Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford were originally in Bedfordshire but were transferred to the council district of Huntingdonshire in 1965 and Cambridgeshire in 1974. The area has seen huge growth in recent years in terms of housing, business and amenities.

In fact, the population of Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford have more than doubled between 1931 and 2001 and is now 9,042.

Eaton Socon is mentioned as "Eaton" in the Domesday Book when the manor belonged to Eudo Dapifer.

In the 13th Century it became a Soke, which meant it was independent of the Hundred Cout at Barford. In time, Soke became Socon.

The wier at Eaton Socon was constructed in 1967 and has associated locks to allow river navigation. The riverbank hosts a large inn called The River Mill Tavern.

The Hunts Post: The lock at Eaton Socon.The lock at Eaton Socon. (Image: ARCHANT)

St Mary's Church stands on the picturesque green in the centre of the village and the old Great North Road runs through the centre of Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford. The White Horse pub dates back to the 13th Century.

The Hunts Post: The White Horse has a long history.The White Horse has a long history. (Image: ARCHANT)

There is a conservation area with listed buildings and thatched cottages along the Great North Road and parts of Peppercorns Lane and School Lane.

Peppercorns Lane leads to a path that runs from Riverside Park at St Neots up to St Mary's Church, which backs on to meadow land, Eaton Socon Cricket Club and The Pightle, which is natural wildlife area.

St Mary's Church contains a recently constructed monument to John Henry Elliot, the former headmaster of Eaton Socon School. The school opened around 1818 and John was its first headmaster.

Nearby, is the famous lockup. It dates back to the 19th Century and the days, before the establishment of a county police force, when the parish was responsible for law and order within its own boundaries

Although the majority of St Neots is east of the Great Ouse, the Eatons are on the west bank. Eaton Ford is still part of the ecclesiastical parish of Eaton Socon.

In Anglo-Saxon times the area of Eaton Ford was known as Sudbury but became known as Eaton Ford as it was next to the village (and free land, soke) of Eatun (now Eaton Socon) and hosted a great ford across the river, a main route from the south to the town of St Neots.