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The Repton Gate story

A brief history of the Repton Gate which stood at the entrance to the Rectory and is now preserved in the North Lodge Pavilion

The Repton gate is an important part of the history of Milton. It was designed by Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) who is regarded was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century and often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown. The gate, which is now 230 years old, was installed by Repton during his work at Milton Hall.

The building of Milton Hall was started in 1772 by Samuel Knight, son of the Rev Samuel Knight, lord of the manor and Rector at All Saints’ Church. It was built on the site of a house which had previously been built by his father north of the church. The Hall was completed in 1794 after the death of the Rev Knight in 1790.

A view of Milton Hall during the 1800s

The grounds were landscaped in 1789 by Humphry Repton promoting informal ‘natural’ landscapes. Milton Hall had its pastureland, with scattered oak trees and a lake, all visible eastwards from the rear of the Hall.  Samuel Knight had met Repton while at Trinity College, Cambridge, and they had become friends. Repton was therefore the obvious choice to ask when it came to landscaping the grounds of the Hall. The proof that Repton undertook the task can be found in his account books. In the books he noted the phrase ‘en ami’ which means that this job of landscaping the grounds was for free and for a friend. Repton only charged for his expenses and in return Samuel contributed an essay to Repton’s ‘Variety’. This probably explains why this work does not feature in Repton’s ‘Red Books’ which were given to his paying clients.

The gate, known in Milton today as the Repton Gate, was installed at the entrance to the Rectory in Church Lane. Since this was not listed in Repton’s ‘Red Books’ there was at some time uncertainty as to whether the gate really was the work of Repton. A letter in Country Life in the Dec 6th1962 edition asked the question ‘A Gate by Humphry Repton?’ However, since we know Repton did indeed landscape the grounds for Samuel Knight (which included the rectory entrance) he would have installed a gate. Furthermore, this gate is of classic Repton design, and it is highly unlikely it is by anyone else.

Other examples of this same design of gate have all been attributed to Repton. Indeed, Repton himself painted a picture of the exact design of gate which he installed at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, and which is the same as the Milton gate. This can be viewed at: https://www.watercolourworld.org/collections/?s=tww4f015a7a557c797f

There is also an image of the gate in the book ‘The Landscape Gardening and Landscape Architecture of the late Humphry Repton’ by J C Loudon From the gallery of images, (fig 15), the gate shown is the same classic design. In the notes it does say that several of these gates can be found around the Welbeck estate so for Repton this was a common style. The book can be viewed at:https://www.splrarebooks.com/collection/view/the-landscape-gardening-and-landscape-architecture-of-the-late-humphry-rept

There are several historic pictures of the Repton Gate in Milton. One, which can be found on the Milton website (https://www.milton.org.uk/) shows two footballers standing in front of the gate.

Photo of two footballers by the gate

Titled ‘Sam Conder and friend outside the Repton Gate’, you can clearly see the limewashed gate but note the very sturdy pillar. Unfortunately, the pillars are no longer around.

Another picture shows a full football team.

Here is the team photographed with the gate in the background. Teams would use the field close by the Rectory that is now North Lodge recreation ground. The story goes that the field had cows on it so before a football match they had to clear up the cow pats so they could play. It could be MJFC (Milton Junior Football Club?) The M is probably compressed into a seam as it would have been a stitched panel leather ball. The player in the middle of the front row looks like the player on the right on the previous picture. The date appears to be 1920-21.

It seems that the gate remained in place until 1988/89 when the drive was widened and raised (possibly by the Waterbeach Royal Engineers) and the old rectory became the Hospice. At that time the gate had therefore been in place for 200 years. It had survived well, although there is evidence that a beam and a few spindles were replaced during its time at the Rectory.

After the gate was removed in late 1980’s it was stored outside in the church grounds. Since the church owned the gate, they arranged for its dry storage at Sunclose Farm in Butt Lane sometime during the mid 1990’s. A picture in the Milton 2000 book shows a picture of the dusty gate stored in the roof of the barn.

Photographed for the Milton Millenium Book  Milton 2000: a daily photographic record

In 2022, Milton Parish Council agreed that as part of a developer funded arts project the gate should be restored and put on display. In 2023 once costs were agreed and a future home for the gate had been secured the project began.

Jamie Cakebread of Cambridge Restoration took on the project in early 2023. Here he is seen examining the gate in the loft of Sunclose Farm prior to its removal.

