History

Wisbech can trace its history back to medieval times. At that time Wisbech was a busy little port only four miles from the sea (today it is more than 11). It had a population of, at the most, 1,000 people and was a small and relatively unimportant town.

However, prosperity came to the town when the Fens were drained in the mid-17th century. The newly claimed farmland was very fertile and agricultural products such as grain, butter and rape-seed oil were exported from Wisbech to London.

Thanks to its thriving port and surrounding farmland, by 1700
Wisbech probably had a population of around 2,500 people.
By 1800 this had risen to 4,700, a fair-sized market town
for that period.

By the 18th century Wisbech had transformed into a genteel and prosperous town. Landowners, merchants and warehouse owners grew wealthy and built their rows of elegant houses along the banks of the River Nene. Facing each other across the water, North Brink and South Brink are among the finest streets in England.

This prosperity continued throughout the next century, with the railways reaching the town in 1847 and the population more than doubling in the first 50 years, reaching 10,500.

The port of Wisbech continued to prosper. In 1852 new wharfs were built by the river and in 1890 the banks of the River Nene were strengthened to allow for further growth. This growth continued into the twentieth century, with new industries such as canning and light engineering being established.

This period also saw an increase in leisure craft visiting the town and using it as a base to explore the local area – something that remains popular to this day.

Shopping now plays a big part in the life of the town. To supplement the ancient Market Place, Horse Fair shopping centre was opened in 1988 to provide people in the town with even more retail choice.

The site of the Nene Waterfront redevelopment lies between the port and Wisbech town centre and has been vacant for some 20 years. However, the establishment of a new leisure port near the redevelopment site generated new activity and led to an enhancement of the town's retail and tourism role. The Nene Waterfront project will build on the success of the past few years to create a sustainable waterfront for the future.

In this section - Introduction to Wisbech : Location : History : The Future