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Hemingford Grey, which has a population of about 2,000, is situated on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse in the county of Cambridgeshire. It adjoins Hemingford Abbots to the west and St Ives on the north of the river and the A14 trunk road passes through the parish about a mile south of the main settlement. A bus service connects it with St Ives and Cambridge and with Huntingdon which provides rail connections to London and via Peterborough to the north.
The centre of the village has an attractive mixture of buildings including thatched timber-framed cottages and the church with its unique truncated spire. Along the riverside path is the Norman Manor House where Lucy Boston the children's writer lived and which is open to the public by prior arrangement. There is a post office and village shop in the High Street and the Cock public house and restaurant with The Willows guest house next door. Next to the church is the old rectory, a beautiful Queen Anne house which is now a study centre. Village amenities include the Sports Field and Pavilion, the Reading Room, St James Parish Centre and the Primary School, all of which serve community needs - see 'Places of Interest' under 'Maps'.
Hemingford Grey grew considerably in the 19th century especially in the area of the London Road which is about a mile east of the village centre and nearer to St Ives. Here there is some industrial development, a petrol station and the St Ives Motel. The village continued to grow between the wars when simple and attractive bungalows with good- sized gardens were built followed, in more recent years, by several small estate developments.
Farming is still the main land-use with large arable fields to the south and beautiful meadows on the low ground near the river. There is limited employment in the village but in recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of people working from home. This has lead to many services being available in the village.
Hemingford Grey is a vibrant community with many and varied voluntary organisations providing recreation, education and sporting facilities for residents.
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