Editing St Neots

{{Short description|Town in Cambridgeshire, England}}<!--No citations are required in the article lead per [[MOS:LEADCITE]], as long as the content is cited in the article body, as it should be. Do not add missing-citation tags like {{cn}} to the lead. If necessary, {{not verified in body}} can be used, or the content removed. {{cn|date=December 2024}}-->
{{about|the town in Cambridgeshire|the village in Cornwall|St Neot, Cornwall|the ninth century monk|Saint Neot (monk)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}

{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|52.228|-0.270|display=inline,title}}
| official_name = St Neots
| population_ref = 33,410 (Parish, 2021)<ref name=parish>{{cite web |title=St Neots parish |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/huntingdonshire/E04012037__st_neots/ |website=City Population |access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref><br>{{nowrap|33,265 (Built up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
| area_total_km2 = 8.12
| shire_district = [[Huntingdonshire]]
| shire_county = [[Cambridgeshire]]
| civil_parish = St Neots
| region = East of England
| constituency_westminster = [[St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire]]
| post_town = ST NEOTS
| postcode_district = PE19
| postcode_area = PE
| dial_code = 01480
| os_grid_reference = TL185605
| london_distance = {{convert|49|mi|km}} [[Boxing the compass|S]]
| static_image_name = 
| static_image_caption = Aerial view of St Neots
| type = Town and civil parish
}}

'''St Neots'''<ref group = note>Pronunciation of the town name: {{IPAc-en|s|ɛ|n|ʔ|_|ˈ|n|iː|ə|t|s}} Most commonly, but variations that ''saint'' is said as in most English non-georeferencing speech, the ''t'' is by a small minority of the British pronounced and higher traces of {{IPAc-en|ɒ}} in the final syllable of the town's name are common.</ref> is a town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Huntingdonshire]] district of [[Cambridgeshire]], England. It is {{convert|18|mi|km}} west of [[Cambridge]]. The areas of [[Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire|Eynesbury]], [[Eaton Ford]], [[Eaton Socon]], Love's Farm and [[Wintringham]] form part of the town.

The town centre lies on the eastern bank of the [[River Great Ouse]]. The town is close to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] road (north-south), as well as the A421 and A428 roads which link Cambridge to [[Bedford]] and [[Milton Keynes]]. [[St Neots railway station]] is on the [[Great Northern route]] between [[London]] and [[Peterborough]]. St Neots had a population of 33,410 in 2021.

==Toponymy==
The town is named after the ninth century monk [[Saint Neot]], whose bones were brought to [[St Neots Priory]] from [[Cornwall]] in around 980{{nbsp}}AD, resulting in pilgrims visiting in large numbers. Before the founding of the priory the area had been part of the parish of Eynesbury. As the town around the priory grew it became a separate parish of St Neots in the twelfth century. The two were administratively reunited in 1876 when Eynesbury was absorbed into St Neots.

==History==
{{Main|History of St Neots}}

===Early history===
Remains of [[Iron Age]] settlement have been found in the town centre; a Roman encampment was located in the town.<ref name = tebbutt6>C F Tebbutt, ''St Neots: the History of a Huntingdonshire Town'', Philimore & Co, Chichester, corrected reprint 1984, {{ISBN|0-85033-270-2}}, page 6</ref>  It became known as Eynesbury, after Ernulf, a local leader.<ref name = bushby12>David Bushby, ''St Neots: A History and Celebration'', The Francis Frith CoIlection, Salisbury, 2005, ISBN 1-84589-216-X, pages 12 to 15</ref>

Neot was a holy man who founded a monastery near the present-day Cornish village of [[St Neot, Cornwall|St Neot]]. When he died, his remains were kept there as holy relics, and many pilgrims visited, making donations. In the later tenth century a priory was established immediately north of the village of Eynesbury in what is now St Neots. The landowners, Leofric and his wife Leoflaed, obtained Neot's remains (leaving an arm in Cornwall), realising that they would attract pilgrims, and their money, to their priory. This was successful, and the priory became rich and famous, and the area became known as St Neots. St Neots subsequently became a separate parish from Eynesbury sometime between 1113 and 1204, with the boundary between them being a stream called Hen Brook.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=William |last2=Proby |first2=Granville |last3=Ladds |first3=S. Inskip |title=A History of the County of Huntingdon |date=1932 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=272–280 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hunts/vol2/pp272-280 |access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ordnance Survey 25 inch map, 1889 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/114490256 |website=National Library of Scotland |access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume 1 |date=1979 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0901050679 |page=252}}</ref>

About this time, the settlement to the west of the River Ouse was known as Ea-tun, meaning "waterside village". In Norman times, a sub-division of a Baron's area of control was called a "soke" (a district within certain legal privileges could be exercised) and in French the area was called the Soka de Eton, and later Eaton Socon. Before the river was bridged, people waded across it, and this was called a "ford", from which the immediate area became called Eaton Ford.<ref name = skeat49>Rev Walter Skeat, ''The Place-Names of Bedfordshire'', Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1906, page 49</ref>

The Priory was destroyed during the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in the 16th century, and the relics of St Neot were lost.

