The Pightle: An Introduction
What is the Pightle?
The Pightle is now an area of nearly ten acres of unspoilt countryside. It consists of six and half acres in the 'original' Pightle (now known as Pightle 1), and an additional three and a half acres in the 'new' Pightle (Pightle 2).
The name is taken from an old map of Eaton Socon showing names of fields in the early 1800's.
The old English word 'Pightle' was used to refer to a small piece of enclosed land, usually surrounded by hedging.
Where is it?
The original entrance to the Pightle can be found along the 'Back Path', a footpath stretching from Eaton Ford to Eaton Socon Church. The footpath runs between the housing and the meadows running alongside the River Great Ouse. The entrance is immediately behind Capulet Close, where there is a welcome sign.
In 2022 the Pightle expanded, with the addition of land to the south of the original plot, between the moorings and Eaton Socon Cricket Club, and including the area of open land to the south of the Willow Bridge Path, which connects the 'Back Path' to the Willow Bridge. This is now known as 'Pightle 2' and can be accessed from the original plot (Pightle 1) via a path down by the riverbank, or from the Willow Bridge if you are coming from Eynesbury, or the Willow Bridge Path if you are coming from Eaton Socon.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BLvCVJz2Qn1BZFtA7
Who owns the Pightle?
The Pightle was purchased in 1999 with money from St Neots Town Council and with a grant given by the Countryside Commission. Landscape 2000, a local environmental group, were instrumental in the acquisition of the land.
The Pightle Millennium Green Trust was set up to manage the site, and is a registered charity - no. 1070648. The object of the Trust is 'To provide and maintain an open space to be known as 'The Pightle Millennium Green' for the benefit of the inhabitants and to be used forever as an area for informal recreation play or other leisure-time occupations, a meeting area or place for community events and for any other lawful purpose consistent with these trusts and for the general beneift of the community.'
Who is on the Trust Committee?
Committee members include representatives from the Eatons Community Association and local residents. Meetings are held regularly. The Trust's AGM's are held in May in St Mary's Church Hall, Eaton Socon. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Can the Pightle ever be built on or developed in any way?
Nothing can be done with the land without the Trustees permission. The Trust was set up to preserve the land as a leisure amenity. It cannot be built on or developed for housing in any way.
A History of the Pightle
In the 1930's the land of the Pightle had been used mainly for grazing for hundreds of years. At the start of the Second World War there was a great demand for gravel to build the airfields which surrounded St Neots, so the whole area became a series of gravel pits. Gravel was also extracted from the site for the construction of the original Little Barford Power Station.
After the war, the decision was made to fill in the gravel pits with coal ash from the power station. This took place over a period of ten years, and today the only gravel pit remaining is the one in Bedfordia Meadows, adjacent to The Pightle.
Once the gravel pits had been filled, a thin layer of topsoil was spread over, and the land was handed back to the original owners. It was in very poor condition, and only supported rough grazing. To this day, you can see coal ash brought to the surface by burrowing animals such as rabbits and badgers.
In the late 1940's the Pightle was purchased by a company called Sunny Smile, who were relocating out of London. They established a factory on part of the land which is now Capulet Close, making baby toys which were sold by Woolworths. The company used part of the field as a dumping ground. Some waste plastic from this time remains in the ground at the front end of the Pightle, and is uncovered when digging to plant new trees etc. Sunny Smile went into decline in the late 1970's and closed in 1987; no trace remains of the factory.
The Pightle was subsequently used by Mr Carrington to keep his horses, but when this ceased, the land reverted to scrub. In the run up to the celebrations for the year 2000, a project called Landscape 2000 was set up to protect and enhance green spaces. This project was particularly timely, as in the previous years there had been a number of proposals to use the area for housing development. It was as a result of this project, with the assistance of St Neots Town Council, that the Pightle was bought and the Pightle Millennium Green Trust was created to look after it. Since then, the trustees have actively restored, maintained and enhanced the Pightle as a natural area for the enjoyment and recreation of the community of Eaton Socon.
In 2012 the Pightle was awarded Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust status, and received the plaque pictured above to display. It is mounted in the pathway at the entrance to the Pightle. The fields in Trust project aimed to recognise 2,012 community fields as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations, and give them all extra legal protection from any possible development in the future. The Pightle was one of the first sites in East Anglia to receive the award. The Pightle is also protected by a covenant placed upon it some time ago, making its future as a green space for all to enjoy as secure as possible.
Pightle 2
In 2022 we were fortunate enough to be donated a section of land comprising just over 3 and a half acres, to the south of the original Pightle. This area is now known as Pightle 2. The land was previously owned by the McNish family, who have lived in St Neots for several generations. Planning applications for the land had failed and the family decided to separate out and sell off parcels of the land. The land along the river bank was sold for private moorings, the Eaton Socon Cricket Club purchased the Cricket Ground, and two remaining parcels were donated to the Pightle, with the Trust obtaining ownership in March 2022. This comprises the area of land between the cricket club and the moorings, and a second area to the south of the Willow Bridge Path, up to the boundary of Castle Hills. This most southerly parcel of land has been named Giles Gardens, to recognise the time and effort put into the Pightle by Derek Giles. Derek was one of the founders of the Pightle and served as a volunteer and Chair of the Pightle Trust. The upper (west) end of Giles Gardens has been planted with fruit and nut trees (Derek was very keen on fruit trees!) and there is also a small picnic area with a memorial bench for Derek. The lower end of this plot is subject to occasional flooding and work has commenced to transform this area into a bog garden, to encourage biodiversity. This has been possible thanks to a grant from Huntingdonshire District Council. The area between the cricket ground and the moorings has been named McNish Wood, to recognise the generous donation of the land for Pightle 2. This area has begun to be planted with a range of trees both small/medium and some larger varieties such as copper beech, horse chestnut and oaks, which are rare in Pightle 1. We hope that in time this area will grow into a small forest.