Chesterton Hall belonged to the Hobson family (Image:
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BREAKING news and daily roundups More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Sign up to our free email newsletter to receive the latest breaking news and daily roundups Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice While the centre of Cambridge around King's Parade is the most well-known place to find beautiful old buildings in the city, there are interesting buildings everywhere – if you look carefully enough. You can spot amazing old buildings even near main roads and busy roundabouts. One of those is Chesterton Hall, a house next to the roundabout on Elizabeth Way (also known as the A1134). If you've driven that way, chances are that you've had to stop at a red light next to Chesterton Hall to allow pedestrians to cross. The house dates back to the early 17th century by the Hobson family. The name might be familiar from Hobson's Conduit , which is a watercourse running through central Cambridge, or from Hobson's choice, which is an expression used where multiple choices are offered but only one is desirable. Read next: The Cambridgeshire town with a magnificent manor house and rare plant garden Read next: 'I lived in the town named in The Sunday Times' Best Places To Live with picture-perfect streets' Thomas Hobson the younger was a postal carrier who was responsible for getting post between
London and Cambridge in the days before Royal Mail. His postal operation ran from stables near St Catharine's College, which also housed horses rented out to members of the University of Cambridge. Hobson owned a lot of land in Cambridgeshire , including Anglesey Priory, which is now known as Anglesey Abbey and owned by the National Trust. He also owned land in Chesterton which he assigned to his son Charles in 1608. He lived at Chesterton Hall, which must have been considerably quieter in his time, in 1627. The red-brick building has several original features, including its windows, but was remodelled in the mid 19th century and enlarged in the 20th century. In 1922, the owner of the house left it and other land in Chesterton to St John's College. Much of the land was sold in the 1930s for homes to be built, with Chesterton Hall acquired by Cambridge City Council in 1945 and turned into flats. The house is Grade-II listed, with Historic
England saying that none of the original features remain inside. However, with the outside still maintaining its historic features, it's worth more than a quick glance as you wait at the red light. Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow CambridgeLive
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