The River Great Ouse was made navigable from St Ives to Bedford, via St Neots, in 1629, increasing river-borne trade in the town.<ref name = godber259>Joyce Godber, ''The History of Bedfordshire 1066 - 1888'', Bedfordshire County Council, Bedford, 1984, ISBN 0 90704 1 272</ref>

{{main|Battle of St Neots (1648)}}
[[File:Neots pond.png|thumb|The boating pond at St Neots]]The [[Second English Civil War]] began in April 1648. The [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]] under [[Oliver Cromwell]] were in control, but [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] planned to overthrow them by force of arms. An attempt to seize London by his supporters, the Royalists, failed. A group of them retreated to St Neots and planned to spend the night of 9 July resting in the town. In the small hours of 10 July Parliamentary troops attacked, taking them by surprise, and the battle centred on the market square area. Many Royalists were killed or taken prisoner.<ref name="battle">Peter Raggatt, ''The Battle of St Neots'', published by St Neots Museum, undated</ref>

In the 18th and 19th centuries the town enjoyed prosperity through corn milling and brewing, and from [[stagecoach]] traffic and from 1850 its [[railway]] connection. Eaton Socon was on the [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]] and had inns used as a staging post and overnight stop for stagecoaches travelling between London and [[York]]; some of the routes ran via St Neots instead of Eaton Socon, and intersected with traffic on the east–west route from the Eastern Counties and the Midlands.

===1900 onwards===
In the twentieth century, [[Eaton Ford]] and [[Eaton Socon]], lying on the west side of the River Great Ouse, became gradually more integrated with St Neots and Eynesbury. Nevertheless their location to the east of the River Great Ouse meant that they were administratively part of Bedfordshire. This  anomaly was resolved in 1965 when they were incorporated into the urban district of St Neots. A considerable addition to the population took place in the 1960s when London overspill development took place in the area. This incorporated a great deal of light industry, and Cromwell Road was constructed and became a focus for it. At this time the A45(T) road ran through the town and the construction of St Neots by-pass in 1968 provided a much-needed relief, as well as enhancing access to additional light industry.<ref name=vob>{{cite web |title=Bedford Rural District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10002060#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref>

Recent developments in St Neots have expanded the population in the last few years: to the east of [[St Neots railway station|the railway station]] is the Love's Farm estate, where more than 1,000 houses were built in the period to 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Love's Farm |url=https://www.ourlovesfarm.co.uk/Groups/185129/Loves_Farm.aspx |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=www.ourlovesfarm.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> Stage one of the extensive [[Wintringham]] estate has been completed but much remains to be done.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://wintringham.org/our-story/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Wintringham |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://wintringham.org/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Wintringham |language=en-US}}</ref> planned to be a vibrant community with 2,000 homes,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homes |url=https://wintringham.org/homes/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Wintringham |language=en-US}}</ref> To the east of Love's Farm, further development has been started for the construction of the Monkfields Estate.<ref name="monkfields">{{Cite web |title=Monksfields Developer Update |url=https://www.ourlovesfarm.co.uk/Articles/666760/Monksfields_Developer_Update.aspx |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=www.ourlovesfarm.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==Culture and community==
[[File:St Neots Market Square.jpg|thumb|St Neots Market Square after upgrade May 2025]]
[[St Neots Museum]] is housed in the town's former Victorian Police Station and Magistrates Court. It has local history collections covering the town's rich past including a display about James Toller, the [[Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire|Eynesbury]] Giant, a resident from the 18th century who measured over 8&nbsp;ft in height. There is also a gallery with temporary exhibitions by local creatives including fine art, ceramics, sculpture and illustration. The museum organises a variety of specialist and family events from walks, talks, one-day festivals, temporary and touring exhibitions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/st-neots-museum-home/|title=St Neots Museum &#124; Telling the story of a busy market town|website=St Neots Museum|date=2 May 2023 }}</ref>

St Neots general market is held on the market square every Thursday. A further farmers market is held on the market square every second and fourth Saturday.<ref name="market">https://www.visit-stneots.co.uk/things-to-do/listing/weekly-charter-market/ St Neots weekly market on Visit St Neots website Retrieved 25 April 2025</ref>

