Social History and Archaeology

The full text of the recent Cambridge University Archaeological Unit survey of Wicken Vision area will be available as a PDF file shortly.

Below you will find a collection of historic photographs and newspaper cuttings relevant to Wicken Fen. Click on the small images to view a larger version.

Wicken archives: photographs

8th June 1960, the Duke of Edinburgh with the Barnes brothers	8th June 1960, the Duke of Edinburgh with Bill Barnes senior	1960, W Barnes cutting sedge	1966: cutting reed with an Allen scythe
1966: Wilf and Henry Barnes	1969: photo of an eel which had died choking on a rat	1970: Charles Mitchell	1976: Wicken Fen Lode, Bevington and others
1980: Wilf Barnes with reed	1920's or 1930's: Botanists on Sedge Fen	1920's or 1930's: Cambridge Unviersity party with Bill Barnes on Burwell Lode	1920's or 1930's: Cambridge University exhibits with Reg Butcher
1920's or 1930's: Cambridge University exhibits on Lode Lane	1920's or 1930's: Cambridge University party at the location of the current Visitor Centre	1920's or 1930's: Cambridge University party at the location of the current Visitor Centre	1920's or 1930's: Cambridge University party showing a National Trust boat
1920's or 1930's: Professor Gardiner (Cambridge University) walking past bundles of thatch	1938 or 1939: Wilf Barnes (aged 16) on the Mere	1950's: Barnes and sons at the opening of the mill	1960's: Sedge Fen: Barnes and Mitchell
1970's: a load of sold reed	1970's: Wilf Barnes during the reed harvest	Date unknown: loading sedge at Drainers Ditch	Late 19th century: Summer on Wicken Lode
Late 19th century: Wicken Lode	late 1960's: Barnes and Sargent	late 1960's: Wilf Barnes with the reed crop

Wicken archives: newspaper cuttings

Wicken reeds are in demand (1966)	Duke of Edinburgh visits Wicken Fen (1970)	Mere added to Wicken's Bird Oasis (1955)	Keepers of Wicken Fen
Picture postcards of the Fen's finest	First keeper at Wicken Fen	300 years of Fen Drainage