By Tim Lambert
The town of March in Cambridgeshire started as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. It’s name comes from mearc, an old word for boundary. It’s name changed to Marche then to March. At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 March had a population of about 230. By the standards of the time it was quite a large village. The Medieval Church of St Wendreda is the only parish church in England dedicated to her. (Wendreda was an Anglo-Saxon princess and later an abbess).
By the 16th century March was a busy little port, with boats travelling on the River Nene. It’s not known when markets were first held in March but in 1670 the king granted a royal charter given the people right to hold weekly markets and annual fairs. The Stone Cross was erected in March in the 16th century.
However March remained a small place until the 19th century. March Railway Station opened in 1847. March was an important rail junction and the railway boosted the growth of the town. In 1850 a new bridge was erected over the River Nene.
In the 20th century the town continued to thrive. March Town Hall was built in 1900. West End Park opened in 1905. The Coronation Fountain was built in 1912 and the war memorial was unveiled in 1921. The first public library in March opened in 1926. March Museum opened in 1977. Fossils Galore opened in 2002. March Skate Park opened in 2019.
By 1891 the population of March was almost 7,000. It grew much bigger during the 20th century. Today the population of March is 23,000.
In 2024 a £12.6 million transformation of March was completed.