The theatre community includes the Riverside Theatre Company,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.riversidetheatrecompany.com/|title=Riverside Theatre Company}}</ref> who stage productions, run workshops and have groups for all ages; VAMPS formed in 1961 as the St Neots and District Operatic Society and stage popular musicals and variety shows;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thevamps.org/|title=VAMPS of St Neots – An amateur musical performance society based in St Neots|website=thevamps.org}}</ref> St Neots Players,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stneotsplayers.co.uk/|title=Home|website=St Neots Players}}</ref> formed in the late 1920s as a play-reading group with past members who used to perform the annual [[Shakespeare]], Pantomime and other mid-season productions at the Kings Head Hotel in the Stables Theatre; and Stageworks,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stageworksstudio.co.uk/|title=Performing arts at Stageworks Studios ⋆ Stageworks|website=Stageworks}}</ref> a performing arts group offering classes, holiday programmes, workshops and a college offering full-time training to students aged 16 years and over that prepares students for musical theatre and acting, SJ School of Dance,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sjschoolofdance.co.uk/|title=Home|website=www.sjschoolofdance.co.uk}}</ref> Pocket Productions,<ref>{{cite web|title=Pocket Productions|url=http://pocketproductions.org.uk}}</ref> and Peppercorns Academy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://peppercornseden.org.uk/|title=Peppercorns Academy &#124; Award Winning Music and Theatre Tuition in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.|website=Peppercorns Academy}}</ref>

The local creative community is served by Neotists,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://neotists.co.uk/|title=A community of creatives in Huntingdonshire|website=Neotists|access-date=7 October 2024}}</ref> a [[community interest company]] for creative professionals with members covering design, illustration, art, photography and IT, which commissions local creatives to collaborate on projects, run workshops and events for the community and provide opportunities and connections for professionals working in the [[creative industry]].
In 2023, the Neotists organised the St Neots Festival, a music and performing arts festival in Priory Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stneotsfestival.co.uk/home/|title=St Neots Festival|website=St Neots Festival|access-date = 7 October 2024}}</ref>

==Governance==
There are three tiers of local government covering St Neots, at [[civil parish]] (town), [[non-metropolitan district|district]], and [[non-metropolitan county|county]] level: St Neots Town Council, [[Huntingdonshire District Council]] and [[Cambridgeshire County Council]]. The district and county councils also form part of the [[Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority]], led by the [[Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough]].

===Town Council===
{{Infobox legislature
| name               = St Neots Town Council
| coa_pic            = [[File:St-Neots-TC-Logo-Nav.png|260px]]
| coa_caption        = 
| coa_res            = 260px
| house_type         = Town Council
| leader1_type       = [[Mayors in England|Mayor]]
| leader1            = Richard Slade
| leader2_type       = [[Municipal clerk#United Kingdom|Town clerk]]
| leader2            = Chris Robson
| members            = 21 Councillors
| seats1_title       = 
| seats1             = 
| voting_system1     = [[Plurality-at-large voting|Plurality-at-large]]
| last_election1     = 
| next_election1     = 
| website            = {{url|https://stneots-tc.gov.uk}}
| meeting_place      = Eatons Centre
}}
St Neots Town Council is led by a Mayor, Councillor Richard Slade. The council consists of 21 elected councillors, serving eight wards: Eaton Socon, Eaton Ford, Eynesbury, Priory Park, St Neots East, St Neots Crosshall, St Neots Church and Priory Park South.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/the-council/councillors/|title=Councillors &#124; St Neots Town Council}}</ref> The Town Council has a budget of £1.969 million in 2025-2026.  Responsibilities include allotments, certain buildings, play areas, bus shelters, public toilets, cemeteries, some categories of street lighting, defibrillators, operation of the Priory Centre, youth engagement, and trees, grass and town maintenance.<ref name = sntc>St Neots Town Council at https://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk/</ref>

===Parliamentary constituency===
St Neots is in the parliamentary constituency of [[St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire]]. The member of parliament  is [[Ian Sollom]] of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].<ref name = sollom>{{cite web | title = Who is my MP?| url= https://members.parliament.uk/member/5096/contact | publisher= UK Parliament | access-date = 8 November 2024}}</ref>

==Expansion and improvements==
===Housing expansion===
[[File:Wintringham building.jpg|thumb|Housebuilding in progress, [[Wintringham]], St Neots]]St Neots experienced considerable growth in the late 1960s and later, when much new housing was built to accommodate families from London, as part of the [[London overspill]] plan. Further housebuilding followed and during the 1970s industrial development took place along Cromwell Road, Station Road, and the Little End development.

