Nowadays, the village offers a more calming setting for families and visitors to enjoy
A charming Cambridgeshire village offers a serene atmosphere but it once used a unique technique to keep rowdy residents in check. Litlington lies close to the county border of Hertfordshire, but it is most definitely claimed by Cambridgeshire.
Historically, the village used a bizarre building known as the village ‘Lock Up’ or the ‘Cage’ called St. Peter’s hole, to hold criminals in the Cage before they were taken to court.
The Cage was built in the 18th-century and is believed to have been last used in 1840. Before 1839, there were no police as we know them today.
The law and the peace of the village used to be enforced by parish constables and the churchwardens. The unpaid constable had many duties – his primary responsibility was to keep the peace and take charge of the parish armour.
The constable used his staff and handcuffs to apprehend offenders and the locals causing mayhem on the streets. He also levied Fines, whipped vagrants, and assisted the churchwardens in their duty of presenting parishioners who failed to attend church regularly.
Litlington’s criminals would be made to sit in the round-topped village Lock Up before being taken to appear at court. It was last used in the 1840s, when the occupant supposedly set fire to the hay which was provided for his own comfort.
Nowadays, the village offers a more calming setting for families and visitors to enjoy. Litlington houses more than 800 residents, according to the 2021 census.
The quaint village hosts a few of its own local amenities including a village shop with a post office, a village hall and a recreation ground. It previously housed a pub called The Crown on Church Street which has since closed down.
However, house prices in Litlington reflect its popularity. According to Rightmove, the overall average of house prices in the village reached £556,180 over the last year.
In comparison, the average house price in South Cambridgeshire as a whole was £433,000 in April 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics.
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