Local historians, Charles Tebbutt and Rosa Young, have published extensive research into St Neots’ history. What follows has largely been gleaned from their work.
Before the Second
World War London acted as a magnet for people from all over Britain as
well as from all over the world. With German bombers targeting the industrial
areas and docks alongside the River Thames many areas of housing in the
East End were destroyed and families made homeless.
After the war the
new Labour Government introduced an Overspill Agreement whereby
towns and cities in a fifty mile (80kms.) radius of London would be
allowed to buy land for additional housing, industry and offices. Employment
opportunities had to be created for the people who were moved out of
London.
From 1960
onwards land was bought, roads laid out and council houses and business
premises built on the outskirts of St Neots.
Priory Hill
House in St Neots was
demolished. Priory Park was made on some of the land and Longsands Council estate built in the
triangle between the railway line and Cambridge Road. Factories like Gates Hydraulics were
built opposite the railway.
In Eynesbury,
council housing was built in the triangle between Cambridge Road, Cromwell Road
and Berkley Street (e.g. Duck Lane, Howitts
Gardens, Cromwell Gardens etc.) Factories like W.
R. Grace (now Cryovac) and Mannesman Rexroth were built. Although they had access to railway
sidings road transport was much more important. Trucks and lorries could load at the factory yard and deliver goods to
other premises more easily than using the train.
In 1965 Eaton
Ford and Eaton Socon were absorbed into St Neots and council housing (Monarch
Road, Princess Gardens etc.) spread westwards towards the new A1 by-pass.
Factories were built on industrial estates at Little End Road and Howards Road.
With all this
development between 1960 and 1970 the population increased 400% from 5,000 to
20,000.
A
southern by-pass for the A45 (now A428) was built with roundabouts at the
A1, Barford Road and Cambridge Road. These intersections attracted out-of-town developments like
Tescos Superstore,
The town centre
changed. Many old buildings were demolished or had new frontages. Several local landmarks disappeared. The
buildings of the Priory Brewery were demolished. The new Council Offices
and Public Library were built on the site. The only remaining evidence is the
barley kilns and part of the maltings.
Waitrose
supermarket and car
park was built on land north of the Market Square between Priory Path and
New Street.
.
In 1964 the old
bridge was replaced with the present concrete structure.
The osier beds in
Eaton Ford were drained and the area landscaped to make Riverside Park.
With the forming
of St Neots Sports Association, parts of Islands Common were drained and tidied
up to create land for rugby, cricket and hockey. More pitches were created in
Priory Park and on the flood plain in Eaton Socon.
(Sources: Young, R. (1996), 'St Neots Past', Phillimore; Tebbutt,
C.F. (1978), St Neots – History of a Huntingdonshire Town, Unwin Brothers)