Following the 1985 opening of the St Neots By-Pass (later part of the A428 road), further light industrial development took place alongside Barford Road south of the by-pass.

in 2010, the Loves Farm development was built, with 1,400 houses to the east of the railway line; further construction is continued further east in 2020–2023,<ref name="lovesfarm2">{{Cite web |date=2021-05-19 |title=Construction of additional homes in St Neots Loves Farm development begins |url=https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/construction-of-additional-homes-in-st-neots-loves-farm-development-begins/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=InYourArea.co.uk}}</ref> This was followed by a further 2,800 houses in 2021 in phase 1 of the [[Wintringham]] development, south of Cambridge Road and east of the railway line.<ref name="wintringham">{{Cite web |last=Maguire |first=Samar |date=2018-11-15 |title=New 2,800-home development near St Neots gets green light |url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/wintringham-st-neots-cambridgeshire-homes-15420390 |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Cambridgeshire Live |language=en}}</ref> Expansion of light industry facilities was incorporated in the original overspill planning, and has also been continued more recently. Housing construction in Phase 1 is substantially complete and an Academy school has been provided. Additional works are planned to provide office space and shop units, as well as a large (21,500 sq ft) food store.<ref name = phase2>https://wintringham.org/future-phases/ Wintringham: Future Phases retrieved 21 April 2025</ref>

In late 2025 phase 2 of the Wintringham scheme is planned to start, extending further south from phase 1. This will provide about 900 homes and a primary school and ancillary facilities. Phase 3 will be built later, extending further south to reach the A428 by-pass road.<ref name = phase2/>

===Town centre improvements===
[[File:St Neots Market after upgrade.jpg|thumb|St Neots Market Square after upgrade May 2025]]
A multi-million pound renovation of St Neots town centre began in January 2024 and is due to finish in early summer 2025. The town's Market Square is being cleared of obstruction and expanded, with car parking removed and new disabled spaces, landscaping, and a community space is being created. There have been improvements to Huntingdon Street crossroads and Church Walk crossing, as well as the resurfacing of the carriageway along the High Street and New Street.

Footway paving has also been carried out on the river bridge, along with the installation of a new electrical system in the Market Square, which will continue to be used for markets and events.<ref name = imporvements>https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/state-st-neots-market-square-31008354 Cambridge News (newspaper) article, 15 February 2025 The state of St Neots Market Square as revamp [is] due to be completed in two months</ref> 

In an initiative to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, many of the subsidiary roads were subjected to a 20 mph speed limit.<ref>https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/roads-and-pathways/improving-the-local-highway/20mph-funding Cambridgeshire County Council: 20 mph Schemes retrieved 21 April 2025</ref>

===Old Falcon Inn===
[[File:Falcon Neots.jpg|thumb|The Old Falcon Hotel in St Neots; Grade II listed building]]The Old Falcon Inn is located in a prominent position at the western end of St Neots market square. For many years it has been disused and has become very dilapidated, and calls for restoration and development are frequently made. The building is in private hands, owned by Whitfield Associates. Parts of the building date from the fifteenth century and it is Grade II listed. In the past the owning company have proved reluctant to develop the site, citing conflict with local government planning aspirations. However in February 2025 planning consent has been given for a development that will provide two commercial units facing Market Square, improving frontage and increasing footfall at the head of the market square, along with 14 new town-centre homes, and the restoration of the Boathouse. A director of the owning company has stated that "The plans for the Old Falcon have my full support and it is my intention to get the development done as soon as possible."<ref name = falcon>https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1129898?section=official-list-entry Historic England Website, retrieved 22 April; 2025</ref><ref name = falcon2>https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/24484418.old-falcon-st-neots-new-future-market-square/ Hunts Post (newspaper) 31 July 2024, retrieved 22 April 2025</ref><ref name = falcon3>https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/news/support-given-for-redevelopment-of-the-old-falcon-st-neots/ Support given for redevelopment of The Old Falcon, St Neots  HDC Press Release 19 February 2025 retrieved 3 May 2025</ref>

==Sport and leisure==
[[File:Dragon Boat Race 2011.jpg|thumb|Dragonboat racing]]
St Neots has a semi-professional [[non-League football]] team, [[St Neots Town F.C.]], who play at Rowley Park Stadium. The club are currently members of the [[United Counties League]] Premier Division South. They play at Premier Plus Stadium, Kester Way.<ref name = footie>https://theucl.co.uk/clubs/stneotstown/ United Counties League website: St Neots Town FC retrieved 23 April 2025</ref><ref name = town-fc>https://stneotstownfc.co.uk/ St Neots Town FC Website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref>

The town also has a [[Rugby football|rugby]] club, [[St Neots RUFC]], a rowing club, [[St Neots Rowing Club]], two [[Dragon Boat]] teams and St Neots Table Tennis club.<ref name = rugger>https://www.stneotsrugbyclub.com/ St Neots Rugby Club website, retrieved 24 April 2025</ref><ref name = rowing>https://stneotsrc.co.uk/ St Neots Rowing Club website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref><ref name = dragon>https://stneotsdbt.co.uk/ St Neots Dragon Boat Racing website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref><ref name = tabletennis>https://stneotsttc.com/ St Neots Table Tennis Club website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref>

Huntingdonshire District Council operates a leisure centre complex in Eynesbury with an indoor swimming pool, gym, squash courts, sports hall, tennis courts, all weather pitches, creche, and cafe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oneleisure.net/centres/st-neots/|title = St Neots &#124; One Leisure}}</ref> The site is part of the council's 'One Leisure' brand, which has other sites in Huntingdon and St Ives.