The gate was finally removed from Sunclose Farm on 29th March 2023 and transported to Cambridge Restoration workshops in Ely nearly 30 years after it was first stored in the barn.

A dirty and dusty gate leaving Sunclose Farm

The restoration work took just over 2 months. The bottom beam was replaced (the damage can be seen in the above picture), and several of the spindles were also replaced. The aim was to return the gate to a state as it might have looked during its time at the Rectory. Hence, after all the decayed parts were replaced and the metal hinges re-attached, the gate was given a limewash appearance. Some light distressing was added to show an aging gate and what it would have looked like while in service.

The restorers recommend that the gate remains indoors and so the Pavilion at North Lodge Park was chosen as the new home of the gate.  This is a very appropriate location being close to where the gate once stood at the entrance to the Rectory. While this does mean that at times the gate will be locked from view it does ensure that better care can be taken of this important 230-year-old Milton relic.

The installation of the gate began on the 14th June 2023.

Cambridge Restoration return the gate to Milton.
Craftsmen have replaced all the decaying parts and replaced or refurbished the metal hinges and latch.
Jamie and Matt, the skilled craftsmen who undertook the restoration project.
The gate finally returned to Milton and mounted in its new home at North Lodge Park pavilion

This is not quite the end to the story. Milton Parish Council commissioned a metal bench which has the Repton design as its back rest. The bench could be seen on Pond Green so that people can view the Repton design at any time.

The Repton Gate bench before installation on Pond Green

Love Your Burial Ground

As part of ‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’, this week Milton Parish Council have installed a few bird boxes, insect hotels and hedgehog houses to encourage more wildlife into the cemetery. These were all selected from the wide range available at the Phoenix Trust here in the village. Installing these items is just part of our plan to qualify for a Churchyard Conservation Award given to burial grounds which reach either bronze, silver or gold level of conservation activity.

New signposts showing the areas we have designated for Summer and Spring flowing have also been installed. Visitors will soon be able to enjoy some additional seating and see a new Notice Board which will give information to what is happening around the cemetery.

Everyone is welcome to visit this sometimes forgotten part of Milton along Landbeach Road and see for themselves the work that the Parish Council are doing to show how we care for this area.

Milton roundabout maintenance

We have been asked to share the following information provided by Cambridgeshire Highways –

“This is a general notification that we are due to start a number of large-scale maintenance schemes. This will involve the carriageway resurfacing of large sections of highway in various parishes. These works will be done under a road closure with diversion routes in place. The roads will be closed to all traffic, with the exception of access to residents and businesses within the closure itself.

The current programme of works is as follows:

  • Fenland Way – Chatteris: From 07/08/23 to 08/09/23 (Night works between 21:00 – 06:00)
  • New Road – Warboys: From 11/09/23 to 20/10/23 (Night works between 21:00 – 06:00)
  • Milton Interchange – Milton: From 23/10/23 to 07/12/23 (Night works between 21:00 – 06:00)
  • Bates Drove – Littleport: From 04/03/24 to 26/04/23 (Day works between 08:00 and 17:00). Unlike the previous 3 schemes; this closure will be 24/7 and not just within the working hours.

Please note that both the works programme and diversion routes may change, but we [Cambridgeshire Highways] will contact you again closer to the start dates to provide an accurate update.

Letter drops will go out to nearby properties 1 month in advance of the works.”

Road closure and diversion plans for Milton Interchange work

Scheme overview

Phase A

Phase B

Phase C

‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’

This week is ‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’. During the week, those who visit the Milton cemetery on Landbeach Road will see the start of several improvements and additions we are making.

To show our commitment to protecting the environment it is our intention to apply for a Cambridgeshire Churchyard Conservation Award. This means us maintaining parts of the Cemetery to encourage plants and habitats to flourish. This week you will see bird boxes, insect hotels and hedgehog houses being installed around the Cemetery. This is in addition to the areas we currently maintain for Summer and Spring flowering which will be marked with information signs.

Additional benches are being installed this month including a specially commissioned ‘arts’ bench. This will be placed in an area of the Cemetery where visitors will be able to have a quiet moment for reflection. A Cemetery notice board is also being installed soon where you will be able to learn what is happening in the Cemetery and how our conservation efforts are developing.

As you can see, we are undertaking a range of improvements during ‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’ with the aim to make the Cemetery a nicer place to visit and acting responsibly by working to conserve the area for wildlife.”

