Histon & Impington Village Society

27/10/2026

Tonight’s talk: Cambridge Horse Trams

7.30pm, Histon Methodist Church

Please wrap up warm, as there has been a problem with the boiler at the Methodist Church. Hopefully the heating will be working, but please bring warm layers just in case.

There are just a few tickets left; please book via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cambridge-horse-trams-tickets-2003467210358

24/07/2026

Free talk next week: The history of Royal Papworth Hospital

🗓️ Tue 28 Jul 2026 19:00 - 20:30
📍Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge, CB2 8PE

Royal Papworth Hospital is now part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus but started its history more than a century ago in Papworth Everard as a tuberculosis sanatorium and village settlement. Unique for its scheme and its success, Papworth village settlement became a world-famous model in the treatment of TB.

Join Lalie Constantin, Heritage Officer at Royal Papworth Hospital, to discover the story of this extraordinary village, and how it became the leading heart and lung hospital in the UK.

Learn more about the daily life of villagers, gruesome early treatments, work in the famous pendragon industries, and key pioneering heart surgeries through extracts and images from the hospital's archives and clips from oral history recordings of local inhabitants.

The talk is aimed at Foundation Trust Members, but anyone can become a member for free and come along to the talk with their friends and family. More info here:

The history of Royal Papworth Hospital - a Foundation Trust Membership event – Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge, Tue 28 Jul 2026 - The history of Royal Papworth Hospital Royal Papworth Hospital is now part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus but started its history more than a century ago....

22/07/2026

📗 Local Historian Bob Tonks Publishes New Book on Histon Green 📗

Histon & Impington Village Society is delighted to support local historian Bob Tonks with the publication of the latest book in his series of publications exploring the rich history of our village. It's A5 in format and 90 pages long.

While these books are not official Village Society publications, we are always keen to champion the research Bob undertakes, and we are pleased that this latest title will be available to purchase through the Village Society website.

Bob's new book takes readers on a journey back to Histon Green in 1911, bringing to life the families who lived there over a century ago. Through extensive research, the book explores the people behind the front doors, including details of parents, marriages and children, giving a snapshot of village life at the time.

Beautiful drawings of the cottages and houses, alongside a wealth of historic photographs, provide a wonderfully visual record of the Green highlighting the important role Histon Green played at the heart of village life.

The book includes extracts from local newspapers of the time, recording weddings, house sales, local disputes, deaths and many other events.

Copies are available to purchase via our website for £10.00

www.histonandimpingtonvillagesociety.com/books-and-booklets

20/07/2026

July Talk: “‘How the Railway Made the Village & how the Village Made the Model Railway” 🚂

🗓️ Tuesday 28 July
📍 Histon Methodist Church
⏰ 7.30 - 9pm

Discover how a tiny village and its railway inspired an epic model railway adventure you won’t want to miss.

SYNOPSIS

Life for villagers was transformed when the railway arrived in Histon in 1847. Chivers Jam Factory developed and provided a major source of employment which in turn led the village to expand.

This talk describes how a model railway exhibition layout of the Jam Factory area and the station was purchased by the Feast Committee and, with the help of a small group of local enthusiasts, a larger and more accurate model of the Railway Station was created. The layout seeks to entertain visitors by bringing the past to life for younger people and to provide some welcome nostalgia for everyone else.

SPEAKERS

Brian Ing

Growing up in a village with the Southern Region Carriage Works and a grandfather who worked for the railway, I have always been interested in railways. Hence, I was delighted to be able to be involved from the start with the local model rail group, especially as it builds on what has made these villages so wonderful to be part of: villages which I moved into over 47 years ago and within which I have been more closely involved in my so far twenty years of retirement.

Simon Payne

Simon is a founding member and chair of the Histon and Impington Model Rail Group. He has lived in Histon for over 20 years and he has been a railway modeller for nearly 60 years in both the UK and Germany. Simon is a town planner at both 1:76 scale and in real life at 1:1 scale!

TICKETS

Tickets are free for Village Society members and £4 for non-members. Book your ticket here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991893691652

Discover how a tiny village and its railway inspired an epic model railway adventure you won’t want to miss.

26/06/2026

Histon & Impington Recreation Ground Centenary: FREE exhibition open this weekend 🎊

Come along to the Community Room at the Rec this weekend to view the exhibition put together by Histon & Impington Village Society celebrating 100 years of our Recreation Ground.

Opening times: Saturday 12 noon - 3pm; Sunday 12 noon - 4pm

These photos give a sneak peek of some of the fabulous photos that will be on display. We hope to see you there!

15/06/2026

Histon & Impington Village Society June Talk: Memories of Histon and Impington in the 1940s and 50s (Part 2) by David Oates

📍Histon Methodist Church
🗓️ Tuesday 30 June
⏰ 7.30 - 9pm

David Oates will continue his memories of Histon & Impington, including the 1953 Coronation, life at Histon Junior School, the coming of the main sewer and much else.

Tickets are free for Village Society members and £4 for non-members (in-person or on Zoom). Please book your ticket via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/memories-of-histon-and-impington-in-the-1940s-and-50s-part-2-tickets-1990987366810

Memories of Histon and Impington in the 1940s and 50s (Part 2) Followed by a local history picture quiz.

11/05/2026

🗣️ May Talk: The History of Papworth Hospital

🗓️ Tuesday 26 May
🕣 7.30pm
📍Histon Methodist Church

Histon & Impington Village Society is delighted to welcome Lailie Constantin to speak about the history of Papworth Hospital. The hospital has a rich and unusual past, starting out as a tuberculosis colony before growing into one of the world’s leading heart and lung centres.

In this talk, Lailie explores how the hospital developed over time, sharing some of the key breakthroughs, memorable stories, and the people behind them.

🗣️ Speaker Bio:

Lailie Constantin is Heritage Officer at Royal Papworth Hospital, where she helps preserve and share its history and heritage. She enjoys combining research with personal stories to bring the past to life, and regularly shares her work with local audiences.

🎟️ Book your tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-history-of-papworth-hospital-tickets-1988109376664

The village society is delighted to welcome Lailie Constantin to speak about the history of Papworth Hospital. Please join us