[[File:St Neots duck pond and Ambiance Cafe.jpg|thumb|The duck pond and the Ambiance Cafe in the Riverside Fields, St Neots]]
Riverside Park is an attractive public green space alongside the River Great Ouse, close to the town centre, incorporating Regatta Meadow. Footpaths in the park were upgraded in August 2024 and a wild flower meadown has been created in part of the area. is close to the town centre and covers {{convert|72|acre|ha}} "with a beautiful mile-long waterside frontage".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://huntingdonshire.gov.uk/leisure/parks-nature-reserves-and-green-spaces/riverside-park-st-neots/|title = Riverside Park St Neots}}</ref> The park has a cafe, parking for 250 cars, a large children's activity area, a skate park, and a miniature railway.<ref name = ambiance>https://www.visit-stneots.co.uk/things-to-do/listing/ambience-cafe/ Ambiance Cafe entry at Visit St Neots website</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.skateparks.co.uk/cambridgeshire/st-neots-skatepark/|title = St. Neots Skatepark - Guide to St. Neots Skatepark|date = 8 October 2014}}</ref> [[Riverside Miniature Railway]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riversiderailway.co.uk/|title=Riverside Miniature Railway – Please scroll down}}</ref> During the summer concerts are occasionally held on Sunday afternoons in the park.

Barford Road Pocket Park in Eynesbury,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://huntingdonshire.gov.uk/leisure/parks-nature-reserves-and-green-spaces/barford-road-pocket-park/|title = Barford Road Pocket Park}}</ref> hosts weekly [[parkrun]] and junior parkrun events.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/pocket/|title=Pocket parkrun {{!}} Pocket parkrun|website=www.parkrun.org.uk|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/riversidestneots-juniors/|title=Riverside junior parkrun, St Neots {{!}} Riverside junior parkrun, St Neots|website=www.parkrun.org.uk|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-15}}</ref>

To the north of the town is [[Paxton Pits Nature Reserve]] providing walks through its {{convert|77|ha|acre|disp=flip}} of lakes, meadow, grassland, scrub and woodland. The reserve is famous for its nightingales and cormorants and is home to a wide variety of other birds, insects, mammals and flora.<ref name = paxton-pits>https://paxton-pits.org.uk/ Paxton Pits Nature Reserve website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref>

[[File:Market Day at St Neots.jpg|thumb|The weekly market at St Neots]]
The Rowley Arts Centre was opened in May 2014 and includes a six-screen cinema operated by [[Cineworld]] and a complex with three restaurants and a gym. It was named after Peter Rowley, an American playwright, author and critic who was Lord of the Manor of St Neots and who donated £1{{nbsp}}million towards the development from the profit he made from selling the land on which the Love's Farm development was built.<ref name = cineworld>https://www.cineworld.co.uk/cinemas/st-neots/084#/buy-tickets-by-cinema?in-cinema=084&at=2025-04-24&view-mode=list Cineworld website retrieved 24 April 2025</ref> The complex was subsequently purchased as an investment by Huntingdonshire District Council for £7.6 million in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/district-council-completes-purchase-of-rowley-arts-centre-in-st-neots-1-6023400|title = District council confirms purchase of Rowley Arts Centre in St Neots|date = 30 April 2019}}</ref>

St Neots has a ten pin bowling centre with 16 lanes, known as Eat N Bowl.<ref name = bowling>https://www.eatnbowl.co.uk/ Eat N Bowl website, retrieved 24 April 2025</ref>

There are two golf courses: St Neots Golf Club<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - St. Neots Golf Club |url=https://www.sngc.co.uk/ |website=www.sngc.co.uk}}</ref> and Wyboston Lakes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wybostonlakes.co.uk/golf.aspx|title=Golf Course in Bedfordshire &#124; Wyboston Lakes Resort|website=www.wybostonlakes.co.uk}}</ref>

==Churches==
===St Neots Parish Church===
[[File:St Neots Church in autumn.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|St Neots Parish Church]]The parish church of St Neots itself is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.<ref name = parish-church>https://stneots.org/ St Neots Parish Church website retrieved 22 April 2025</ref>

