Eynesbury
| Eynesbury | |
| Huntingdonshire | |
|---|---|
 Old and new in Eynesbury | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TL185597 |
| Location: | 52°13’5"N, 0°15’58"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | St Neots |
| Postcode: | PE19 |
| Dialling code: | 01480 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Huntingdonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Huntingdon |
Eynesbury is a village in Huntingdonshire enveloped within St Neots, to the south of the town centre. Eynesbury was the early mediæval “mother village” of St Neots but has long since been overtaken. Before 1876 was a separate village.
Eynesbury's history began in the Anglo-Saxon era. It takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon "Ernulf's Burgh". The only legacy of which is Ernulf Academy in the area.
An abbey was created at Eynesbury in 974 by Earl Ælric, built to the north of the village. The Abbey of Eynesbury sought to draw free-spending pilgrims with some impressive relics and so sent monks to Cornwall who brought back the alleged bones of Saint Neot from the Cornish village now known as St Neot; the abbey changed its name to that of the saint and the name of Eynesbury faded from importance, retained just by the original village, not the town growing around the new foundation.
Eynesbury is made up of a number of different areas, the oldest area of which, around the Berkley Street and St Mary's Street area. This is the heart of the old village, and so while the buildings are far more recent, this part of Eynesbury is older as a village than any other part of St Neots.
Change in the town
In the 1960s and 1970s, Eynesbury grew quickly thanks to London overspill, along with various other parts of the broader town area such as Eaton Socon. The areas around Hardwick Road, Duck Lane, Sandfields Road, Howitts Gardens and Potton Road absorbed much of the "immigration" from the city, and for a number of years had a reputation for being "rough", although this has in recent years improved beyond recognition. It now has a reputation for being an affluent area with high house prices.
In the 1980s the Parklands estate was built, expanding Andrew Road and filling the gap between Potton Road and Barford Road. Most recently, the Eynesbury Manor development, which includes Eynesbury Marina, has been built between Ernulf Academy and the Tesco store by the bypass; and stretches to the river, the Great Ouse to the west.
Although Eynesbury has long since become an integral part of St Neots, Eynesbury Hardwicke on the south-east side of the town is a farming parish with neither village nor church. Eynesbury Hardwicke House dates from the 17th Century whilst also in the parish is Caldecote Manor which was largely rebuilt in the 18th Century.
See also
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Cambridgeshire Eynesbury) |
- www.stneots-tc.gov.uk - contains official information on the town
- st-neots.co.uk - local site with discussion forums