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Histon and Impington are villages in Cambridgeshire , England , They are situated just north of Cambridge , the main bulk of the settlements being separated from the city by the A14 , However Impington is contrary to popular opinion on both sides of this road. Over the years the two villages have grown and entwined together, to such an extent that many villagers today do not know where one ends and the other begins. They contain a combined total of six is based in Histon and it is the location of the radio station Q103 , which covers Cambridge , Ely , Newmarket , Huntingdon and Royston and is part of Gcap Media Plc . Impington is also the home of Histon Football Club and their Glassworld Stadium In 2006-07 they played in and won the Football Conference South Division , securing promotion to the Football Conference National Division for the 2007-2008 season. THE ORIGINS OF THEIR NAMES Histon and Impington both end in ''ton'' which usually indicates a Saxon origin. The Domesday Book online webpage http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/places.html#saxon Histon Suggestions for meanings of this name include: "farmstead of the young warriors" or "landing place".Beating the bounds leaflet http://www.hisimp.net/history/hishist2.htm However, the latter of these is unlikely as Histon is situated above the floodline. The likely origin of the name is from the two Saxon / Old English words ''hyse'' and ''tun''The Institute for Name Studies a - Histon http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/ins/epncurrent/php/detailpop.php?placeno=4053 – ''hyse'' meaning "a young man or warrior",The online Anglo-Saxon dictionary http://dontgohere.nu/oe/as-bt/read.htm?page_nr=584 and ''tun'' meaning "house or farm". The village name has survived relatively unchanged since the writing of the Domesday Book when it was recorded as ''Histone''.The Domesday Book Online http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire1.html#Histon Impington This is most likely to mean "farmstead or place of the Empings", The Empings were a sixth century Saxon tribe that lived in the area, Its name has been recorded in various guises though out its history, in the Domesday Book it was recorded as Epintone,Domesday Book Online http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/cambridgeshire1.html#impington but it has also been recorded as Empinton, Ympiton, Impinton, Hinpinton and Impynton, before it became known as we know it today.A History of the parish and the parish church by John Cook http://www.hisimp.net/history/imp1950/impingtn.htm EARLY HISTORY Some of the track ways that pass though these villages are believed to be prehistoric, flint tools have been dug up in and around the area and aerial photographs show evidence of ancient settlement including Iron Age and Roman ,pieces of Roman pottery have also been found. Photographic Memories of Histon & Impington - ISBN 0953717208 So both where very well established by the time of the Domesday Book . Histon Possibly the oldest surviving area of interest is Gun’s Lane, which is named after a family who once lived in the lane street names in Histon and Impington by Clive Annals . Today this is just a bridleway but it was for centuries the Cambridge to Ely causeway, which was the main road into The Fens and the Isle Of Ely . The Iron Age Ringfort that once stood at Arbury may well at one time have guarded one end of this road. During the Norman Conquest Of England , William The Conqueror passed this way with his army as he chased a rebel Saxon , Hereward The Wake , into the Fens. Early settlement appears to have been centred around church end, originally there were two churches here: St Etheldreda's and St Andrew's; but only St Andrew's remains today. Histon was divided into two manors: they were owned by the abbeys of Denny and Eynsham . Histon Feast booklet 1995 page 46 The Crown later sold the manor of St Ethelreda to Sir Thomas Elyot and the manor of St Andrew to Edward Elrington in 1539 . British History online - Histon Manors http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=15339&strquery=histon Close by is Histon Manor House. Originally this was on a site with a Moat which is still visible today, but at some point the house was moved to higher ground nearby, possibly to avoid flooding. The churches, manor house and grounds prevented expansion to the west so the village slowly moved towards its current centre which is The Green. The Green many times the size it is currently: all of what is today the High Street would have at one time been the green. Histon was recorded in the Domesday Book as answering for 26 and half Hide s – a hide was recorded in the book as being 120 fiscal acres.Histon in the domesday book http://www.hisimp.net/history/hisdomes.htm Impington The first area of settlement in the village was to the extreme south of the current village, close to current road junction of the Cambridge and kings hedges road (once called Arbury camp this land is currently being developed as part of the large Arbury Park housing development). There was a large iron age fort here that was built by the Iceni to defend against the invading Celts this was taken over by the Romans later on, the main evidence left today of the Roman occupation is the Roman road, Akeman Street (known locally as the Mereway), Roman Roads in Britain page 208-9 By Ivan D. Margary ISBN 0212970011 this cuts though the edge of Impington and heads for the Fens , this route had fallen