The late 12th-century parish church was almost completely rebuilt in the 15th century, making it one of the largest and grandest medieval churches in modern Cambridgeshire. In the 19th century, it was provided with a high quality set of [[stained glass]] windows depicting the life of Jesus Christ. It is considered to be a very fine building, and has been called the Cathedral of Huntingdonshire.<ref name = betjeman>[[John Betjeman]] (editor), Collins Guide to Parish Churches of England and Wales, Collins, London, 1958, fourth edition 1980, ISBN 0 00 216166 4, page 115</ref>

Writing originally in 1958 before the enlargement of the town and the reconstruction of the bridge, [[John Betjeman]] said:

<blockquote>The good small market community has a medieval bridge over the Ouse and a well-proportioned Market Square, but the church is tucked away on the fringe of the town. It is almost everything a good town church should be: a luxurious Perpendicular building with perhaps the finest tower in the county, faced in ironstone and pebbles with ashlar dressings – an agreeable contrast in colour and texture. The roof is almost flat – although not over-elaborate it is very English and most satisfying. There are several Perpendicular screens.<ref name = betjeman/></blockquote>

===Other churches===
There are two other Anglican churches in St Neots, in the formerly independent settlements of Eynesbury and Eaton Socon. The Eynesbury parish amalgamated with the St Neots parish in 2020 and works in harmony in the Parish of St Neots with Eynesbury. The Eynesbury church is also dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.<ref name = church>https://www.stmaryseynesbury.com/ St Mary's, Eynesbury website retrieved 21 April 2025</ref> The church at Eaton Socon is also dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, and is described as an evangelical church.<ref name = es-church>https://www.eatonsocon.org/ St Mary's Eaton Socon website, retrieved 22 April 2025</ref><ref name = socon-church>https://bedfordshireparishchurches.co.uk/wp/eaton-socon/ Bedfordshire Parish Churches: Eaton Socon (Although the church is now in Cambridgeshire, much of the parish is in Bedfordshire.)</ref>

The Roman Catholic church in St Neots is in East Street, described as The Roman Catholic Church of St Joseph's, St Neots. It is located in East Street.<ref name = rc-church>https://stjosephstneots.org.uk/ St Joseph's Website retrieved 22 April 2025</ref>

The largest non-conformist church building in St Neots is the United Reformed Church in the High Street.<ref name = urc>https://www.stneotsurc.org.uk/ St Neots United Reformed Church website, retrieved 22 April 2025</ref>

==Media==
Regional local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]]. Television signals are received from the [[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sandy_Heath|title=Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=26 September 2023}}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]], [[Heart East]], [[Greatest Hits Radio East]], [[Star Radio (Cambridge and Ely)|Star Radio]], [[Huntingdon Community Radio|HCR FM]] and Black Cat Radio, a community based radio station.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blackcatradio.org/|title=Black Cat Radio |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>

The ''Hunts Post'' is the town's local weekly newspaper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-eang/hunts-post/|title=The Hunts Post|date=12 March 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=17 September 2023}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Rail===
[[File:stneotsbuilding.jpg|thumb|St Neots Railway Station]]
[[St Neots railway station]] is served by generally half-hourly trains north to Huntingdon and Peterborough, and south to Hitchin, Stevenage and  London [[St Pancras railway station|St Pancras]]; most trains continue to [[Gatwick Airport railway station|Gatwick Airport]] and Horsham. There are additional peak time commuter services in the mornings and evenings to and from [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]]. Journeys are typically around 45 minutes to London King's Cross, 55 minutes to St Pancras, and about two hours to Gatwick Airport. On Sundays trains generally run to Kings Cross, not St Pancras.<ref name = thameslink>https://timetables.thameslinkrailway.com/TL/#/timetables/3550/Table%20A Thameslink timetable</ref>

There were 959,298 uses of the St Neots station (estimated ticketed entries and exits) in 2023 - 2024, ranking it 519 among the 2,585 main line railway stations in Great Britain.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage|title=Office of Road and Rail: Busiest Stations in Britain, and tables}}</ref>

St Neots station footbridge has access to the car park and taxi rank on the west side, and the district of Love's Farm on the east side. There are lifts to the platforms.<ref name="station">{{Cite web |title=St Neots Station {{!}} National Rail |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/st-neots/ |access-date=15 March 2024|website=www.nationalrail.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

