A1-The Great North Road
"Longstowe Hall is an ancient mansion purchased in Queen Elizabeth's reign by the Cage family, who rebuilt the house; it was acquired by W. A. Briscoe esg. J.F. in 1906: in 1907-12 new terraces and a courtyard were added and extensive interior alterations made: it stands in a park of about 175 acres, and has well laid out pleasure grounds; there are fish ponds in the park, which is well studded with timber besides having good plantations." [Kelly's Directory- Cambridgeshire - 1929] GENUKI
Just south of Longstowe is a pub called The Red House. It is on the eastern side of the Old North Road where it is crossed by a track classified as a 'Byway-open-to-all-traffic'. On the 19th century OS maps the pub was marked as the Golden Lion but there was another Red House, almost three miles up the road at the northern end of Caxton next to the workhouse. But back to the new Red Lion, that track that crosses the main road has an illustrious history. It used to be a much more important road. In 1675 John Ogilby mapped it as the main road from Oxford to Cambridge.
A couple of miles to the west along the old road, (you'll have to go up to Longstowe and back down the B1046 unless you're on foot) is Hayley Wood. 122 acres of ancient woodland form this SSSI. There are a couple more ancient woods nearby. Gamlingay Wood, just north of Gamlingay village is another SSSI and to the southeast of Gamlingay is Potton Wood.
Caxton was the site of one of the first toll gates erected under the first Turnpike Act of 1633. It was, however, so easily avoided that few toll were ever collected. The other, and first effective toll-gate, was at Wades Mill, in Hertfordshire. A third, at Stilton, was, by dint of local opposition, never erected.
Lincolnshire
©Biff Vernon 2002