Wisbech, Market town in Fenland, England
Wisbech is a market town in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England, set on the River Nene not far from where it meets the Wash. The town has a compact center with Georgian streets, a long-standing market, and several historic buildings spread across its older neighborhoods.
Wisbech grew into a trading center during the Middle Ages, when its position on the River Nene made it easy to move goods like wool and grain. The draining of the Fens in the 17th century opened up large areas of farmland and pushed the town's growth further.
Wisbech is the birthplace of Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust. A museum in her former home tells the story of her work on housing reform and the protection of buildings and open spaces.
The town center is easy to walk and most of the older streets and buildings are close together, making it simple to move from one to another on foot. Saturday is market day, which gives a sense of the town at its most active.
Peckover House, a Georgian townhouse on the riverbank, is now in the care of the National Trust and still looks much as the Peckover banking family left it over generations. Behind its plain front, the house holds an ornate drawing room and a walled garden that most passersby would never guess was there.
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