History of Thriplow

Since Romano-British time (circa A.D.150), through Anglo-Saxon settlement and the Lordship of Trippa (whose burial mound or "law" may have given the village its name), the installation of the first vicar, John de Hyndrayngham in 1299, the mutilation of the church screen under Dowsing in 1643, the 19th Century enclosures and 20th Century robbery and murder Thriplow has remained relatively quiet.

History of daffodil weekend

Every year Thriplow receives up to 10,000 visitors for Daffodil Weekend. It began with the weekend 26/27th April 1969. St. George's church needed £1,000 for repairs - a daunting sum for a small village. Some parishioners offered to open their houses and gardens to the public in early Spring when the first flowers would be in bloom and the excursion season just beginning. This was advertised at a cost of £90 in an area bounded by Peterborough, Bedford, Stevenage and Bury St. Edmunds.

Organisation began after Christmas for a date in early April. The winter was fairly hard, the daffodils were slow to show and, for the only time, the date was changed. The weather improved and by the Weekend the flowers were nearly past their best. Nevertheless, 1,500 visitors arrived and the parishioners found that at the end of the day they had raised £206 and their hopes for the future.

In succeeding years, as expertise grew, wider advertising drew in coach-loads of visitors. Home baked teas were offered in the Village Hall and the School and the first stall - for the sale of plants - was set up. The profits grew year by year and the Weekend became an annual event with the date fixed 18 months in advance.

1974 was notable as the year in which mains drainage came to Thriplow and the Weekend was nearly flushed away! As April approached the trenches grew longer as did the organisers' faces. There was pressure to cancel but, in the event, the holes were back-filled on the Friday as the visitors were due on the Saturday. The weather was superb and a record profit was made.

1976 was the year of the big planting: about three tons of bulbs, donated by a villager were set out in public places. Since then there has been a continuing programme to spot the gaps in the spring and fill them in the Autumn but the process resembles painting the Forth Bridge. We have planted early, middle and late flowering varieties to try and outwit the season, but from time to time it wins.

Although Weekends are usually successful there have been ups, downs and near misses. In 1977 the Weekend was fine but snow fell on the Monday immediately after. In 1979 the winter had been hard and long and the Weekend could muster only one daffodil. 1981 was a very near thing; the dawn revealed pouring rain but miraculously the skies cleared by noon and some £5,000 were raised. In 1994 we woke up to an inch of snow on the Sunday morning (and still visitors came). In 1995 we enjoyed two very pleasant and warm days. There have been high winds, sleet, snow, showers and summer sunshine. There have been few daffodils, new daffodils, old daffodils and bold daffodils, but the Weekend has gone on.

The Daffodil Weekend Trust was established in 1996. It receives the surplus of funds from the Weekend, after allowing for expenses, and its Trustees make grants from the Trust Funds. Since 1983 a Charity outside the village has been supported each year. Charities which have benefited are:

Adapted from "A History of Thriplow Daffodil Weekend" by J W W Augar