Landbeach is a small fen-edge English village about three miles (5 km) north of Cambridge. The parish covers an area of 9.00 km2 (3 sq mi).
The fen edge north of Cambridge was well populated in Roman times, and the village's situation on a Roman road will have helped its growth. The road, the Mere Way (also called Akeman Street), which once joined Ely to London, passes through the village from north to south. Car Dyke, the Roman drainage canal known locally as the Tilling, also runs through the village and in medieval times marked the boundary between the marshes of Landbeach and neighbouring Waterbeach. Drainage of the parish wasn't completed until the 18th century, and for much of the year large areas of the parish were inundated.
The village was listed as Utbech ("out bec") in the Domesday Book and in the 13th and 14th century was occasionally referred to as Inbech ("in bec"). The original meaning of the "beach" part of the names is not universally agreed. One theory invokes the Anglo Saxon word bec meaning "stream", but a more plausible gives the meaning as "shore", much like the modern "beach", as both Waterbeach and Landbeach were at the edge of The Wash.
The village has three archaeological sites with remains of mediaeval manor houses, which together form a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
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If anybody would like to expand this series please do. I would just ask that you let SmokeyPugs know first so they can keep track of the Village Sign numbers and names to avoid duplication..
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