into disuse by the 11th century. The first mention of Impington by name was in the year 991 when the Duke Of Brithnoth who then owned Impington left the village in the charge of the abbot of Ely , when he went off to fight the Danes who had invaded the region, he was killed at The Battle Of Maldon in Essex . After Brithnoth’s death Impington became the property of the abbey at Ely, during the Reformation the Abbey At Ely was more fortunate and was turned into a cathedral church, with a Dean And Chapter Impington’s lands were protected and they then became it’s "patrons of living" it was not until 1870 that they handed the patronage to the owner of Impington hall in exchange for the living of Pirton in Hertfordshire . In the Domesday Book Impington was said to answer for six and a half hides (780 acres, 3.2 km&2) just before this time Picot the Norman sheriff of Cambridge was ordered by a writ of William I to hand back 3 hides of Impington that had been stolen, by now the main centre of the village appears to have been around the church area present day Burgoynes Road. In 1580 John Pepys begun the building of Impington Hall but died before it was completed, it was finished by his executors for Talbot Pepys his six year old son, Talbot Pepys was uncle to the famous diarist Samuel Pepys who visited the hall regularly. The hall was demolished after a fire in 1953 by the then owners Chivers & Sons Ltd. THE RAILWAY AND CHIVERS FACTORY The opening of the St Ives to Cambridge railway line by the Eastern Counties Railway Company on the 17th August 1847 fuelled the growth of the villages and the expansion of companies within. Steven Chivers was one of the first to seize the new opportunity that this brought, in 1850 he bought an orchard next to the line giving him access to London and the north, in 1870 he sent his sons to open a fruit distribution centre in Bradford , their customers were mainly jam makers and this was quickly noted by the boys, Following an extra good harvest of fruit in 1873 they got their father to let them make their first jam in a barn off Milton road, Impington it was a success with in two years the jam factory Victoria works had opened on the orchard site and so begun Chivers phenomenal success by 1895 they had progressed into many over area including lemonade, marmalade and dessert jellies and where the first large scale commercial canners in Europe by 1939 they owned most of the large farms and estates in Histon and Impington they also owned Impington windmill (currently being restored) and a total of eight thousand acres (32 km&2) of East Anglia as a whole, the factory employed up to three thousand people, the factory and farms were sold to Schweppes in 1959 but the farms where bought back by the family in 1961. In the , unfortunately despite a campaign to save Histon’s 160 year old station this is to be demolished this year to make way of the guided bus car park. dept of transport http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/twa/ir/cambridgeshireguidedbuswayin5647?page=18 The influence of these two things on the villages should not be under estimated, they are responsible for the development of the village we see today, and have done more two unite the two places than anything before or since. CHURCHES The villages have five places of worship - but six congregations! There are two Anglican churches, both dedicated to St Andrew, a Methodist Chrurch, a Baptist Church, and a Salvation Army Church. In addition, a Charismatic , evangelical congegation called New Life Church, formed in Easter 2004 and now meets on Sunday afternoons in the Baptist Church building. All the congregations work closely together through the Histon and Impington Council of Churches. St Etheldreda, Histon (demolished 1595) This larger church stood close to St Andrews church, Histon. It was mainly demolished in about 1595 by Sir Francis Hinde to raise money and to provide building materials for a new wing at Madingley Hall According to Archbishop Lauds report in 1639Hinde did not however completely demolish the church in 1728 the chancel was said to still be standing, the churchyard survived until 1757 but was then taken into Abbey farmVictoria County History records it is possible that the reduced population of Histon following the black death encouraged Hinde to demolish the churchtoday the church site is not visible and is still shut off on the land of Abbey farm. St Andrews, Histon The first recorded reference to the church was in 1217 , but in about 1270 it was modernised, turning it into a cruciform style church, the concentration of building work was carried out in the 13th and 14th century , but extensive restoration work and alterations took place in the 19th and 20th century. Histon Parish Church booklet produced by the Histon and Impington village society 1993There has been bells in the church since at least 1553 the oldest surviving bell in the tower is dated at 1556 and was made by Austen Bracker of Islington, Norfolkhttp://www.histon-ringers.org.uk/bells.htm interestingly this is listed for preservation by the central council because it is Bracker’s only dated bell. St Andrews, Impington The original building was built in about 1130 and appears to have been dedicated originally to St Etheldreda, it’s first use was not as a church for the parish but to transcribe books for the prior of Ely the first vicar was not appointed until the 13th century , since then it has been mainly rebuilt in the 14th and 15th century the church was built of field stones and