Two roads to Holywell
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It is noticeable on some of the old maps, e.g. Cary’s 1801 map of Huntingdonshire, that two roads (or tracks) between Needingworth and Holywell are marked. Back to the top of page |
| The more easterly road of the pair is still with us as Church Street and then Mill Way. On this Google satellite view I can sometimes convince myself that I can see evidence for the second (westerly road). Back to the top of page |
1746
The oldest map that shows the two roads is Cosmo Wallace’s Map of Holywell-cum-Needingworth 1764. This is also the most believable as it is large scale, and presumably prepared for the inclosure. (I must get some better reproductions of it – these were done in my early days of research.) It is titled thus:
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In this detail you can see Needingworth. The top road going off the High Street right is Silver Lane, the next down is Overcote Lane, then Church Street and Hawkes Lane. The leftmost road going off the High Street is the now disappeared road going down to Holywell. Back to the top of page |
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In this detail you can see the west end of Holywell (the church is shown at the bottom right, and the mill at the top right).
The easterly road is marked as Mill Road and the westerly road as Church Road. This does make more sense than the current naming, as the westerly road is going almost directly to the Church. |
Thoughts
Have you seen any evidence on the ground of this road?
Have you any suggestions as to why there were the two roads, and one disappeared?
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