King’s Hedges Estate, Cambridge

History of King's Hedges Estate

1925 02 06

Cambridge Housing and Town Planning committee recommended the council purchase land at the junction of Milton Road and King’s Hedges road for £2,400. It was light soil, very suitable for the erection of houses. The Council had never bought land at such a cheap rate.
Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897–1990.

1932 03 30

Described by its builders and furnishers as ‘the ideal home at the ideal price on the ideal terms’ there is a newly built house in King’s Hedges Road which all prospective purchasers should inspect. With two receptions, three bedrooms, a bathroom and large garden it is on sale at the remarkably reasonable price of £625 freehold or for £35 deposit and 19/6 weekly. Robert Sayle has completely furnished it at a price of £140.10s. Lucky will be the wife whose husband presents her with this home. 32 03 30 Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897–1990.

1937 12 08

Sir – two months ago I visited Kings Hedges Road and was surprised to find that an entirely new, first class road has been constructed, sewered, channelled, kerbed, grass verged. This has been done by the council under an agreement with the owners who threw into the highway just under half an acre of land, worth £50. The total cost of making the road was nearly £1,500. The building speculators have received a substantial gain, a splendid road, enhanced price for the houses erected, resulting in a bigger profit for them at the expense of the ratepayers – Geo. Edwards 37 12 08 Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897–1990.

1937 12 16

Back in 1924 Green End Road and Kings Hedges Road were narrow country roads with hedges on each side and a narrow carriageway in the centre with rough grass margins on either side. Then the Cambridge Town Planning Scheme began to evolve and development started to take place. The Corporation built some wood framed houses on the west side of Kings Hedges Road and the housing society erected houses on the same side of Green End Road. Gradually houses began to appear on the opposite side and then the proposed ring road was agreed. Builders told to keep their houses far enough back to enable the required width but then the council purchased the land and constructed the ring road in front of the properties without any cost to them. The same procedure was followed on King’s Hedges Road from Milton Road to the old borough boundary. 37 12 16c Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897–1990.

King’s Hedges Road was shown as a private carriageway under the Inclosure Award of 1840, so why was it now repairable by Cambridge ratepayers, Councillor Edwards asked. The Town Clerk said that in 1912, when the Borough was extended, part of King’s Hedges Road was handed over by Chesterton Urban District Council as a highway repairable by the inhabitants at large and in 1934 the County passed over the remaining portion on the same terms. It seemed Chesterton UDC had simply begun repairing the road thus making it a public highway. It was a mistake made in good faith and it would be a waste of time to consider it further. 38 02 03b Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897–1990.

1962 08 28
Piped television begins in Cambridge on Saturday when 30 Arbury Estate subscribers tune in to receive three television and four radio programmes via a 170 ft mast in King’s Hedges Road. The British Wireless Relay Company says the cost of laying a complete underground network was prohibitive but wherever possible the cables were being put in the least conspicuous places. People can hire sets for between 7s6d and 13s a week 62 08 28a Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Arbury and King’s Hedges Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.