The former county of Huntingdonshire was one of the smallest in England. Despite being a popular stopping point on the Great North Road from London to the north, it has always been a rather quiet rural county. Since an exodus of people from London began in the 1960s, the ancient towns of Huntingdonshire have grown tremendously and new buildings have sprung up along their high streets. As you will see from this collection of old and new photographs though, the greatest change has been the a...

Public houses, taverns and inns have been around for hundreds of years. From the inns that thrived on marketday trade to those on the old stage-coach routes, Huntingdonshire had a wide range of welcoming establishments and in 1900 had over 250 pubs, in addition to the numerous beer houses which were often run from the front rooms of ordinary houses. Labourers needed plenty of beer to keep them going - it was far safer to drink than the water! With images drawn from the Huntingdonshire Arch...