Discover Isleham: Priory, Nature and Lime Kilns

Isleham combines remarkable church architecture, traces of rural history and protected landscapes on the edge of the Fens. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday cottage for your trip, it is worth first considering whether you want to focus on culture, nature or a walk. The village offers specific points of interest for each of these interests.

Isleham Priory: Norman architecture and medieval traces

The cultural history is centred on Isleham Priory Church. It is considered the finest example in England of a small Norman Benedictine priory church. Isleham Priory was probably founded around 1100 by Count Alan of Brittany. The chapel is particularly noteworthy: it is an example of Norman church architecture and has survived largely unchanged.

The combination of the surviving priory chapel and evidence of the economic foundation of the community at that time is exceptional. North of the building, the agricultural complex belonging to Isleham Priory survives as an earthwork in pasture. A 200 m-long sunken track near Isleham Priory is thought to have served as the main access route to the fields on the southern edge of Isleham Fen. This means that the history of the place can be explored not only through a single building, but also through the traces of its former use.

The Isleham Priory monument is open to the public. Most of the outdoor area of Isleham Priory Chapel can be visited at any time.

Nature reserves and walks around Isleham

Isleham Local Nature Reserve is located on a disused railway line that closed in the 1960s. Today, the species-rich grassland is bordered by hedges on both sides, including field hawthorn, dogwood and wild privet. The wildflowers listed there include field scabious; the birds mentioned include skylarks, yellowhammers and bullfinches.

The nature reserve is open year-round and free to use. The path is mostly level, but can become wet in winter. This allows planning to be adapted to the season: if you are staying during the cooler months, you should take the weather into account when choosing your daily activities, while the reserve also offers a specific nature destination outside a summer travel plan.

Another landscape experience is Isleham Washes, a nature reserve visited by wading birds such as avocets and oystercatchers. If you enjoy comparing different aspects of nature, you can also explore the area's geological character: the sought-after Totternhoe Stone outcrops at Isleham, where there are shallow quarries dating from before the Middle Ages.

Walking, lime kilns and further discoveries

The Fordham to Isleham walk is the final walk of the Fen Edge Trail in Cambridgeshire. It can be divided into two sections by starting or finishing in Isleham. This option is useful if you do not want to base your travel plans around a single long walk and instead want to treat the route as one of several focuses of your stay.

The Isleham Lime Kilns are listed remains, built around 1860, of a thriving clunch-extraction industry in this village on the edge of the Fens. The site is a Local Geological Site. Information panels on site explain the lime-making process. The area around the Isleham Lime Kilns is fully accessible to the public; the interior is not accessible because it may provide roosting sites for bats. The visit is therefore clearly focused on the outdoor area and the explanation there of its historic use.

The Hall, also known as Great Bernhard’s Hall, is another historic feature. The Hall survives in reconstructed form; The Hall and the 16th-century barn behind it are listed at Grade II. The Isleham Hoard was found in 1959 at Chalk Farm, north of Isleham Local Nature Reserve. These historical connections provide further themes for a trip in which culture and landscape stand alongside each other, without every day having to have the same focus.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans

You can choose a suitable holiday apartment or holiday cottage in Isleham according to which of these interests will shape your trip. For a culture-focused stay, Isleham Priory, The Hall and the Isleham Lime Kilns take centre stage. If you prefer spending time outdoors, Isleham Local Nature Reserve, Isleham Washes and the Fordham to Isleham walk offer different opportunities to enjoy nature and exercise. This allows you to base your travel plans either more strongly on the historic features or on the landscapes and paths around Isleham.

For further travel planning, you can also view Boxworth, Elton, Comberton, Ramsey, Gamlingay, St Neots, Hinxton and Papworth Everard.

To the main travel overview: Cambridgeshire.