Histon and Impington

Coordinates: 52°15′13″N 0°06′15″E / 52.25358°N 0.10429°E / 52.25358; 0.10429

Histon and Impington are villages in Cambridgeshire, England. They are situated just north of Cambridge with the main bulk of the settlements being separated from the city by the A14 road (England).

Over the years the two villages have grown and entwined together, to such an extent that many villagers today do not know where one ends and the other begins. They contain a combined total of six pubs. They have a nursery, infants', junior and secondary school. The International Whaling Commission is based in Impington, while the now abolished East of England Development Agency was based in Histon. Histon is also the location of the radio station Heart 103 (formerly Q103), which covers Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket, Huntingdon and Royston and is part of Global Radio.

Etymology

The names Histon and Impington are probably of Saxon origin as both end in ton.

Histon

Suggestions for meanings of this name include: "farmstead of the young warriors" or "landing place". However, the latter of these is unlikely as Histon is situated above the floodline. The likely origin of the name is from the two Saxon/Old English words hyse and tun– hyse meaning "a young man or warrior", and tun meaning "house or farm". The village name has survived relatively unchanged since the writing of the Domesday Book when it was recorded as Histone.