[[East West Rail]] is a plan to establish a railway between Oxford and Cambridge; a company named East West Main Line Partnership is charged with managing the development. Between Oxford and Bedford the route will connect and reopen established sections of route, and is expected to start passenger operation in 2030; extension to Cambridge is intended for 2035. For the time being a service marketed as the [[Marston Vale Line]] operates from Bletchley to Bedford. The Partnership's preferred route between Bedford and Cambridge will pass to the south of the A428 Black Cat roundabout to serve a new station at [[Tempsford]], continuing to Cambourne and Cambridge. There will be no station on the new route at St Neots.<ref>{{cite web |title=Preferred Route Alignment |url=https://eastwestrail.co.uk/proposed-route/routeupdate |website=[[East West Rail]] |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>

===Road===

[[File:Neots sun.png|thumb|St Neots market square on a sunny Sunday]]St Neots lies adjacent to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 trunk road]] which links the town by road with London and the northeast of England and Scotland. The town is also linked with Cambridge to the east by the [[A428 road]] and Bedford and Milton Keynes by the [[A421 road]] at [[Black Cat roundabout]] on the A1 just south of the town.

Six miles to the north the [[A14 road (Great Britain)|A14 trunk road]] provides westward and eastward access to the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] and [[East Anglia]] respectively.

Although outside St Neots and in Bedfordshire, the Black Cat Interchange has a significant effect on local road users. It is a road junction between the A1 and A428 roads, and the heavy traffic results in serious congestion at times. A major road scheme is in progress to improve the interchange, forming a grade-separated junction; this will relieve the load on the southern part of St Neots and the A428 By-Pass. As well as improving the junction, the scheme will provide a new dual carriageway road as far as the Caxton Gibbet roundabout. In addition minor road connections on the A1 south and north of the Black Cat are bring relocated to provide safer access to the A1. The road scheme is expected to open in 2027.<ref>https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/a428-black-cat-to-caxton-gibbet/ National Highways Website: Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Road Scheme</ref>

===Bus===
St Neots is served by the [[Stagecoach Group|Stagecoach]] 905 service which operates between Bedford Bus Station and Cambridge Bus Station.<ref name = stagecoach>Stagecoach timetable information at https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/East/BEDFORD/BE-905-230225.pdf</ref>

[[Whippet (bus company)|Whippet Bus Company]] operates its route 66 between St Neots and Huntingdon, Fenstanton and Hinchingbrooke Hospital. <ref name = whippet66>https://bustimes.org/services/66-fenstanton-st-neots?date=2025-04-27 Whippet service 66</ref>

Whippet also run a service 18 from St Neots to Cambridge Bus Station; it serves [[Cambourne]], Bourne, [[Comberton]], [[Barton, Cambridgeshire|Barton]] and [[Grantchester]].<ref name = whippet18>https://www.whippetbus.co.uk/media/uu5bqv1y/18-a4-tt-mar25.pdf Whippet Route 18</ref>

Central Connect operate a circular service in St Neots, route 61. This runs from Tesco Extra via the railway station, St Neots Market Square and Eaton Socon and back.<ref name = eynesbury-bus>https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/mytrip/service/5a628bcf-3bc4-44c0-9157-8ac8cbc5d640-timetable-20250227-d4bb6581.pdf Central Connect Eynesbury Circular bus timetable.</ref> The company also runs a service 67 to St Ives, via Papworth and Hilton.<ref name = bus67>https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/mytrip/service/ad322a15-6c68-4da9-b823-51011c278b08-timetable-20250106-0f8e3621.pdf St Ives bus route 67</ref>

These routes are correct as of April 2025.

===Air===
St Neots is within an hour's drive from [[London Luton Airport]] and [[London Stansted Airport]], and has a direct train service to [[London Gatwick Airport]].

===Cycling===
St Neots is on Route 12 of the [[Sustrans]] national cycle route that connects [[Colchester]] and [[Oxford]] via [[Harwich]], [[Felixstowe]], [[Ipswich]], [[Bury St Edmunds]], Cambridge, [[Huntingdon]], [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]], [[Bedford]] and [[Milton Keynes]].

[[File:Bridge Riverside Park St Neots.jpg|thumb|Detail of tree-lined lake with swans in the Riverside Park]]
A foot and cycle bridge across the River Great Ouse was opened in 2011,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/stneotsrangers/connect2-project|title = St Neots Connect2 Project - StNeotsRangers}}</ref> linking Eaton Socon and Eynesbury, enabling pupils attending Ernulf Academy to avoid cycling through the town centre and improving connections to existing cycle paths. The scheme was a [[Sustrans]] [[Connect2]] project, and supported by Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council.