masonry rubble and the stones from the original building can still be seen.A Ramble around Impington old village 1992 by Histon and Impington history group The original churchyard wall was built in 1614 but this crumbling wall was replaced in 2005 after a £50’000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund .http://www.hisimp.net/opus468.html The tower contains three bells at least two of which date form 15th century. Histon Methodist There have been two Methodist chapels in the village , the first was built in 1822 and was opposite the green, this building is currently the Co-operative stores pharmacy, In 1896 the building was sold and they moved to their current site in Histon high street. Their current building was built in 1896 as the Matthew’s memorial church in memory of Richard Matthews. A walk round the centre of Histon Histon Baptist This has also occupied two sites, the first chapel was built in 1858 and closed in 1899 , (this building has now been converted into flats and incorporated into Lawson’s Close). the current chapel was built in 1899 with the money and land being donated by Steven Chivers, But by 1908 this was no longer big enough and an extension was opened on the south side. Salvation Army In 1896 they rented the old Methodist chapel but when in 1903 the building was bought by the Co-Op they built a temporary building next door they remained here for some time but this building was also later sold to the Co-Op who then extended their storeto the size it is today, at some point they moved to their current site on the then Dog Kennel Lane now called Impington Lane. EDUCATION School teachers are not just a resent occurrence in the villages, licensed schoolmasters appear on records as early as 1580 . British History Online webpage: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=15344 Histon School Histon School was started in 1722 , In 1729 it gained funding from the foundation of Elizabeth March, a board over one of the doors to Histon church records this bequest, Histon’s share of this income was £14 a year. Network Histon and Impington year book 2005 /village charities until 1840 the school was held in the parish church, but then a purpose built school was erected to hold up to seventy children in what is now called school hill, in 1872 the school was enlarged, it was then held up as a model school for the whole county, On being taken over by the school board in 1893 it was enlarged still further with the addition of a new south wing, (built over the Histon brook) in 1913 the school moved to its current site and the building was then handed back to the church. it is now the church hall. A Second walk around our Village by Ken Oates Impington National School Impington National School was built opposite Impington church in 1846 , this school room was 15 ft by 22 ft and was meant to hold 48 pupils but by 1880 it was too small to accommodate the rapidly growing population so the school house was sold and the money raised was used to buy land on broad close (later called school lane) A ramble around Impington old village a new school was built, that had two classrooms to hold 72 pupils when Histon and Impington school opened in new school road in 1913 this school became the infants school for both villages, in 1939 Impington village college opened the infants were moved to new school road and this school closed, the old schools foundation stone found a resting place in Impington churchyard, in 2005 it was built into the new churchyard wall. Histon Nursery School In 1943 the Impington national school building was reopened as a nursery school for children of women on war work, this remained until 1962 when it was demolished in order to make way for bridge road,A ramble about new Impington The county council decided to build a new nursery school it was opened in 1963 and at the time was the only purpose built nursery school in the county. Histon and Impington Infants School This was built in 1912 with the land and money being given by John Chivers and was opened in 1913 for all children of the villages from eight to fourteen, it became a primary school in 1939 with the opening of Impington college , and an infants a while after the opening of the junior school, on the green. Histon and Impington Junior School This school was opened in 1970 but it was not until mid to late seventies that it was enlarged be become the junior school, Ramble around the heart of Histonuntil then the two Histon and Impington schools had the same head teacher, who had to bike from school to school everyday on leaving the school by Derek Anderson Impington Village College . In 1998 it was awarded the Sportsmark by the sports council and was also granted international school status by the British council’s central bureau for education visits and exchanges, the first of eleven schools to be designated that way. In September 1999 it built on this with a successful application to the Department Of Education to become a specialist language college. Impington College brochure http://cgu.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cgu/accounts/newsite/web/about_the_college/brochures/main%20college%20brochure.pdf. Impington Village College has an international sixth form, educating pupils from a mix of nations and cultures. The sixth form offers traditional A Levels as well as the more modern International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme . NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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