Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in St Neots (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: St Neots Museum, Little Paxton Pits, and Eaton Socon. Also, be sure to include Eaton Socon Castle in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in St Neots (England).
Table of Contents
St Neots Museum
Museum in St Neots, England. St Neots Museum is a local museum located in St Neots, within the Huntingdonshire District of Cambridgeshire, England.
The museum is housed in the Old Court, a former police station and law court building on New Street. It presents the history of the market town of St Neots on the River Ouse, from prehistoric times onwards. The museum includes the original 1907 cell block where prisoners were detained, which is now the location for 'Jailbreak', a highly successful Escape Room which opened in April 2018, and is due to start its third season in May 2019.[1]
Address: 8 New Street, PE19 1AE St Neots
Little Paxton Pits
Nature preserve in England. Little Paxton Pits is a 127.4 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire. Part of it is also a 60 hectare Local Nature Reserve.
These flooded former gravel pits are of national importance for wintering wildfowl, especially gadwalls. There are several nationally rare flies, such as Spilogona scutulata, Limnophora scrupulosa, Dolichopus andulusiacus and Lispocephala falculata. Flora include common spotted-orchids and hare’s-foot clover.
There is access to the LNR from the High Street.[2]
Address: High St., PE19 6ET Little Paxton
Eaton Socon
Town in England. Eaton Socon is a community in south-west Cambridgeshire. Eaton Socon is a component of the town of St Neots, located on its south-west margin. Eaton Socon lies on the west side of the River Great Ouse, and is bounded on the west by the A1 road and on the south by the A428 road. On the north side Duloe Brook delineates the boundary with Eaton Ford, which is also part of St Neots.
Much of Eaton Socon is given over to residential use, but there is a large area dedicated to light industry and trade distribution activities. There are also several public houses and inns, and a retail park.
In the days of stagecoach travel, Eaton Socon was a major stop on the journey from London to the North, with inns providing refreshments and overnight accommodation for travellers, and feed and rest facilities for horses. Some stage coaches diverted through St Neots, but the majority continued on the Great North Road.
Eaton Socon was originally in Bedfordshire but it was merged with St Neots in 1965 and is now in Cambridgeshire. Its housing grew and its population more than doubled: 2,240 in 1931 to 3,264 in 1961, and now (2020) 9,042.
The name Eaton Socon comes from Ea-tun (waterside settlement) and soke (local government area in Norman times).[3]
Eaton Socon Castle
Medical clinic in England. Eaton Socon Castle was a Norman fortification. It was constructed next to the River Great Ouse in what is now Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, England.
It was hastily built during a period of civil war over the succession to the throne. It was mostly destroyed after 1154 and was in a ruined state in the thirteenth century, and is now merely a derelict earthwork. It is on private land. Known as "The Hillings", it is a Scheduled Historic Monument with Historic England.[4]
Eynesbury
Town in England. Eynesbury is an urban area forming part of St Neots in Cambridgeshire, England. It mainly consists of housing, although there is an area of light industry, and a large supermarket. Eynesbury is home to Ernulf Academy and a fitness centre called One Leisure. In addition there is a large area of open grassland and a caravan park. In earlier times Eynesbury was a distinct area, but nowadays it is considered to be a subdivision of St Neots.
Up until the time of the Norman Conquest, Eynesbury included the area north of Hen Brook which is now St Neots. It was the fame of the relics of the Cornish monk, St Neot that caused the area near the Priory where his remains were kept, that caused that part of the town to become called St Neots.[5]