==Geography==
[[File:River Ouse Riverside Park St Neots.jpg|thumb|River Great Ouse, St Neots]]

St Neots is just over 49 miles north of Charing Cross, London. It is close to the south-western boundary of [[Huntingdonshire]] District, and the northern boundary of [[Bedfordshire]]. Both the city of [[Cambridge]] {{ndash}} about {{convert|18|mi}} east {{ndash}} and [[Bedford, Bedfordshire|Bedford]] {{ndash}} about {{convert|13|mi}} southwest) are nearby. The city of [[Milton Keynes]] is {{convert|31|mi}} to the west and [[Peterborough]] is {{convert|29|mi}} to the north. The [[A428 road|A428]] road makes the boundary with [[Little Barford]] and Northern [[Bedfordshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information about St. Neots Bypass |url=https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/pe196fl |website=StreetCheck}}</ref> 

St Neots lies in the valley of the [[River Great Ouse]], partly on the [[flood plain]] and partly on slightly higher ground a little further from the water. The Great Ouse is a mature river, once wide and shallow but now controlled by [[weir]]s and [[sluice]]s and usually constrained in a well-defined channel.
[[Tributary|Tributaries]] entering the Great Ouse in the town are the [[River Kym]], Hen Brook, Duloe Brook and Colmworth Brook. The area is generally low-lying. Riverside Park, an amenity adjacent to St Neots Bridge, remains set aside as a [[flood-meadow]], subject to flood, protecting dwellings and commercial property from a swollen reach.

St Neots developed at the site of a [[ford (river)|ford]] where overland routes converged. The Great North Road and the major route from Ipswich to the West Midlands (later the [[A45 road]]) intersected at St Neots and Eaton Socon.

The soil is mainly light, overlying [[gravel]] beds &ndash; gravel extraction is a local industry. Older disused [[gravel pit]]s, such as the nearby [[Paxton Pits Nature Reserve|Paxton Pits]] and [[Wyboston|Wyboston Leisure Park]], have been converted to nature reserves and amenity areas. Away from the river, the higher land is mainly a heavy [[clay]] soil with few large settlements. Much of the land is used for [[arable land|arable]] farming.

===Climate===
The climate in the United Kingdom is defined as a [[temperate]] [[oceanic climate]], a classification it shares with most of northwest Europe.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Peel |first1=M. C. |last2=Finlayson |first2=B. L. |last3=McMahon |first3=T. A. | year=2007 | title= Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume=11 |issue=5 | pages=1633–1644 | url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html | issn = 1027-5606|doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007|bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P | doi-access=free }} ''(direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper])''</ref> Eastern areas of the United Kingdom, such as [[East Anglia]], are drier, cooler, less windy and also experience the greatest daily and seasonal temperature variations. Protected from the cool onshore coastal breezes, Cambridgeshire is warm in summer and cold and frosty in winter.

In Saint Neots, the summers are short, comfortable, and partly cloudy and the winters are long, very cold, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 2°C to 22°C and is rarely below -3°C or above 28°C.  Rain falls throughout the year in Saint Neots. The month with the most rain in Saint Neots is October, with an average rainfall of 49 millimetres. The month with the least rain in Saint Neots is March, with an average rainfall of 30 millimetres.<ref name = weather>https://weatherspark.com/y/45370/Average-Weather-in-Saint-Neots-United-Kingdom-Year-Round Weatherspark Website, Weather at St Neots, retrieved 24 April 2025</ref>

==Notable residents==
[[File:Bellingham.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|John Bellingham]]
[[John Bellingham]] was born in St Neots; he acquired notoriety as the only person to assassinate a British Prime Minister. Bellingham killed [[Spencer Perceval]] at the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on 11 May 1812.  He was hanged for murder a week later.<ref name="bellingham">Andro Linklater, ''Why Spencer Perceval had to Die'', Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012, ISBN 9781 4088 3171 7, page 35</ref>
 
[[Winifred Crossley Fair]], aviator and one of the ''First Eight'' women pilots to join the [[Air Transport Auxiliary]] in 1940 during the Second World War, was the first woman to fly a [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricane fighter]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poad |first=Richard |date=2020-01-14 |title=ATA's first 8 women pilots |url=https://atamuseum.org/atas-first-8-women-pilots/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Air Transport Auxiliary |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The [[St Neots Quads]] are nicknamed for their place of birth; they were the first British quadruplets to survive more than a few days and as of 2021 were the oldest quadruplets in the world.<ref name="davies">Liz Davies, ''Surviving the Odds: the Story of the St Neots Quads'', St Neots Museum, 25 February 2021</ref>

Multiple World short course swimming champion [[Mark Foster (swimmer)|Mark Foster]] lives in St Neots.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 July 2008 |title=Foster covets first Olympic medal |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/swimming/7507874.stm |access-date=2010-03-27}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist | group = note}}

{{clear}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.stneots-tc.gov.uk St Neots Town Council]

{{Cambridgeshire}}
{{River Great Ouse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Neots}}
[[Category:St Neots| ]]
[[Category:Populated places on the River Great Ouse]]
[[Category:Market towns in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire]]