The small Cambridgeshire village with only one pub that was once part of another county

The village only has one pub

There are many unique and historic towns and villages in Cambridgeshire that each have their own history. Many people will know most of the places that form Cambridgeshire today, including major cities such as Cambridge and Peterborough and smaller villages and towns like Great Shelford and Whittlesey.

However, some places that form part of our county today once belonged to our neighbours. Cambridgeshire borders several different counties including Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire.

The village of Heydon was one of these areas that wasn’t once part of Cambridgeshire, but part of Essex. Heydon is an ancient village, with remains from the Roman times and Iron Age discovered there.

The village’s name is believed to mean ‘hay’ or ‘high valley’, due to it being a notably dry valley. Heydon was part of Essex for many years until it came under the county of Cambridgeshire in 1894.

The Local Government Act 1894 required rural districts and civil parishes not to cross administrative county boundaries. As a result, in order to align local government and district boundaries, Heydon became part of Cambridgeshire.

The village is described as “charming” and set within “picturesque countryside”. Heydon only has one pub – the King William IV.

It has been a “cornerstone of the Heydon community for generations”, according to the pub website. It offers freshly cooked meals, from pizzas to Sunday roasts. Its drink range has also been “carefully curated” by the pub owners, offering a range of real ales and wines.

Houses in Heydon are on the pricey side, as the average three-bedded semi-detached home costs between £635,000 to £660,000.

If you wanted a four-bed house, the price hikes up to £1.25 million. For a five to six-bedroom home, they cost between £1 million and £1.3 million.