Swimming and Skating in 1930s in St. Neots

By Peter Ibbett

Swimming and Skating in 1930’s St. Neots

One common theme of Christmas cards is happy skaters enjoying festive pleasures amongst a snowy background or even taking a winter dip in the river! Global warming and unwelcome virus restrictions make this an unlikely prospect for the winter of 2020-21. Howard Usher (born in Eynesbury in 1926) growing up in New Street, St Neots, and living above the wallpaper and paint shop in New Street, St Neots in the 1930’s could look forward to a regular end of year encounter with an icy Common as his reminiscences reveal in a couple of St. Neots History Society newsletters from 2001 :“New Street led to the Common. At the end of New Street where it joined Bedford Street was The Cannon public house and a faded painted notice on the wall read ‘Hyde Park Corner’. There were large white gates at both ends of the Common to prevent cattle from straying. Sometimes I would hang about here and if a car came along I would open the gate for him, and sometimes the driver would give me a penny. Just inside the Common a small sheet of water was known as the ‘Ware’. It may have been a drinking place for cattle, but if so, the name is curious. In the winter months the Ware would readily freeze and it was possible to go sliding on it. There were bathing places at Eynesbury Coneygeare and two on St Neots Common, known as the Lower and Upper Boardings, but I did not take to these places In the winter the water level was raised by means of the sluices at the Paper Mills and the water would flood over onto the Lammas Meadows and Tuzzy-Muzzy Meadow. It would only be a few inches deep and when the frosts came the whole area would freeze to make a giant skating rink for the town to enjoy. On very rare occasions the river itself would freeze and I remember one year when the frost was so deep that people walked across the river below the bridge. Do keep an eye open for opening times at the museum for it has an excellent range of gifts in its shop and a Christmas Fair as well as its traditional family Santa.