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Stretham 〔Locally, the is a glottal stop: or even 〕 is a small village and civil parish south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. Its main attraction is Stretham Old Engine, a steam-powered pump used to drain the fens. The pump is still in use today although converted to electric power. It has open days throughout the year. ==History== A Bronze Age hoard consisting of gold jewellery including a torque, bracelet, six ribbed-rings as well as a bronze rapier was discovered in Granta Fen near Stretham in 1850. Dating to between 1300 and 1000 BC, the torque is in the Hunt Museum in Limerick while the remainder of the treasure is in the British Museum.〔British Museum Collection ()〕 Stretham means ''homestead〔OED (2010) ''Homestead'': "The place (town, village, etc.) in which one's dwelling is"〕 or village〔OED (2010) ''Village'': "A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, forming a centre of habitation in a country district"〕 on the road'' (possibly Roman); Latin ''strata'' for paved road or old English ''ystrad'' for road plus old English ''ham'' for village.〔Mills (1991) Stretham〕 The route of the Roman road from Cambridge is uncertain beyond Waterbeach.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111103147/http://www.romans-in-britain.org.uk/map_romans_roads_in_britain.htm )〕 Brythnoth (the first Abbot of the Benedictine monastery at Ely Abbey) and Æthelwold (Bishop of Winchester) purchased the Stretham estate, among others including Haddenham, Wilburton and Witchford, after the restoration of the monastery in 970 with the encouragement of King Edgar.〔Pugh (ed)(1953) p. 152 col 2〕 The Domesday Book records the village as ''′Stradham: Abbot of Ely. Fisheries.′'' Several fires have occurred in the village. In 1696 damage assessed at £2,170 was caused and a general collection was made. A more serious fire broke out on May Day 1844 in the blacksmith's shop. The whole of 'Bell Street' was destroyed and £20,000 worth of damage was caused. In the autumn of 1850 four fires, the work of incendiaries, occurred at Stretham in as many weeks, 'by which property to a large amount was sacrificed.' A detective from London made investigations, but the culprit was not discovered.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/cambs/vol4/pp151-159 )〕 The Stretham steam pumping engine, built in 1831 by Butterley Company, was one of the largest beam engines in the Fens; at 15 rpm it generated 105 horsepower lifting 30 tons of water per revolution, or 450 tons per minute. Site of Royal Observer Corps (1936–1945) and Cold War observation post (1962–1968).〔Osborne (2002) Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record (Royal Observer Corps Post, Stretham )〕 The river floods that began in mid-March 1947 affected over of England. Thirty counties were underwater for nearly two weeks, during the worst flooding for over 200 years. The winter of 1946–1947 had been very severe, with mean average temperatures 4 °C (7 °F) below normal, for that time of year. Snow had been falling continuously since 23 January, with drifts up to deep in places. As the thaw began in mid-March, the warmer weather brought heavy rains. The rain running off the frozen ground, combined with the thaw, overwhelmed multiple rivers in England and eastern Wales, which flooded. The pumping station at Chear Fen, near Stretham, ran only for a short time during the floods, when one of the boilers broke down completely and the other boiler could not raise pressure. In 1950, a new pumping station was opened. The skeletal remains of a 130-million-year-old Upper Jurassic Pliosaur were discovered in a deep Kimmeridge Clay pit in the village in 1952 by workers of the Great Ouse River Board. These carnivores could reach up to in length and pliosaur teeth are a common fossil; full skeletons are however rare. This particular example was named ''Stretosaurus macromerus'' in honour of the village where it was found.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Plesiosaurus remains discovered in clay pit. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Stretham」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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