Repairs to the A14/A10 roundabout

As reported at the recent Milton Annual Parish Meeting, the condition of roads has deteriorated significantly during the very dry and very cold weather experienced during 2022. Cambridgeshire, along with other County Councils is seeking support from central government towards the repairs, the cost of which is far beyond many council budgets.

Repairs to the A10/A14 roundabout have been programmed for October-December 2023.

The works will be done overnight and in three phases: south half, north half and the A10 as far as the P&R site.

Of course, we are pleased to see that some temporary repairs have been made but we will continue to lobby for the work to be done earlier.

New Bus Shelter artwork unveiled.

Picture of the artwork and artists

Many of you will now have seen the colourful artwork which was the result of the Children’s Art Competition for the bus shelter at the junction of Humphries Way and Landbeach Road.

The competition was for entries on the theme of ‘a Queens Jubilee memory’. There were three winners who were all from the village who are, Matilda Booth, Eva May-Beck and Oliva Cutts. Congratulations to the winners who each received a prize.

This artwork is funded from the Arts Grant arising from the new housing developments in Milton. Residents will be pleased to hear that no Council Tax funds were used to finance this project.

South Cambs Residents FAQ

Information as provided by South Cambs District Council is in the page below and also available as a downloadable pdf file –

Links to Sections:-
Bin Collections
Fallen Trees or Branches
Bus Services
Flooding
Housing Fraud
Litter
Noise Nuisance
Planning compliance
Potholes
Public Rights of Way
Speeding
Street Lighting
Street Sweeping
Ukraine guests and hosts



Bin Collections

Find out which day your bin is collected, report a missed bin collection, request a new bin, find out what you can recycle and more in the District Council’s bins and recycling pages.


Branches or foliage obstructing paths or roads

You can report overhanging trees or foliage online to the County Council Highways Reporting Tool. Faults reported in this way will be assessed within 10 working days by the County Council.


Bus Services

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is responsible for bus services information as it is the local transport authority. Further information is also available on the real time bus information pages of the County Council website, where there is also on how to download the My Bus Trip app.


Flooding

Find out who is responsible for which services by visiting the District Council’s flooding web page. The District Council does not provide a sandbag service to residents. Generally, it is the responsibility of residents to protect their own properties from flooding. The District Council does have a limited supply of sandbags that can be delivered to domestic properties that are at imminent risk of flooding only. This is aimed at the most vulnerable residents and only intended for people who have no friends, family or neighbours who can assist them fast enough or in advance. 

  • Flooding from a sewer: This is likely the responsibility of Anglian Water. You can report an issue to them online or call them on 0345 791 9155
  • Blocked drain on the road or pavement: This is likely the responsibility of Cambridgeshire County Council. You can report an issue to them online
  • Flooded property or garden: You can report external flooding to gardens or paths, or report that you have already experienced flooding within the living space of your home, to Cambridgeshire County Council. It may be possible to investigate the cause of flooding or offer advice. However, remember that it is the home-owner’s responsibility to protect their own properties from flooding
  • Flooding at a South Cambridgeshire District Council property: The District Council’s Housing Services team will fix any serious drainage problem. Call our free repairs hotline on 0800 085 1313 to report an emergency repair.


Housing Fraud

Housing fraud occurs when a person applies for a Council house and submits an application with false or misleading information. This would be to gain a tenancy they wouldn’t have otherwise been given or to gain the tenancy ahead of those in more urgent need. Housing fraud exists in a number of ways and can be a crime. If you have information then complete the online form, email the District Council on fraud@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000.



Litter

Litter and dog waste bins are emptied according to the street care team schedule for each area in the district. Please contact the District Council if you would like to report an overflowing bin, or request a new litter or dog waste bin, on streets@scambs.gov.uk or call 01954 713 000.

Follow the link to report environmental crimes such as fly tipping, dumped cars, dog fouling, graffiti or other littering crimes to the District Council.

If you, your parish council, school or local community group would like to organise a voluntary litter-picking event in your area, the District Council can support you by lending litter grabbers and gloves (and so can some parish councils).


Noise Nuisance

Section 79(1) of the Environmental Protection Act requires the local authority to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to investigate complaints that relate to:

  • Noise from premises (both domestic and commercial)
  • Noise from vehicles or equipment in a street (for example, car alarms but not traffic noise)
  • Noise from amplified music in the street (for example, car stereos)
  • Noise from machinery or equipment in the street
  • Noise from bird scarers (if only advice is required then refer to the National Farmers Union Code of Practice [PDF])

You can report noise nuisance to the District Council.


