Did I look after you at nursery school here ? (Huntington in General)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Huntington in General
Date:	14/05/05 (186 review reads)
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I just noticed a category for Huntingdon I grew up nr this town my parents still live nearby and I just recently visited my old mum in the hospital there. This has inspired me to write about Huntingdon.
Huntingdon is situated on the river the great Ouse and if you are going north from London to Edinborough the train line runs through here and there is a station. Stops London, Sandy, St Neots, Huntingdon then Peterborough and onwards north.
The Roman road ermine street (A10) runs through Huntingdon on it way to York so for a long time Huntingdon has been an important place with major roads Huntingdon is nr the A14 and the new A1 M1 link (The a 14 is a nightmare so many accident black spots on it). So obviously Huntingdon with its good communications is a commuter town many people working in London live here.

The Romans and the Saxons had settlements here in Norman times this town prospered but sadly the Black Death had its toll. Cromwell was born here and attended the local grammar school His housed is now a museum. During the civil war both Cromwell and Charles 1st had headquarters here. In the 18th century the roads were improved and Huntingdon became a stagecoach centre.
There are a few old houses left in and around the town. Hinchingbrooke house a Tudor mansion now houses the sixth form centre of the comprehensive school.
Dick Turpin is said to have used one of the rooms in the George while he worked the great north road.
So there is plenty of history to this old town. I think though that due to modern buildings and the modern roads Huntingdon has lost any charm it had, yes you still can find some charm in a few areas but mostly spoilt by the town centre shops and surrounding housing estates. There is Riverside walk an open park space along side the river. When I was a child my cousin and I would often go here its nr her house. There is a football pitch here and some hay meadows my dad would sometimes go fishing in the river here. There are facilities for the boating club, canoe hire and there is a boat that takes you along the river for a trip to Houghton mill.

If you are a walker you could walk the great Ouse valley way walk that goes from Syresham in Northampton shire and finishes in Kings Lyn Norfolk This walk goes through Godmanchester, which is a small town that adjoins Huntingdon, which adjoins Huntingdon. Having been brought up in a small village nr Huntingdon on the edge of the fens I have walked many parts of this walk but not the complete section. This walk goes through some lovely areas some very good wildlife habitats. This walk is about 150 miles long
There is plenty of accommodation in Huntingdon should you wish to go there and stay you could stay in luxury at the George an old coaching inn, or get put up in a travel lodge There are also pubs with accommodation.

Huntingdon Life sciences is situated on the edge of Huntingdon. Here they do nutrition, veterinary and biochemical research. They assess pharmaceuticals, crop protection products, food additives and a whole variety of industrial and consumer chemicals. This company is a leading provider of safety assessment services. A lot of people get upset at animals being used in experiments for medicines that will be used on humans. Use on animals in experiments for products has decreased over the years
There are very strict regulations now in place for the care and welfare of animals used. I have not visited this research centre and I am not sure how much work in animal research goes on here at the moment but should you be interested the web site is http://www.huntingdon.com/index.php?

If you wish to go shopping in Huntingdon there is a small shopping centre, a boots a woollies, a marks and sparks, mother care, next, WH smiths. The high street is a pedestrian Zone. There is a Sainsburys for your food; a retail park with Focus and Staples.Oh yes there is always Tescos.

There is a swimming pool in the town, when I was a child it was an open air one I used to love to go swimming there as a young teenager. Those days always seemed sunny .Now there is a covered pool.

There are many first schools and a nursery school in Huntingdon I know that as I did my training in one of the infant schools and then at Huntingdon nursery in 1971/72.

. I did not go into Huntingdon for evening entertainment often as I was also on the direct bus route to Cambridge where there were more things going on. I do not think a great deal happens in Huntingdon in the evening. There is a cinema I remember seeing Mary Poppins there as a child (cinema probably moved position now and been modernised but I know there is still a cinema in Huntingdon)

Ahh do you want to get out of Huntingdon? Yes theres the train to make your escape by or theres Always the bus yes the bus station its an open bus station not one inside a large building I think it is still a bit messy. I used this bus station often It was on route for me between college at Peterborough and my home village I would use the bus station as a place to meet my boyfriends. (I have the strong memory of meeting my husband there after work I eagerly awaited the 500 bus coming from Peterborough. (Ahh you kids today with your own transport ehh we had to use the bus) we would go for walks in Godmanchester park) There was a direct link from my village to this bus station so if I wished to go into Huntingdon I would often use it.
Thanks for reading my review of the old county town if Huntingdon.

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