Huntingon:
Eight Centuries of History
Alan Akeroyd and Caroline Clifford
This new history of Huntingdon gives a vivid and
lively insight into the ways in which this East Anglian
market town has evolved across the years. Authors
Alan Akeroyd and Caroline Clifford look back over
the town's long history, from the mediaeval period
and the time of Cromwell to the dramatic changes that
occurred in the Victorian and Edwardian eras and the
transformation that altered the face and character
of the town in the 20th century. This beautifully
illustrated account will be essential – and
eye-opening – reading for every Huntingdon resident,
past and present.
The early development of the town is recorded in
fascinating detail. The authors describe the lives
and society of the mediaeval townspeople and record
the buildings they left behind. But the book concentrates
on the more recent history, on the 19th and 20th centuries
when the town took on the shape we know today. This
period saw unprecedented change and growth. In 1900
Huntingdon was a small, run-down market town, but
the 1950s saw the arrival of a fresh generation of
people who had moved out of London. A new chapter
in Huntingdon's long history had begun.
The authors chart the course of this dramatic transformation
and look at every aspect of life in the town –
from aircraft manufacture to cinemas, from workhouses
to schools – and they remember the lives of
remarkable individuals who played key roles in the
story. Their book reveals how the decisions made by
the council in the 1950s paved the way for today’s
town, and it examines how much daily life in Huntingdon
has had to change over the last century and continues
to change.
Reviews
"vivid and lively ... beautifully illustrated,
this book provides eye-opening reading for every Huntingdon
resident, past or present."
Cambridgeshire Life
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