Planning compliance

Our planning service is managed by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning team. This is a shared service for us and Cambridge City Council. Our planning website content is primarily hosted on the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning website. There, you can find information on looking up and commenting on planning applications, planning guidance and how to deal with breaches of planning control.


Potholes

You can report highways faults in Cambridgeshire including potholes, by using the online County Council Highways Reporting Tool. Faults reported in this way will be assessed by the County Council within 10 working days.



Public Rights of Way

The County Council is responsible for public rights of way, village greens and commons or open access land. Find out more by looking at the County Council’s Definitive Map and Statement and Protecting and providing green spaces guidance.


Speeding

To find out about reduction measures like speed humps visit the speed reduction schemes webpage of Cambridgeshire County Council. Community Speedwatch is a scheme set up for the public to let Police know about locations where they’re concerned about speeding. Cambridgeshire Police will assess the location to see if it’s a good and safe place for monitoring to happen. If so, trained members of the community will visit the location to record the details of offending vehicles. If you’d like to join a Community Speed Watch group near you, or want to know more, email Speedwatch@cambs.police.uk or read the Police volunteer guidance and registration form.



Street Lighting

Cambridgeshire County Council, as the Highway Authority, is responsible for most streetlights, including illuminated signs and bollards.  

As a permitted lighting authority, the District Council has responsibility for a small number of lights (around 1,800), generally in residential areas in 84 villages within South Cambridgeshire. These streetlights are maintained in partnership with Parish Councils, where we have responsibility for maintaining the lights, whilst Parish Councils pay for electricity. In some instances, Parish Councils will also have their own streetlights.

All South Cambridgeshire District Council owned streetlights can be found on the map in the link and begin with the prefix ‘SC’. For streetlights belonging to the district council, urgent faults that pose an immediate risk of injury can be reported on:
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm: 01954 713000
Out of office hours (after 5pm) and weekends: 01354 654321

Where a streetlight does not begin with this ‘SC’ prefix please make a note of it and report it to Cambridgeshire County Council.



Street Sweeping

If you think that your village needs attention or want to check when the street sweepers will be in your area, then contact streets@scambs.gov.uk


Ukraine guests and hosts

If you would like to find out more about becoming a host under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, how to support guests or how to link up with groups where guests can socialise then visit our support for Ukraine webpage.

Parish Council Pump Restoration Art project

Statue of a woamn and child in front of the village pumo

After many years of standing hidden in the shrubbery, the last remaining village pump now sits proudly restored in Cambridge Road, Milton, complete with an information board and sculpture.

The forgotten and neglected pump was clearly deteriorating having lost its cap and with a  split in the main pipe. The work to rescue and restore the 1930’s water pump has been done by Mike Overall of Cottenham complete with a newly fabricated temporary cap whilst we continue our search for a suitable metal cast cap which will fit our pump and is close to its original design. Although the pump will no longer pump any water, the handle can still be operated by those who wish to experience what it would have been like to collect water by this method every day.

At the rear of the site is a large photograph of that section of Cambridge Road in the 1930’s with a brief history of the pump. This photo board was created by Milton Parish Council with the assistance of Milton resident Chris Thomas.

At the front of the site is a metal sculpture by artist Vanessa Morris of Morris Cast Signs Ltd, of a mother and child collecting water and depicts a typical scene from the era.

Parish Chairman, Hazel Smith said, “There are very few people alive now who remember drawing water from a pump, yet it was not really so very long ago. Those houses are still there and we hope the pump with its explanation board and the sculpture will be attractive and interesting to families for years to come”.

Paul Ellwood, lead member on the project said “The team involved in restoring a part of Milton’s heritage are very pleased with the outcome showing an important part of village life in the 1930s”.

This is another arts project undertaken by Milton Parish Council financed completely from an Arts based fund granted to the Council from a developer as part of their planning obligation. Residents will also be pleased to hear than no precept funds from the council tax were used for this project or any of the other arts projects being undertaken by MPC.

Landbeach Road Bus Stop Art

Photo of the art on the busstop at Landbeach Road

Another Parish Council Project Completed

Bright shiny new windows showing art from the Children’s Art Competition are now installed in the bus shelter in Landbeach Road at the junction of Humphries Way.

The competition was for entries on the theme of ‘a Queens Jubilee memory’.

Congratulations to the winners.

This artwork is funded from the Arts Grant arising from the new housing developments in Milton. No Council Tax funds were used to finance this project.

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