Taken from Wikipedia and ‘Church Crawler’
‘Pondersbridge’ is situated three miles south of Whittlesey on the B1040 and is part of the Whittlesey Town and Fenland District councils.
In Kelly’s Directory of Huntingdonshire (1898) it states that the ecclesiastical parish was formed from portions of parishes of Stanground, Ramsey and Whittlesea surrounding the border line of the counties of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.
It is thought that the name derives from a bridge at a place of the followers of Ponder. On maps from the middle of the 19c it is called Ponds Bridge. (A settlement built up around the river crossing, situated on an artificial drainage cutting called Bevill’s Leam.(River Nene) The older settlement extended on the main road northwards.)
Most dwellings are now along the B1040 and Oil Mills road.
St. Thomas’ Church was built in 1869 to replace a previous church in the village. It is part of The Whittlesey, Pondersbridge and Coates Church of England Team Ministry. Consecrated in 1871 it was one of the first Churches to be built on cast iron pillars. There is an outstanding window dedicated to St. Thomas. A beautiful grey marble War Memorial plaque and roll of honour serves to remember local servicemen.
Nearby a vicarage built in 1870 replaced the original one and later became the schoolmaster’s house when a school was built in 1872. What used to be the school is now the village hall which hosts many community events.
