Fenland
§ This page gives an overview of the Fenland local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Fenland occupies the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a flat, low-lying expanse of rich farmland reclaimed from marshes, criss-crossed by rivers, drains, and dykes. Market towns such as Wisbech, March, Chatteris, and Whittlesey form the district’s main settlements, each with historic buildings, markets, and cultural attractions. Wisbech, often called the “Capital of the Fens,” is notable for its Georgian architecture and Peckover House. The River Nene and numerous waterways shape the geography, making it a landscape defined by agriculture and wide skies. The district’s unique setting provides a sense of openness and tranquility, while its towns serve as lively hubs in an otherwise rural and agricultural environment.
The administrative boundary of Fenland can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Fenland.
Key Facts about Fenland
What region is Fenland in? Fenland is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Fenland in? Fenland is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.
Is Fenland a city? No, Fenland is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Fenland? The local authority for this district is: Fenland District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Cambridgeshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Cambridgeshire County Council.
▶ Official website of Fenland District Council 🔗 fenland.gov.uk
Which police force covers Fenland? Policing in Fenland is provided by Cambridgeshire Constabulary 🔗 cambs.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cambridge ⁞ East Cambridgeshire ⁞ Fenland ⁞ Huntingdonshire ⁞ Peterborough ⁞ South Cambridgeshire.
Constituencies in Fenland
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Fenland
Fenland is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Chatteris North & Manea
- Chatteris South
- Doddington & Wimblington
- Elm & Christchurch
- Leverington & Wisbech Rural
- March East
- March North
- March South
- March West & Benwick
- Parson Drove & Wisbech St Mary
- Whittlesey East & Villages
- Whittlesey Lattersey
- Whittlesey North West
- Whittlesey South
- Wisbech North
- Wisbech Riverside
- Wisbech South
- Wisbech Walsoken & Waterlees
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Fenland
Fenland is fully parished: 16 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Benwick
- Chatteris
- Christchurch
- Doddington
- Elm
- Gorefield
- Leverington
- Manea
- March
- Newton-in-the-Isle
- Parson Drove
- Tydd St. Giles
- Whittlesey
- Wimblington
- Wisbech
- Wisbech St. Mary
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Fenland
Fenland covers 24 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Benwick
- Chatteris
- Christchurch (Fenland) *
- Coates and Eastrea
- Doddington and Wimblington
- Elm and Emneth *
- Friday Bridge
- Gorefield
- Guyhirn
- King's Dyke
- Leverington
- Manea
- March
- Murrow
- Newton-in-the-Isle
- Parson Drove
- Tydd Gote *
- Tydd St Giles *
- Upwell and Outwell *
- Wardy Hill *
- Wenny Severals *
- Whittlesey
- Wisbech *
- Wisbech St Mary
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Fenland.)
Fenland compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Fenland compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Fenland has 18 electoral wards.
Fenland has a population of 104,896 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Fenland can be found on the ONS statistics for Fenland.