala in the 12th century, the village name meant 'Nook of land of a man named Mēapa' inOld English.[2]
Mepal's history has always been tied up with that ofThe Fens and the village is less than ten metres above sea level. One of the smaller villages of theIsle of Ely, Mepal lies at the western end of the Isle on what was once the shore between the fenland and the higher ground of the Isle.[3]
TheOld Bedford River and theNew Bedford River (also known as the Hundred Foot Drain) run very close on the northwestern side of the village, and the only important bridges of the rivers are found in Mepal. The old and new rivers, originally modified by the Victorians, offer the main drainage route forthe Fens and retain a major flood plain between the two river beds. The flood plain typically floods between November and March of each year.
A major fire devastated the village in the 19th century, leading to a drop in population from 510 to 397 between 1861 and 1871. There are thus very few remaining buildings dating from before the 19th century.[4]
Mepal retains the historical pride of being the home ofNo. 75 Squadron RAF, which was operational between 1943 and 1945. It held the enviable post of being the prior home to No. 75 'New Zealand' Squadron which was equipped withLancaster bombers. 75 Squadron flew the highest total operations for the whole ofRAF Bomber Command, 8017 in total. Mepal is visited on an annual basis by previous members of the Squadron and their families, as part of remembrance.[5] A museum jointly dedicated toRAF Mepal andRAF Witchford is located in the nearby village ofWitchford.[6]
After theSecond World War,RAF Mepal was selected in 1957 as a site for deployingThor medium-range nuclear missiles, although these were removed by 1963. The airfield was subsequently decommissioned and the land sold off.[7]
| Climate data for Mepal, Cambridgeshire (1991-2020 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 8.5 (47.3) | 11.2 (52.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.8 (67.6) | 15.4 (59.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.8 (46.0) | 15.0 (59.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | 6.9 (44.4) | 9.3 (48.7) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.3 (63.1) | 14.7 (58.5) | 11.2 (52.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 10.5 (50.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) | 1.4 (34.5) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.3 (39.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 11.9 (53.4) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 7.1 (44.8) | 3.9 (39.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | 6.1 (43.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 48.5 (1.91) | 34.4 (1.35) | 34.3 (1.35) | 37.1 (1.46) | 43.3 (1.70) | 56.5 (2.22) | 52.0 (2.05) | 58.0 (2.28) | 50.6 (1.99) | 61.3 (2.41) | 55.9 (2.20) | 51.5 (2.03) | 583.3 (22.96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.2 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 8.1 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 108.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 58.4 | 79.8 | 112.3 | 157.8 | 195.7 | 190.0 | 199.0 | 184.5 | 143.2 | 108.5 | 66.1 | 54.7 | 1,549.9 |
| Source:Met Office[8] | |||||||||||||
The parish church, dedicated toSaint Mary, mother of Jesus, and aGrade II* listed building, dates from the 13th century and has been largely unaltered since.[9] It is notable as the only church in the Isle of Ely without either tower or spire, having adouble bellcote instead.[4] The building is listed inNikolaus Pevsner'sBuildings of England, Cambridgeshire Vol. IV.[9]
Kelly's Directory, a trade directory set up in 1835, wrote that the church features "inscriptions on the tomb ofAlan de Walsingham,sub-prior andsacristan ofEly Cathedral, to the church of Ely, is a building of flint and stone in the Early English style, consisting ofchancel,nave, south porch and a western turret containing one bell. Thechancel was restored by theRev. Charles S. HarrisLL.M. rector (1876-84), and the church in 1905 at a cost of £600. In 1908, the interior was reseated and a vestry added at a cost of £200: there are 100 sittings. The register dates from the year 1559."[10]
The village of Mepal retains a hotel, restaurant and bar (The Three Pickerels), apost office/village shop, and a Church of England primary school rated 'Good' byOfsted in 2023. Mepal Village Hall was built in 1873-74 as Mepal National School and saw its first pupils on 4th May 1874.[11] The Hall also functions as apolling station. There is a localfootball club shared between Mepal andSutton, ayouth club, and Friendship club.Allotments, rented out by the Mepalparish council, are located by the village children's play park.[12]
Former public houses include the Cross Keys, in whichClement Freud lived when he was Member of Parliament for theIsle of Ely in the 1970s and early 1980s.[13]
From Monday to Saturday Mepal has a two-hourly bus service (no Sunday service) toChatteris,Ely andCambridge.
Adjacent to St Mary's church is a small woodland notable for the old elm trees, believed to bePlot elm hybrid.[14]
